Bridge Street Exchange is a 26-storey
high-rise building
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...
in
Cardiff,
Wales, with conjoining 11 and 5-storey blocks. At in height, it is the tallest building in Cardiff,
and is a
mixed-use development
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...
accommodating approximately 477 students with retail units on the ground floor.
It is located on the eastern corner of the junction between Bridge Street and Charles Street.
History of the Site
Charles Street was originally an area of private housing leading from
Crockherbtown to Bridge Street. Now no residential properties remain in the area. 71 Bridge Street is within a Conservation Area, which is an area designated by
Cardiff Council
Cardiff Council, formally the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Cyngor Sir Dinas a Sir Caerdydd) is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The principal area and its council were established ...
as an area of special architectural or historic interest.
The original building was built in 1984 and Cardiff Council said that it held "no historic significance and of little aesthetic value due to the inconsistent fenestration details and lack of presence at this prominent corner location".
Half of the site was already cleared and the remainder was undeveloped for more than 10 years.
Planning permission was originally grant by
Cardiff Council
Cardiff Council, formally the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Cyngor Sir Dinas a Sir Caerdydd) is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The principal area and its council were established ...
in 2008 for a 5-storey hostel and ground floor retail space and in 2008 for a 5-storey office development with ground floor retail space. Both of which were never implemented and subsequently lapsed.
The building was first proposed on 16 December 2015 when a planning application was made for a 24-storey block of student flats.
Full planning permission was granted 20 April 2016.
The building was constructed by the Watkins Jones Group of
Bangor in
north Wales between 5 September 2016 and 31 August 2018.
It was designed by Rio Architects of Cardiff. The associated archaeological work was undertaken by Rubicon Heritage Services. The Bridge Street Exchange is the tallest building in Cardiff, beating the previous record holder of
Capital Tower, which had held the record since 1970.
Location
The building is bounded to the north by Wesley Lane, to the south by Bridge Street and to the west by Charles Street.
The address was previously at 71 and 71a Bridge Street.
Objections
The building obtained planning permission on 20 April 2016,
despite an objection from
Cathays councillor Elizabeth Clark, who said the building would be "Completely out of scale to the nearby buildings and the design jars with the historic area,” she added, "Currently, the nearest high rise building is Ty Admiral which is 55m-61m high.”
See also
*
List of tallest buildings in Cardiff
This is a list of the tallest buildings in Cardiff that are in height and above in the capital of Wales. They include buildings ranging from the ornate civic centre to the historic Cardiff Castle and Llandaff Cathedral.
The city's growth is ...
References
External links
*
Official website
{{Landmarks and Visitor Attractions in Cardiff
Residential skyscrapers in Wales