Five Welsh ways that architects have made life better

Wales’ symbiotic connections between nature, heritage and spiritual awaking give us a unique palette of ingredients to learn the craft of architecture. I am hugely passionate about my place of birth, the richness of its culture, social responsibility and creation of ‘hiraeth’, which has moulded and shaped many incredible designers and artists. We all share a common theme; a deep passion and desire to express, through architecture, the delightful peculiarities of ‘The Land of our Fathers’. It is with pleasure that I can share five buildings from all corners of Wales. These choices stem from personal stories and experiences, which is the true way to enjoy architecture. Each has had a deep and profound effect on my life and my architectural thinking, and has challenged my notion of space and light, social regeneration and the role of architects in facilitating community conversations.

The Great Hall, University College of Wales by Percy Thomas Partnership

Great Hall, University College of Wales, by Percy Thomas Partnership, symbolises my childhood. This wonderful concrete masterpiece, designed in the 1970s, was the location of my yearly family holidays to the Evangelical Movement of Wales Aber Conference. My early memories include fascination with the vast outdoor public spaces, framing the views of the sea, where we gathered to chat, run and jump. This was contrasted with the warm interiors and softness of the great hall, which regularly resonated with Welsh Song. The building is a prominent example of modernism and concrete expression that stands outside changing fashions and trends, demonstrating the civic pride and heritage that architecture can bring to a nation.

Tŷ Pawb – City regeneration

Designed by Featherstone Young, Tŷ Pawb in Wrexham is an amazing conversion of a market and car park into a mixed-use scheme which now raises the conversation about public-civic organisation and art-space. Challenging the notions of a gallery, programmes and functions wonderfully weave their way together, while knitting seamlessly into the urban fabric as it extends to create a route through the city. Contrasting with all the activity and colour it brings to Wrexham, is the opportunity just to breathe, in what Sarah Featherstone describes as ‘baggy space’. In a world that is so fast paced, the opportunity to slow down, and to craft and adjust your surroundings to your needs and function, is delightful. 

Centre for Alternative Technology – WISE building

Nestled in the Powys hillsides, this well-known eco-centre has been a beacon of alternative thinking that reaches far and wide in architectural influence. Ahead of its time, the WISE building, designed by David Lea and Pat Borer and opened in 2010, represents a continuous conversation between nature, client and designer, all looking to raise expectations of each other. Much has been said and written about this wonderful building, but for me, it is the detachment from everyday life that it brings, in which nature protects you within its earth walls. It always reminds you that sun, air and land are entrusted to us from above, and we have a duty to craft and articulate them in an inspirating and spiritual way.

Pen Y Common – ‘Hiraeth’ and ‘home’

Winner of the 2023 RSAW Building of the Year, it is an honour to sit and ponder in the carefully articulated picture window, created by Nidus Architects and Rural Office. Extending a Welsh farmyard, the vernacular required consideration and grace, to which is added respect and thoughtfulness to the surrounding landscape. These have been sensitivity executed in form and tectonic language, into a moment that sings of place, home and the colours and energy of everyday living. If it were possible, I would have moulded myself into the walls on my visit, and enjoyed how the sun enters and radiates into the space, in a way that is almost timeless.

Grange Pavilion – Social impact

A personal project, the journey, realisation, and post-occupation analysis of Grange Pavilion, Grangetown, Cardiff, has singularly changed the way I understand and see architecture. As one of the architects, I learnt that focusing and bringing positive energy to the process is more important that concentrating on the final product. Architects have an amazing role as potential facilitators of conversation. Designed together with the community, the space has people at its heart. Eight years of dialogue led to building that acts as a framework for personal and cultural self-expression. Each aspect of the construction is visible, creating didactic learning for all. Brickwork, timber and zinc are crafted to create a home from home for both nature and people. I am so excited to see how the building will serve the community for many decades to come.