The newly completed Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff � Wales� national music and drama conservatoire � opens to a new intake of students this month. The award winning design-led architectural practice BFLS did the work.
The scheme has been designed to be BREEAM �excellent�. The new buildings are situated within the Grade I listed Bute Park. Directly across the road from the new building is Cathays Park, the civic centre of Cardiff, consisting of a number of important listed buildings.
The design focuses on the core needs of the College community, namely an acoustically impressive sequence of performance and learning spaces which will encourage and inspire the College�s students. The client was very specific from the outset that the new buildings should act as a catalyst for positive cultural change and help foster greater artistic collaboration across the institution.
The drama building forms a new facade on North Road while the chamber recital hall, clad with a timber screen consisting of light-coloured cedar wood slats, sits amongst the park�s mature trees. Finishes of stone and timber create a sequence of warm and tactile interior spaces.
The new entrance to the college opens out onto Bute Park and a treble-height arcade forms a new spine between the new and old accommodation, linking the constituent elements, functioning as exhibition space for a range of creative and artistic output. The Gallery also acts as the �lungs� for the scheme, creating a natural stack effect which ventilates the public spaces.
Working in dynamic studio environments, our work process is driven by analysis, creativity and rigorous commercial understanding. We are dedicated to the creation of fresh, progressive and inspiring architecture, says Robert Torday, Marketing Director, BFLS.

Source: interiornews.com.