An arts centre that re-introduces the lost metalwork skills of the past and provides non-academic pathways to the young

Caldicot is a town which has developed significantly over the past half a century, initially due to the opening of the Llanwern steelworks in 1962. Urban sprawl, which has occurred in order to cope with the rapid increase in population, has left the town centre and village high street becoming neglected, losing its sense of place. Despite this, Caldicot is becoming an increasingly attractive place to live due to its close proximity to Cardiff and Bristol, the removal of tolls on the Severn Bridge and lower house prices compared to neighbouring areas.

New developments need to densify the centre – utilising wasted space, helping revitalise the struggling high street and retaining the green belts our ecosystems so desperately need. The brief for this project was to design an art centre that is about culture, purpose and imagination, this will be a mixed-use building which co-locates several functions that inspire and encourage creativity in Caldicot, with the aim of building an economic and cultural identity for the town.

The site I selected was the grounds of an underutilised Youth Centre. Located at the top of the High Street and the end of the main road leading from the centre of Caldicot to the Castle, there was a perfect opportunity to create a key landmark here. Keen to enhance the current use of the site, the concept is to create a gallery-come-workshop for young people to develop skills in metalwork and sculpture, facilitating non-academic futures and reintroducing the historical metalwork skills the town has lost since moving away from being dominated by the steel industry. The outcome consists of three main spaces – a richly planted central courtyard gallery, a metal workshop, and a new and improved Youth Centre which are each made distinguishable by varying façade materials. The material choices of Welsh slate, Corten steel, and bronze create links with the heritage of this Welsh town as well as give a hint at the activities ongoing in the workshop.