General Developments

Not on your own, for some reason I really like it as well

Me too.

It always struck me as looking like something a child would make out of building blocks - there's something quite playful about it.

Good God - whats happening to this site? It's bloody awful po-mo, nothing more and nothing less. What makes it worse is it's prominent position near to the castle and the fact that it's next to the far superior Hilton hotel building. Even Northgate House is better.

The Principlaity building in the Friary is of similar vintage but there is a huge gulf in terms of ambition and quality.

Get a grip you daft lads!

Karl

reading between the lines are you trying to tell us that you don't like it?

Karl

reading between the lines are you trying to tell us that you don't like it?

I get that impression too but I could be wrong.

Always reminds me of Marco Polo House in London, which has recently been demolished.

Buildings don't last long in London, do they?

The era of every building being designed as a 'feature building' rather than an integral part of the wider street is luckily coming to an end, in my opinion. Cardiff had its fair share in three early 2000s but the more simplistic but high quality design of the recently approved scheme in Porth Teigr is going along the 'New London Venacular' route. We need to see more buildings built in high quality and long lasting brick, move on from render and cladding.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales ... f-10144806

Another set of plans for Custom House / York Hotel. Rather than an office conversion, looks like the plan is now for yet more student accomodation. They talk of retaining the frontage of custom house but increasing the building height to 7-stories. Not sure how that can work in a sensible way.

Further down the article there is some "research" from a city letting agent, Bruton Knowles, who are warning of the impact of office-student accom conversions in the city centre, both on the supply of secondary office space, and on the private landlords market in Cathays. I say "research" rather than research, because it looks like a bit of lobbying pure and simple. Their customer base (private landlords in Cathays) are losing out to the new student accomodation providers, who offer something in a more convenient location, and without the hassle of dealing with bills, sometimes frayed friendships, and not infrequently, ongoing niggly maintenance problems in private rented accomodation (I actually think living in a house is a formative part of the student experience - but its up to students to vote with their wallets/purses).

I think it would be a good thing if Cathays became less student dominated. A better mix of students, young professionals, and yes, even families, would help even out the quite dramatic annual population swings in the area (which causes problems for local service provision, and isn't best for local retailers).

I'm a bit mixed on this one.

I'm really pleased something is being done about it but really wish it had been the previous plan for office accomodation.

There's more than enough proposed or under developed student housing and you do have to wonder how it will affect traditional student areas, although I'm not sure that's a bad thing and agree it might actually help Cathays. I'm sure landlords won't see it that way but any business needs to adapt to change so they'll have to up their game a bit and rent to non-students or sell up.