Cardiff Design Festival

Brief

BBC Wales are moving the production of a number of flagship BBC shows to Cardiff Bay with drama production studios – Roath Lock studios - on former industrial land at Porth Teigr. The brief required the provision of 175 000 sq ft of studio, office, workshop, technical support and storage space for the BBC to facilitate the production of programmes including Casualty, Pobol y Cwm and Doctor Who. The project brief - set by the developer igloo - was to develop a distinctive building which would ultimately create the template for the rest of the site. As well as challenging budget constraints, the design had to respond to the prominence of the waterfront site and its context of significant buildings including a number of historic dock side buildings and the National Assembly for Wales. In accordance with igloo Regeneration's sustainability policies, the design had to meet the criteria for BREEAM "Excellent".

Result

The project provided a technically compliant building to meet the needs of the BBC. Its striking design will help to underline the BBC’s place at the centre of the creative hub in Cardiff. Mark Hallett, Development Director at igloo Regeneration –developers of Porth Teigr - is extremely pleased with the design. He says: “igloo are keen that design should create an impact and be part of the investment to create distinctive, vibrant and mixed-use neighbourhoods that are urban in character. This is based on a belief that igloo’s investments will perform better if they contribute to the regeneration of the area that they are in (and therefore benefit from that regeneration), if they are environmentally sustainable, and well designed (and therefore more attractive to occupiers). It’s in this way that the long-term value of investment in good design can be unlocked, to the benefit of investors, communities and the environment.”

Solution

The site needed to be seen as an extension of Cardiff, not a single entity. Concept design was formed by FAT Architecture and detailed design by Cardiff-based Holder Mathias Architects. FAT developed a highly theatrical facade using motifs which reference the dock warehouses, wave forms and gothic architecture of Cardiff. The playful facade, seen across the dock from The Bay - Cardiff's new town centre - reinforces the civic connection between the city and its waterfront. Creating variety along the length, the large scale window openings incorporate many different shapes which refer to the programmes that are made in the building and to aspects of Cardiff's historic architecture. Overall it is meant to look like a building that world class shows such as "Doctor Who" are made in. The building responds to the historic industrial character of its site and the area's new role as a civic hub for Cardiff.