New Menai Science Park

Anglesey’s new Menai Science Park, the first dedicated science park in Wales, required an iconic and modern flooring solution and consulted Flowcrete UK to help.

Wholly owned by Bangor University, Menai Science Park, or M-SParc as it’s known, is a facility where collaborations are encouraged and ignited by chance encounters in the shared spaces, and the client was eager for this energy to be reflected in the building’s interior.

The energetic working environment is provided in the form of offices, laboratories and meeting rooms. M-SParc delivers space, support services and outstanding facilities to businesses of all sizes. To reflect the innovative, forward-thinking nature of the building, the interior had to be state-of-the-art.

As designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects, the building concept comprises a continuous white ‘Ribbon’, which wraps around the entirety of the Open Innovation Space, and so a seamless, robust floor finish to match the pure white of the external Corian cladding was required. To achieve the aesthetic, two different materials were used to provide the ideal amount of contrast for the design to pop.

In order to complement the building’s modern style, Peran Comfort from Flowcrete UK was chosen in Light Grey and Signal White for the stairs, landing and foyer areas of the Open Innovation Space. The noise reduction and durability properties of this flooring system are ideally suited to these areas, where heavy footfall and the accompanying noise is expected. The light colours chosen for the pathways inside the building also help to reflect the light, creating the spacious and bright atmosphere desired by the client.

In contrast to the matt, self-smoothing polyurethane-based Peran Comfort floor coating, Flowcrete UK’s Rustik Glamourstone was utilised in the entrance way. This material provided a natural texture to the space, as well as a touch of glamour thanks to its crisp white colour and modern style. As well as generating a striking visual, its noise reduction, slip resistance and durability properties make it ideal for use in entranceways where heavy footfall is expected on a regular basis. Rustik’s natural stone aesthetic also provides visual continuity with the paving in the external landscape, further emphasising how the design of the exterior is mirrored within the interior.

The applicators began the process by preparing the substrate and installing a levelling screed by hand. The designs incorporated into the surface were then set out using stainless steel rims, which acted as borders between the two materials, before the Peran Comfort and Rustik Glamourstone systems were applied using trowels, rollers and squeegees. The installation process was concluded with a final sealer coat.

The application process was completed within its two week schedule, much to the appreciation of the clients who had planned a grand opening ceremony attended by the First Minister for Wales as well as local businesses and dignitaries.