‘Living’ building to breathe new life into the city
THE vision for an eye-catching ‘living building’ at the heart of Swansea will come to fruition after planning permission was officially granted by the city’s planning committee.
Hacer Developments’ plans, approved by Swansea Council, will see a new 12-storey tower built and joined on to the former Woolworths building, now occupied by Poundland, ‘stepping up’ the building away from Oxford Street to the rear at Picton Yard.
It will provide an educational facility, residential apartments, shops, offices and a courtyard, and will be green-minded, with a unique bio diverse look, featuring living – or biophilic – walls and roofs, along with rooftop solar panels, battery storage and gardens.
There will be an urban farm-style greenhouse set over four floors, and plants and vegetables in the south-facing greenhouse will be grown in water and nourished by waste pumped up from fish tanks at the bottom of the building.
The waste water would then be filtered and channelled back to the fish tanks.
There will also be events such as pop-up markets, cinema screenings and concerts in a courtyard at the rear – to be called Picton Yard – with four vast umbrellas providing cover.
Hacer Developments say the project is expected to be complete in early 2022.
It says: “The Biophilic Living project at Picton Yard, Swansea, represents a radical new approach to living and working in the urban environment.
“Biophilic living is about enabling humans to reconnect with nature and creating a cohesive community to address the increasing issues relating to social exclusion and loneliness, as well as responding to the climate emergency with innovative technology and putting nature at the heart of the city.
“The project is a mixeduse development, providing affordable new homes and workspace alongside a community urban farm in the heart of Swansea city centre.”
It is not the only transformation set to take place in that area of the city.
Swansea Council has planning consent for a new high-tech office complex known as 71/72 The Kingsway, with construction expected to start in the spring.
“Oxford Street itself is also expected to receive some attention in the coming months, with a number of planning applications in the works to address the empty units creating a “substantial gap” along the city’s main shopping thoroughfare.
There’s also plans to create a bio-diverse look on the building of The Potters Wheel on The Kingsway.
Coastal Housing is looking to transform the first and second floors of 85 The Kingsway into offices, with the pub business remaining unaffected.
It plans to incorporate a “living green wall” on to aspects of the external envelope to the building.