The arts centre provides a key opportunity for local residents to benefit from cultural and wider learning experiences which complement a range of public policy. The facility is central to the economic wellbeing of Pontardawe and its residents and the proposed extension will improve the cultural offering of the building. The building includes a 450-seat theatre, dance studio, also used for Community events, Meeting rooms, Bar, Cafe and an Art Gallery.
One of the key challenges for the project was to improve the circulation between the main entrance and auditorium. The location of the existing bar meant that during busy events the route would become blocked, slowing access and also limiting sales. Our proposals relocate the bar to front of the building, opening up to the public space, combining this with the box office to reduce staffing requirements during quiet periods. This creates a new vibrant café at the heart of the plan which serving the key spaces whilst freeing up movement around the building.
The funding criteria required proposals for public art and we identified that the best opportunity was to collaborate with an artist on designs blank facades to the cinema extension. Utilizing ACW portal we prepared the tender for the artist appointment, and selected Welsh artist Jessica Lloyd-Jones to collaborate with. Jessica’s interest as an artist is the use of iridescent materials such as ‘dichroic’ metal where the colour of the surface changes when viewed from different angles. During the day the facade will shimmer as the reflective metal tiles change in colour as people move around the building as well as with the changing of lighting and weather conditions. At night the back of the facade will be lit from the top to create a downwash of light which will highlight the perforations in the facade as well as the texture of the underlying linear block facade.
The proposed extension to Pontardawe Arts centre is being assessed under the BREEAM UK New Construction 2018 (Other Buildings: Cinema) scheme and is on target to achieve the BREEAM Excellent rating.
The sustainability assessment that has been completed considered a fabric first approach to the construction, recommended fabric performance targets that would keep heat losses and air infiltration to reasonable levels. An ASHP system has been proposed as the source of heating and cooling to the cinema. Solar panels have been proposed for installation on the new cinema extension to reduce the building’s reliance on the electricity grid. There will be a green roof over the new cinema to promote biodiversity.
The project is currently on site and is due to be completed in April 2025.