St. David's (Cardiff)
The St. David's is (also known as St. David's Shopping Center), the largest shopping center in Cardiff and the largest in Wales. The center is one of the largest in Great Britain . The first phase of the mall opened in 1982. After an expansion in 2009 and a thorough renovation, the shopping center was reopened in 2009. The sales area comprises 129,561 m 2 and 203 shops. The center is operated by Intu Group.
The first phase of construction
St. David's Shopping Center was first opened to the public in January 1981. However, the official opening did not take place until March 24, 1982. The center has four entrances located on Queen Street, Cathedral Walk, Woeking Street and Hills Street. The entrance on Hills Street connects the north entrance of the second phase of the center. There are several connecting corridors within the building that enable quick passage between the first half of the building and the second.
The second construction phase
St. Davids and most of the southern downtown area of Cardiff was designed as an extension of the St. Davids Mall. The second phase included a £ 675 million extension to the mall that would demolish large parts of the southern area of the city and the buildings within. Among the demolished buildings are the Oxford Arcade, St. David Market, St. David's Link including the Cardiff Central Library, the NCP Tredegar Street parking garage, the Wales National Ice Rink and the Toys "R" Us, which is in Cardiff International Sports Village has moved.
During the second phase of construction, the complex was known as St. David's 2. After the completion, only the normal name of the mall became common. The second construction phase comprises a total of three main buildings. The Central Library building is on the former site of the Mariott Hotel car park, the John Lewis store is on the former Wales National Ice Rink, and the main shopping mall is on the former site of the Oxford Arcade, St. David's Link and the west side Bridge Street. Apartments, also known as Hayes Apartments , have been created above the mall .
The second building is divided into three sectors, these are:
- St. David's Walk, main link to the Debenhams extension and the Grand Arcade.
- St. David's Way, the original main route of St. David's.
- Grand Arcade, the first phase of construction connects St. David's Walk with the John Lewis store. There are shops on the first level. To the east of the center there are mainly several restaurants and cafés, which are spread over two levels.
The first John Lewis department store in Wales, operated by the John Lewis chain, opened in 2009 and is currently the largest location outside of London. John Lewis opened four weeks before the St. David's Arcade Shopping Center opened.
Cardiff Central Library
The new city library was opened on March 14, 2009. The old library building was a few meters north of the current location and was demolished due to the expansion. The new library has six floors and an area of 55,000 square meters. Various shops and restaurants are located on the ground floor. The building's blueprint comes from the architectural firm Building Design Partnership.
Alliance
Alliance is a 25-meter-high sculpture made of steel with an arrow leaning against a metal ring. The artistic sculpture is part of the city's £ 1.5 million public arts campaign. The artwork is located in an open space between the shopping center and the library.
Hayes Apartments
The Hayes Apartments are part of David's Partnership's St. David's regeneration project, a joint venture between Land Securities and Capital Shopping Centers. It comprises 304 apartments above the shopping center, which are divided into seven blocks, which are also known as the phase. The apartments are one to three-room apartments. The architects for the residential complexes were Glenn Howells Architects architecture firm. The first apartments were occupied in the summer. In 2012 the last block of flats was completed and occupied.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Intu Group Plc. - St David's Cardiff Key Facts , accessed August 19, 2015
- ↑ landsecurities.com - St David's 2 , accessed August 19, 2015
- ↑ Walesonline.co.uk - Hayes Apartments prove the center of attention , accessed on August 21, 2015