MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE THESIS PROJECT BY DAN LIUWELSH SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY 2014

The future of the Cardiff Coal Exchange: an exploration of architectural resilience

The thesis is primarily interested in the roles singular buildings play in the economic narrative of the history of a city. The Cardiff Coal and Shipping Exchange is a lone standing monument commemorating the glorious past of coal mining in South Wales and also embodies the rich cultural history of the late 19th century. With the last ship leaving the docks packed with the ‘black gold of Rhondda’ in 1960’s, a period of dereliction began for Cardiff Bay. By investigating and understanding the nature of the economic shock that placed Butetown in its current situation, the project investigates the potentials for the area of returning again as the powerhouse of the future of Welsh economy.

In an era of increased energy demand, the issue of securing reliable and clean power resources has become a paramount goal. By continuing the lineage of being the heart of the Welsh energy industry, the building of Coal Exchange and the surrounding Mount Stuart Square become the viable vehicle for the future development of the renewables sector. The incubation of start-up businesses and technological innovations are linked back to the legacy of the heyday of Industrial Revolution. The project engages with the notion of resilience by adaptive reuse, by both recycling the glamorous yet crumbling Victorian architectural heritage and its related cultural and community values.

R E S I L I E N C E & R E C OV E RY(previous page)

The project embarks on with a research on resilience, a term that was originally theorised within the field of Ecology where it was used to explain how natural systems become able to withstand change. In urban studies, it has come to denote the capacities of cities to recover from shocks.

A DA P T I V E C YC L E S & H I S TO R I C A L T I M E L I N E S

Paralleled timelines explore the relationship between the historical events and the recurring adaptive cycles where each ecosystem stems from another previously decomposed socio-economic ecosystem.

T H E U R BA N G R E E N C O R R I D O R

The fragmented and neglected green belt in the place of the refilled Glamorganshire Canal - dotted with brownfields - is considered as a potential seed for community revitalization and the remedy for the current social isolation between the city centre and Cardiff Bay.

M O U N T S T UA RT S QUA R E C O N S E RVAT I O N A R E A

C R I T I C A L R E S O U RC E S F O R R E G E N E R AT I O N

Renewable energy is not merely a natural resource ready for exploitation, but a product of economic collaboration between the private and public sectors, with implications on the community and social values.

R E S I L I E N T PA RT N E R S H I P S

The new proposed programme for Coal Exchange in relation to the on-going political agenda, network of research institutes and current economic climate

C A P R I C C I O ( A RC H I T E C T U R A L FA N TA S Y ) O F T H E D E C AY I N G C OA L E XC H A N G E ( previous page)

The current dereliction of the Coal Exchange building (image below) is welcomed with an opportunistic approach and fascination with ruination. The aesthetic appreciation of the process of decay is explored in the work of Gordon Matta-Clark, Joseph Gandy’s painting of The Bank of England in Ruins or Piranesi’s Labyrinth. Precedent studies included medieval examples of parasitic architecture, Astley Castle and Carlo Scarpa.

NATIONAL ENERGY SCIENCE MUSEUM

Existing conditions

RENEWABLE ENERGY COLLABORATION CENTRE

Existing conditions

Existing conditions

LONGITUDINAL SECTION

Existing conditions

LONGITUDINAL SECTION

R E O C C U PAT I O N A N D R E O RG A N I S AT I O N

The architectural fabric of Coal Exchange is entirely reinterpreted in terms of circulation, use, sequence of private and public areas, and the relationship of service to served spaces.

N E W I N TO O L D

Removed building fabric

Glulam roof system

Existing brick foundation

Central atrium

Entrance lobby

SUSTAINABLE REFURBISHMENT

SUSTAINABLE REFURBISHMENT

© Dan Liu 2014Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff

Master of Architecture (M.Arch 2013-2014) Thesis Project

Economy Unit: Unit Leader:

Tutors:

Port City, Designing for ResilienceDr. Juliet Davis MA Dip Arch (Cantab) RIBA PhDDr. Juliet Davis Dr. Federico Wulff