Inside the postcard people climb the mountain of steps or take the lift to see the view up the River Dee and into Wales. Light and wind pass through the perforated screens. Behind the screens, tall cavernous spaces are filled with dappled light, offering places to meet, to learn, to watch the sunset over the welsh mountains beyond.

Visitors are welcomed into Wales through a giant picture of a mountain. Passing through, visitors burst into a sudden release of space, as if floating in a huge welsh sky over the River Dee. 

In the reverse, visitors leave Wales through an animated image of clouds and moving people. At night, the picture is reflected in the river, shimmering in the soft light of River Dee. Tidal turbines at the base turn the river’s energy into light to make the sky glow.

client landmark wales
location england-wales border, uk
status submission in 2009
budget £1.7 million
size 60m x 36m x 3m
structural engineer atelier one
sustainability archineers
graphic artist hybrid
quantity surveyor fom
awards design competition winner