The Brickyard Student Accommodation

The Brickyard is a new housing facility for 179 students at Cardiff University’s Talybont campus in Cardiff.

The University realised the opportunity to enhance the city centre campus through new development as well as provide for a growing student population.

Formerly an overspill car park, the site adjacent to Pontcanna Fields and the River Taf offered an opportunity to create an attractive living environment while regenerating a forgotten area of the campus.

Completed in 2014, the six-storey concrete frame building includes a mix of generously designed cluster flats and studios. Large windows offer views of the surrounding natural environment while maximising daylight to the private and communal spaces.

Despite the sensitive location overlooking Cardiff’s largest public park, the scheme received unanimous support from the planning committee. The team overcame challenging site constraints during the design stages, which included a major sewer running directly through the site.

The L-shaped footprint creates a welcoming landscape and approach to the building. The envelope is predominantly a blend of natural timber and brick. The uppermost storey set back from the façade is clad in zinc-coated aluminium. The combination of materials and arrangement of the façades forms a well-proportioned and contemporary development in harmony with its context.