BDP completes Welsh School of Architecture refurb
BDP has completed an extensive £9.7 million refurbishment of Cardiff University’s Bute Building, home to the Welsh School of Architecture (WSA)
After years of operating across various sites in the city, the WSA commissioned BDP to consolidate and expand its facilities on a single site.
Constructed in the early 20th century, Cardiff University’s Grade II-listed Bute Building is one of the first major works of architect Sir Percy Thomas and has since been subject to alterations in attempts to free up more space. These included additions, mezzanines and partition walls.
Part of BDP’s refurbishment included restoring the simplicity of the original design by stripping out some recent additions. Although this resulted in a net reduction of useable floor area, it also helped create larger, lighter and more flexible spaces.
Extensive renovation of the building’s interiors and repair of the roof have also taken place. The WSA’s workshops have been relocated and expanded to add a wood and metal workshop, digital fabrication and a space for a robotic arm.
A new hybrid teaching studio has been created to provide flexible teaching space for both individual and group tutorials and space for crits to run concurrently through the use of full-height moveable screens and acoustic treatment to walls and ceilings.
Environmental control of this space has been restored to its original passive ventilation strategy by reinstating openable windows and the introduction of a fan-assisted natural ventilation roof units.
Increased visual connectivity and an enhanced identity has been created at the front entrance. Here, the historic fabric has been adjusted and opened up to make it more legible through a contrast between contemporary joinery and original heritage features.
Finally, the project has culminated in the uncovering and reinstating of the original assembly hall, a two-storey space at the centre, previously concealed following its conversion to a lecture theatre in the 1990s. Now a new exhibition hall, it forms the centrepiece of the building.
A ‘Living Lab’ has been created to strengthen ties between staff and students at the WSA, as well as with architectural practices and local communities. The school is now home to the Centre for Well-Informed Design Education and Research in the Built Environment (WIDER-BE) and the refurbishment was designed alongside a new offering of postgraduate and undergraduate programmes to expand the school.
Architect’s view
Central to our approach was the sensitive and intelligent repurposing of the building based on a comprehensive understanding of the original Sir Percy Thomas design. As alumni of the Welsh School of Architecture, we already had a good understanding of the Bute Building and the ethos of the school. Knowing what we had to work with alongside the aspirations of the brief allowed us to appropriate the existing spaces based on their scale, location and environmental characteristics.
From the outset of the project, it was clear that this would be as much about what we extract from the building in order to reinstate its character and clarity as it would be about what interventions we put back in. This enabled us to exploit the potential from the existing building and, in turn, simplify the design of any new interventions required to meet the future needs of the school – keeping them targeted, flexible and light-touch.
Rob Stevens, project architect, BDP
Client’s view
I am absolutely delighted to be able to showcase the building to the public and to officially mark the start of a new era for the Welsh School of Architecture. The Bute Building has been our home since our inception in 1920, and so this is the perfect way for us to celebrate more than 100 years of existence. As the adaptation of an historic building, this refurbishment embodies the school’s long-held ethos of sustainability. We hope it will foster creativity and collaboration, incubating new ways of thinking, researching, learning, writing and making architecture for decades to come.
Juliet Davis, head of school, The Welsh School of Architecture
Project Data
Company & Community
