Trade Street, Cardiff

CWA were tasked by Urban Centric to design a co-living scheme in this tight urban infill site in the heart of the city centre.  

The ‘Co-Living’ concept is relatively fresh to Cardiff and CWA, so it was a learning process in the early concept design stages, in particular taking research from other co-living schemes, from other major UK cities, and inputting ideas taken from these into the proposals.

Once the content, including apartment sizes, were established, we were then able to create a solution that enabled the content to be enveloped within a simple, but high-quality, high-rise form.

The facade design reflected the simplicity of the tall form yet remained in keeping with the character of the area.  Simple punched windows with slender modern surrounds, randomly positioned about a structured grid, give it a contemporary aesthetic against a historic street scene.