On Thursday our Studio Director Gareth Woodfin and Architect Gina Callaghan attended the groundbreaking event at the new Fairwater Campus site in Cardiff. Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford, Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, pupils from all three schools and Richard Skone ISG Regional Director also attended.
The ceremonial event celebrates the beginning of construction of the new £110m flagship school in West Cardiff.
When the new school is complete it will incorporate three existing schools – Cantonian High School, Woodlands Secondary ALN (Additional Learning Needs) School and Riverbank Primary (ALN) School onto one campus.
HLM’s design looks to create a vibrant and welcoming aesthetic, sharing the school’s commitment to mental, physical and emotional education. The unique school campus project will use varied building volumes and considered outdoor spaces. It will create an ambitious facility that represents the vision of the new Welsh curriculum and form the largest project in the Cardiff and Welsh Government Sustainable Communities for Learning programme.
Gina Callaghan – Lead Architect on the project said “We have designed the building not just as a new school but as an inclusive learning environment where learners can flourish and grow. The building will also be a welcome community resource and will encompass many sustainable design features from green roofs, rainwater harvesting, passive and active heating and cooling systems throughout the building”.
