The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
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Location Swansea | ARB/RIBA courses BSc (Hons) Architecture | Head of school Paul Harries | Full-time tutors 3 | Part-time tutors 5 | Students 33 | Staff to student ratio 1:11 | Bursaries available No
Undergraduate
Jacob Davies-Hannen
Course BSc (Hons) Architecture
Studio/unit brief Integrated Third Year Studio
Project title The Joseph Parry Memorial Theatre
Project description The site for this project is the Welsh industrial town of Merthyr Tydfil – once known for having the world’s largest ironworks, which closed in 1918. Although decimated by industrial decline, the town has always been culturally rich and its heritage of music still flourishes today. Traditionally these performances took place in local chapels and church halls, many now closed. The project proposes a new theatre, named after the celebrated local composer, where these activities can now take place. It contains a concert hall along with a large social space for informal performances, as well as rehearsal studios, restaurant and café. This also acts as a gateway to a new town square.
Tutor citation Jacob has formulated a response to the brief rooted in the culture of the town. The proposal is sensitive to the local community: a building that is as much a social space as a performance space. It is a creative response that seems appropriate to Merthyr’s hard industrial past and humane musical traditions. Paul Harries, Gavin Traylor
