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Cardiff St David's

Facts

Location Completion Awards
Cardiff, UK 2009 1

Project details

A scheme to transform the Southern end of Cardiff and give a previously under-used area a new lease of life creates attractive and safe public spaces for people to enjoy, a new public library, residential accommodation and a contemporary retail provision. Cardiff is famous for its Victorian Arcades and the heart of the development was the creation of a 21st Century arcade, with ancillary cross arcades and bridge connections to a refurbished centre and the new John Lewis Partnership store.

Arcades are covered external spaces flooded with daylight, with a soft warm street atmosphere at night. The arcades are lit with regular decorative elements. One challenge was to design contemporary pendants that were neither “Victoriana” or too obviously early 21st Century – a timeless classic unique to Cardiff. Faux skylights in day counter the lack of daylight on the east side, which change to deep blue at night to support fine dining food offer, combined with clustered Tom Dixon pendants to support the arcade aesthetic.

The bridges that link St David’s 2 with the existing retail and the new John Lewis Partnership store are central to the scheme and the planning brief was to create minimal visual obstruction to the view. The lighting solution was to create a “glowing plank” that freed the glass envelope from any necessary servicing with a lit floor to the bridge and a glowing soffit below.

To aid navigation to the refurbished centre, a kinetic pixellated wall was added to escalators; an example of how light throughout the development has been considered to create vista, event and rhythm to attract and guide pedestrian flow.

The project was a Finalist in the National Lighting Design Awards and won the Supreme Gold Award  from the British Council of Shopping Centres in 2010.

The BDP team were always trying to innovate and push the boundaries in a creative sense.

Andrew Dudley Director of Project Management, Land Securities

Integrated services

lighting