Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre (1991–2010)
- For the current Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre, see Wales Millennium Centre
| Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre | |
|---|---|
 The Tube in 2008 | |
| Alternative names | The Tube |
| General information | |
| Status | Dismantled |
| Location | Cardiff Bay |
| Town or city | Cardiff |
| Country | Wales |
| Completed | 1991 |
| Demolished | 2010 |
| Client | CBDC |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Alsop, Lyall & Stormer[1] |
| Awards and prizes | RIBA Regional Award (1991) RIBA National Award (1992)[2] |
Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre (known informally as 'the Tube') was a piece of modern architecture designed by the architect Wil Alsop for Cardiff Bay, Wales, in 1990. It was finally dismantled in 2010. A panel of architectural experts has said the building "single-handedly put Cardiff on the architectural map".[3]
Design and construction
Architect Wil Alsop was already involved in the development of the Cardiff Bay Barrage when asked, by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation (CBDC), to design a visitors' centre. The building was completed during the Summer of 1990,[4] located close to the Victorian Pierhead Building.[1] It cost somewhere between £350,000[4] and £500,000[5] and was intended to last only five years.[1][5]
The new building was in the shape of a long flattened tube, glazed at each end. Alsop liked to compare its shape to a disposable cigarette lighter.[4] It was constructed using a series of oval steel ribs, clad with marine plywood and covered with external skin of PVC sheeting.[4][6] Ripple-like slots were cut into the plywood, allowing dappled daylight into the interior.[1] It was shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Building of the Year award (forerunner of the Stirling Prize).[4]
The visitor centre was built to house an exhibition about the new Cardiff Bay development.[4] In 1993 the building needed to be moved from its location east of the Pierhead Building. Rather than permanently dismantle it, the structure was put on the back of a low-loader truck and moved to another part of the Bay.[4] It continued to house interactive exhibitions and a scale model of Cardiff.[7]
Because of its distinctive shape, the visitor centre became known locally as 'The Tube'.[5][7] In 2009 it was listed ninth in the Top Ten free attractions in Wales.[8]
Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre was listed by a panel of experts as one of the Top 50 Buildings of the 1990s, saying the building had "single-handedly put Cardiff on the architectural map".[3]
Later events
In 2006 the building's operators, Cardiff Initiative, ceased trading and The Tube closed for several weeks, reopening under the management of Cardiff Council.[7]
The Tube was finally dismantled (and put into storage) in Autumn 2010 to make way for a new link road.[5] "I'm surprised it's lasted this long," said original project architect John Lyall.[5]
Awards
- 1991 – Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Regional Award for Architecture.[2]
- 1992 – RIBA National Award for Architecture.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d John Newman, "The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan", University of Wales Press (1995), p. 267, ISBN 0-14-071056-6
- ^ a b c Iona Spens (Ed.), "Architectural Monographs No. 33: William Alsop and Jan Stormer", Academy Editions (1993), Biographies, Selected Projects and Awards p. 144, ISBN 1-85490-263-6
- ^ a b Fiona Sturges, The 50 Best; THE BEST BUILDINGS; OF THE NINETIES, The Independent, 3 October 1998. Online version retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kenneth Powell, "Will Alsop book 1", Lawrence King Publishing (2001), pp. 177–179, ISBN 1-85669-238-8
- ^ a b c d e Visitor Centre to be dismantled, Building Design, Issue 1933, 17 September 2010, p. 2
- ^ Cardiff Bay Visitors Centre, Architen Landrell. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ a b c Phillip Nifield, Visitor centre back in business, South Wales Echo, 25 February 2006. Online version retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ Martin Shipton, Cardiff promotion needs a rethink, South Wales Echo, 18 December 2009. Online version retrieved 18 March 2012.
External links
Media related to Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre at Wikimedia Commons
