GRANGE PAVILION, GRANGETOWN

Image: Kyle Pearce

The challenge: how can a collaboration between a university and local people transform a disused pavilion?

The RSAW award-winning Grange Pavilion is the result of a ten year collaboration between Grangetown residents’ group Grange Pavilion Project, Cardiff University’s Community Gateway and Grangetown Community Action. Forming as the Grange Pavilion project, local residents partnered with Cardiff University’s Community Gateway in 2012 to launch Ideas Picnics, event days and a three-year residency in the empty building. This aimed to to increase awareness and develop relationships with local residents and existing community organisations and businesses.

A successful application to a National Lottery Community Asset Transfer 2 grant brought support to develop a planning application and business case,  The design team, led by Dan Benham Architects and IBI Group, developed a design brief through design workshops exploring the ideas generated by the residencies.

The result is a community-envisioned, and community-led facility, with inviting and flexible interior and exterior spaces are now being brought to life by a huge variety of local and national individuals and organisations, including The Hideout Café, a Youth Forum, a World Market, education, fitness and social groups for all ages, creative classes and a range of teaching and research activities with schools, colleges and universities.

More information : Case Study: Creating a community-led and community-owned facility - Design Commission for Wales (dcfw.org)