Castle Square, Swansea

Castle Square has been a key element of the urban fabric of Swansea for the last 70 years. It sits in the central plot previously occupied by the popular department store Ben Evans, which was destroyed during the blitz in 1941.

Designed as a public garden and a memorial to those who died in the bombing raids, it forms a backdrop to the medieval Swansea Castle. The Square was redesigned in 1993, removing a large part of the green garden. Now a much harder urban space, the Square suffers from a lack of activity, and a lack of flexibility for civic uses.

Project Details +

Project Details

Location: Swansea, Wales UK

Client: Swansea Council

Date: 2019 - ongoing

Status: Planning

Size:  6,900 sqm (6,500 sqm public realm, 400 sqm pavilion/F&B)

Credits +

Credits

ACME: Mark Broom, Amanda Callaghan, Alex Chan, Igor Gola, Andre Hoelzle, Lizy Huyghe, Friedrich Ludewig, Glenn Moorley, Lucy Moroney, Kacper Pach, Marta De la Morena Papiani, Ana Rodriguez

CONSULTANTS
Spider Project Management
Civic Engineers
Savills
Atelier Ten
The Fire Surgery
Spacehub
The Fountain Workshop


The new design aims to bring back more greenery into the Square, to create a flexible central area to host events, and to create activity and atmosphere by creation of two new Pavilions and an interactive water feature. In doing so it is hoped to strengthen the regeneration of the high street and the wider city centre, and to provide a welcoming green heart for the city’s public realm.

Copper Pavilion plan

Stone Pavilion plan

The Square has a steeply sloping topography with a level difference of almost seven metres across the site, part of which is bridged by an existing crescent of steps. These will be modified to create an amphitheatre with generous seating terraces around the central area, with the new fountain as its focus. One of the new pavilionsis set into these steps, housing an F&B unit opening onto the Square, with an accessible green roof offering a great vantage point to survey the activity below.

"ACME is thrilled that the vision for a greener square in the heart of Swansea is starting to take shape. Historically, the site was famous as the location of the Ben Evans Store. After the war, it became an open space, initially known as Castle Gardens. The works now in progress will increase tree coverage, bring more green planting planting and more room to relax and enjoy performances. A new water feature will occupy the centre of the space inviting play and interaction, set into colourful paving inspired by paintings by Dylan Thomas's artist friends. Two pavilions will be built into the landscape, with local welsh materials and references to Swansea's copper smelting history."

Friedrich Ludewig, Founding Director - ACME

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