Indeterminate Specificity - Flexible Architecture

Located at Custom House St in the heart of Cardiff’s city centre, this building’s concept focuses on creating different experiences for its users at different levels within indeterminate building spaces. The building stands at 13 storeys high due to the limited space on site where with a central core, it provides large empty floor plates for public uses, and smaller floor plates at higher levels for private uses.

Using iterative methods, the building’s floors were able to adapt to programs such as residential apartments, open plan offices, hotel rooms and gym spaces. Inspired by Alison and Peter Smithsons’ “streets in the air” concept and Lacaton and Vassal’s Grand Parc building, the building consists of a double skin facade. The private floor plates are extended and cantilevered to include a layering effect of balconies and winter gardens that circulate the perimeter of the building’s facades.

With these spaces created, a user can experience different moments at different levels in the layered facades with any scenario this building adapts to. The building also includes a terrace which makes use of the site’s views to Cardiff Bay. With a steel structure, the building’s facades are constructed out of prefabricated concrete panels and double glazed mobile planes that layer the building’s facade along the winter garden space. The ground floor level’s facade is brick veneer cladded, acting as a plinth to the building.

Exteriorly, the ground follows a red herringbone bricked pavement that extends down from Callaghan Square and the business sector of Cardiff, allowing the building’s spaces to connect with the greater public of Cardiff. Through the building’s ability to adapt to different programs whilst still providing different experiences at different levels for the user, it successfully contributes to the public of Cardiff due to its long lifespan as a flexible building, allowing for a sustainable and positive future of Cardiff as a metropolitan capital city.