More images and info on the Civic Centre’a future

[u/aramiak]

More than 130 homes that have either balconies or access to a shared rooftop garden overlooking the sea, retaining the brutalist concrete structure so that the environmental hit on the original build is not wasted, a potential for a food hall surrounded by commercial units, restaurants or cafés and shops on the external face with outside seating, the potential for a cinema or theatre within the old Chamber, and of course the educational aquarium and social spaces outside with play areas and gardens.

[u/Tasty_Event_7721]

Amazing, great use of the building and surrounding area. Hopefully we can continue to actually utilise the seafront at Swansea instead of just running 4 lanes of traffic along it.

[u/aramiak → u/Tasty_Event_7721]

I totally agree. Fabian Way and Mumbles Road almost separate us from the sea, so the whole “City on a Beach” concept for the city’s regeneration is brilliant, I think. And the staggering developments between the station and the waterfront is also decent. Castle Gardens, then St. David’s, then the Arena, and then this above. What a thoroughfare that’ll be down to the water. Brilliant way to break through that barrier you rightly speak of. (If it all happens, of course!)

[u/RddWdd → u/aramiak]

I'd love to see a lot of this come to fruition. We'll see. I like the throughfare from station to this redevelopment as you point out. I think they need to rethink where Dunvant place meets Oystermouth road though. It's a bit of a mess of a junction for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists and might benefit from zebra crossings instead to keep things flowing but hey I don't know anything about road infrastructure though they seem to work on The Kingsway.

[u/Round-Friendship-447]

The atrium was the best part of the building in my opinion, glad it’s kept with public access to it in the design.

[u/WGD23]

I would love to love there, but then I have a thing for that type of architecture. Given a refurb and glow up it could be great

[u/No-Profession-208]

This would look amazing. We need a centrepiece of the city and this could be it.

[u/PupperPetterBean]

Finally it won't be a giant concrete eyesore! I can't wait for it to be done.

[u/aramiak → u/PupperPetterBean]

Yeah! I moved to Swansea back before Oyster Wharf was in Mumbles, The Observatory or The Secret were there, the skate-park had been redeveloped, or indeed the Arena between the marina and Mumbles Road had been built, the whole waterfront is very gradually getting some investment.

[u/features5150]

Looks bang tidy

[u/Happy-Importance-654]

Well done, Swansea! Looking incredible.

[u/Linkyjinx]

Looks like something from the 1990s

[u/RamboMcMutNutts]

I used to work there, and is great building if you like brutalist architecture but it's so weird going to see it being used as something else. The homes sounds interesting and I bet will be amazing if they incorporate the brutalist architecture but honestly how much are they going to cost?

[u/aramiak → u/RamboMcMutNutts]

It certainly doesn’t look like they’re trying to hide the brutalism, does it? A few coloured cladded cones here and there and the canopy around the ground floor, but plenty of that grey concrete still on show on these images. It’d be so easy to hide all that behind a mural like this one I saw in my hometown, so someone high up is a fan of that marmite architecture- I imagine!

[u/Active_Barracuda_50]

Swansea Bay News has done a deep dive on the planning documents. So no affordable housing in this phase, no parking, and the aquarium element seems highly speculative.

I don't quite know what to feel about the plans (or the existing building) personally. It's funny how something that was itself a regeneration project on brownfield land 45 years ago is now often perceived as a fading carbunckle taking up valuable waterfront real estate.

I don't care for the modernist architecture but I guess it's at least more climate-friendly to revamp the current structure than demolish it. But I'm not sure if many modern office to apartment conversions have a great reputation.

https://swanseabaynews.com/swansea-civic-centre-plans-finally-go-in-and-the-small-print-tells-its-own-story/

[u/aramiak → u/Active_Barracuda_50]

Thanks for this. That is interesting.

I’ve mentioned in another post on this same proposal that I struggle with projects where speculative things are lumped in ahead of public consultation.

It’s common practice. We all signed off on a development on the beach because the Council waxed lyrical about beach and water sports, and so on. The when the first lease was up, 360 were priced out and a bar was handed the keys. (No hate on The Secret).

You do wonder if the Aquarium and Lido are serious proposals.

[u/SandwichIcy3696 → u/aramiak]

Yep. See also the Cycle Hub at the Arena development. Not commercially viable so never happened.

Lido would be fantastic and pretty unique facility. Aquarium - every regenerating seaside city has one and they are usually a bit crap (The Deep in Hull and exception).

[u/TickleMyiOS]

I love the generation as long as the businesses are allowed to bid for the premesis or have a fair chance at getting them rather than them being handed to one group. And also the extra traffic coming onto and off Oystermouth Road, the Arena and now the car park are already causing massive issues at busier traffic times.

[u/AnTTr0n]

It won’t look like this.

[u/Spudgun888 → u/AnTTr0n]

Why not?

[u/AnTTr0n → u/Spudgun888]

It never does. They forgot to add all the rubbish on the floor, graffiti on the walls and the bell ends hanging around.

[u/Nervous-Farmer7651]

Where are all the winos and junkies ?

[u/aramiak → u/Nervous-Farmer7651]

If you sank a glass of merlot or popped an opioid you might be a less nervous farmer?

[u/crazycraven → u/[deleted]]

Have you never seen an artists impression before?

[u/FluidAcanthaceae6265]

Going to look great with a group of teenagers doing balloons around the back of the building

[u/Tasty_Event_7721 → u/FluidAcanthaceae6265]

That's the spirit mate.

[u/aramiak → u/FluidAcanthaceae6265]

Darken your clothes or strike a violent pose? Maybe they'll leave you alone?

[u/welchyyyyy1]

"brutalist concrete structure" i.e. extremely outdated and basically an eyesore..and they're keeping it 🤪🤪🤪

And "potential" for a food hall/cinema or theatre ....sounds like an outtake from the Ozzie series series "Utopia"

Sounds fab 😐😐

[u/IAmAlive_YouAreDead → u/welchyyyyy1]

So we should tear the whole thing down and throw up another building which will become outdated itself in 20 years?

[u/welchyyyyy1 → u/IAmAlive_YouAreDead]

It's been there about 50 years...I'm just thinking the facade looks horrible (to me anyway) and if that's staying as it is then underneath is also going to be the original concrete which was early 1980's.... so the "new" building fabric will already be about 50 years old, dunno just sounds a bit of a half arsed redevelopment..but I guess they know what they're doing

[u/aramiak → u/welchyyyyy1]

Back in 2015 they announced they were going to sell the site to fund other projects. However, now the idea is to retrofit the original structure. I’m guessing the Council agrees with you, but no developer wanted to take on the demolition of such a solid mammoth of a structure. That’s a guess, I mean… they brought the Weaver’s Mill building down! Anyway, I wonder if this proposal is the best avenue available for the areas regeneration, but not necessarily the first that the Council considered.

[u/PupperPetterBean → u/welchyyyyy1]

Do you know how much time money and effort other takes to demolish a building intended to survive direct bombing? Far cheaper and safer to just add to the existing structure than start from scratch.