The scheme seeks to establish a place to unite education, community engagement and future energy. On a macro scale, the scheme redevelops Canal Park, bridging a gap between the existing city centre and Cardiff Bay – making it fully pedestrianised and cyclable, enhancing its ecology and creating a swale network for resilient water management.
Drawing upon the lost heritage of the site and its industrial past, the proposal will reuse an existing warehouse. By employing an environmental agenda based on the Living Building Challenge, the scheme creates interweaving sustainable systems for landscape, energy, services, materials, water and the community.
The warehouse presents an exploration of material and structural reuse, housing the majority of the energy exhibition space, whilst minimising carbon expenditure by leaving the space unconditioned. The new building aims to provide an exemplar of sustainable design, incorporating Passivhaus principles, low-carbon design and heat recovery ventilation.
