Understanding the Health Benefits of Slowing Down and How Architecture Can Encourage this in Daily Life

This thesis started from the discovery of the quality of the Cardiff Bay trail and how it underutilises the natural resources at its disposal. The river Taff flows along the entire stretch of the trail, providing long views all the way down to Cardiff Bay Barrage. However, my initial research showed that there are no places along the route to connect to the river or pause to take in the view.

Through philosophical reading and architectural precedent analysis, my research highlights the health benefits of slowing down, pausing and how the design of our civic spaces can encourage this to happen. Because of the underappreciated food culture within Grangetown, the primary programme for the intervention at the underappreciated Sand Wharf Development will be a market hall and a restaurant. The market hall will feature a rotation of local chefs as to allow them to gain experience and a leg up so that they may start their own restaurant within Grangetown.

The restaurant will provide a more formal setting to celebrate the most gifted chefs that come through the market. The architecture will be split into two courtyards, the land courtyard, and the water courtyard. The Ground floor of the land courtyard contains only the allotment spaces, which have been dug from the concrete hardstanding, and the chimney structures which protrude through the ground, hinting at something below. Underneath, the market space has been inspired by the creation of Grangetown; where the material used to construct it has been directly taken from the site. The floor will be adjustable to allow the chefs to construct an intimate in-built seating area in any arrangement they see appropriate for their cuisine. Chimneys above the space not only provide ventilation but also provide a lighting experience that projects a moving beam of light above visitor’s heads.The water courtyard contains a natural swimming pool which has been formed by removing the roof of the underground car park and excavating further to meet the level of the underground car park and excavating further to meet the level of the river.

A generous stramp will surround the pool allowing for a place for visitors to relax and socialise, creating a close connection to the river for both swimmers and spectators. Across the entire site, fast paced movement is allowed above, and slow-paced movement is encouraged below, permitting visitors to make an active choice on whether to slow down. If they do, the below spaces are designed to create experiences that slow them down, connecting them to friends, culture, nature, and themselves.