Project:
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
EQ2 Light worked alongside the architects Flanagan Lawrence as part of the design team that completed this new national Music and Drama Conservatoire for Wales.
The scheme comprised two theatres – a 450 seat Chamber Concert Hall and the smaller 160 seat Courtyard – together with teaching, rehearsal and studio spaces.
Each of these project elements has been combined into a single building form that is linked by a series of public and private circulation elements. These include the new foyer and the treble height arcade creating natural building hubs/focal points. The latter of these spaces also provides the building with a gallery space.
A key focus for the scheme was its education role. In response to this the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama building includes a series of rehearsal, teaching and performance spaces that incorporated the best available technical designs. This, however, was supported by a broader, experiential design approach, making the completed scheme a positive, responsive location for building occupants.
This approach extends to the building exterior with a simple external architectural lighting arrangement, reinforcing the presence of the scheme within civic centre of Cardiff
The completed project has received numerous awards – most notably, winning the 2012 Civic Trust and RIBA awards.
