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Valleys Kids Residential Centre

Swansea

Project Details

£1m to £1.99M

New Build, Sited in AONB

Practice

Gillard Associates

1a Sully Terrace , Penarth , Cardiff , CF64 3DS

Valleys Kids is a charitable trust founded by Richard and Margaret Morgan and seeks to provide positive life changing experiences for disadvantaged people of all ages. The new residential centre on a site previously occupied by a small cottage is an inspirational building which provides accessible hostel type accommodation linked to an activity centre which in turn opens onto landscaped grounds: all designed to enhance and facilitate visitors in groups of all sizes up to around 50 persons. The architecture is designed to blend with the surroundings and is all but invisible, with its grass and sedum covered roofs. The external walls are clad in locally sourced timber and lime render, and a large part of the project was constructed using participants drawn from the local area as a way of empowering and upskilling young people who otherwise have few prospects in construction. All in all, this was a wonderful project to be involved in: a true team effort which is, in effect, the completion of a lifelong vision.