owned by Bangor University
Background
The Menai Science Park in Anglesey opened in March 2018, and brings together businesses from the ICT, low carbon and energy sectors.
Owned by Bangor University, the aim is to provide a supportive environment to help firms grow and bridge the gap between cutting edge academic research and business.
Menai Science Park (M-SParc) is a £20m development hosting state-of-the-art laboratory, workshop space, office and meeting rooms.
The 5,000m2, three-storey park is a collaboration between Welsh Government and Bangor University and aims to encourage business growth, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Its vision is to drive knowledge-based science linked to research expertise and become a catalyst for innovative ideas in the area.
The park’s 30-year plan is to create highly skilled jobs for local people and develop a knowledge-sharing hub in sectors such as low carbon, ICT, energy and environment.
Following its launch last year, several businesses have already chosen M-SParc as their North Wales business base and over 100 people now work on the site.
Project
The project’s focus was to create a series of bespoke offices, laboratory and workshop space for up to 700 people.
Inside, careful consideration had to be given to providing potential tenants with adequate lettable space – which was aesthetically pleasing to new businesses in Anglesey. At the same time, designers had to create 45 different office spaces which offered the right level of privacy. This was achieved using specialist side screens.
Between Glass Blinds
More than 100 BGB magnetically-operated, tilt-only units were supplied to Fire Doors for the project at the Menai Science Park. Maintenance-free, these integrated blinds are ideal in any office environment – making them a first choice for modern projects.
The BGB units are sealed between two panes of glass with specialist magnetic controls. They are operated using neat and unobtrusive sliding magnetic blocks which are located around the perimeter of the unit.
The magnets control the operation of the blinds with ease, allowing the operator to tilt the blinds in one slick and easy motion.
This gives office users full control when privacy is needed. The magnetically-operated blinds can also reduce glare and sunlight.
As part of the £20m project, a range of units including FD30 and FD60 were used. Some offices and meeting rooms were also fitted with acoustic glass to improve sound reduction for added privacy.
Emily Roberts at Bangor University, was delighted with the products supplied from BetweenGlassBlinds.
She says: “M-SParc is one of the first science parks in Wales and it needed to be cutting edge.
“Everything from the external look, to the fixtures and fittings, including the blinds, had to fit together. We’re pleased that BGB understood our vision, providing a solution that was visually pleasing but also practical.”
Chris King at Fire Doors, which has an office base in Derbyshire and a manufacturing plant in Wales, says: “When we became involved with the project in Anglesey, it was specified that BetweenGlassBlinds would supply the magnetically-operated, tilt-only units at the Menai Science Park.
“Over the years, we have worked with BetweenGlassBlinds a number of times.”