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1.0 Background

1.1 Cardiff Bay Opera House

1.2 Origins of Wales Millennium Centre

2.0 Design and construction history

2.1 Phase I (Donald Gordon Theatre, Weston Studio Theatre & Urdd Hall)

2.2 Phase II (BBC Hoddinott Hall)

3.0 Resident organisations

4.0 Facilities

5.0 Corporate financing and rebranding

6.0 In popular culture

6.1 Doctor Who and Torchwood

6.2 Jones Jones Jones

7.0 Notes

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Wales Millennium Centre Wiki Information

Wales Millennium Centre (Welsh: Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru ), which also has a nickname locally as The Armadillo , ^[1] is a centre for the performing arts located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. It was opened during the weekend of the 26-28 November 2004 and has hosted performances of opera, ballet, dance, comedy and musicals. The 37,000 square metre (398,000 square foot) building currently comprises two theatres and a smaller hall, shops, bars and restaurants, and seven resident Welsh arts organisations. The total area of the site covers 4.7 acres (1.9 hectares).

The main theatre, the Donald Gordon Theatre, holds 1,897 people and the second theatre, the Weston Studio Theatre, has a maximum capacity of 250 people. ^[2] The Urdd Hall holds 153 people and the seating is retractable when not in use. By the autumn of 2008 the building will also incorporate the BBC Hoddinott Hall, which will hold 350 people, and will be home to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

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Background

Cardiff Bay Opera House

The Centre is the successor to a previous project on the site, the Cardiff Bay Opera House. This was a plan, supported by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, to construct a permanent home for the world-famous Welsh National Opera. ^[3] However, the project failed to win financial support from the Millennium Commission, the body which distributed funds from the UK National Lottery.

International competition

An international design competition was established by the Cardiff Bay Opera House Trust to decide on the architect for the project. The competition would eventually be in two rounds. The first round of the competition attracted 268 international competitors; ^[4] it was won by Iraq-born architect Zaha Hadid. The list of architectural practices that took part in the competition included Itsuko Hasegawa, Mario Botta, Rem Koolhaas, Rafael Moneo, Manfredi Nicoletti, Pietro Marcozzi Architect, Rusli Associates, Percy Thomas Partnership and Greg Lynn FORM. ^[5] ^[6] ^[7] ^[8] Her avant-garde design was radical glass structure that surrounded the main theatre. However, her design was so radical that Lord Crickhowell as chair of the Cardiff Bay Opera House Trust, asked Hadid to submit her design again along with Norman Foster + Partners and Manfredi Nicoletti, who were asked to submit revised designs, for a second round of competition. ^[9] But she again won this round too.

Aftermath

The decision to reject the bid for lottery money by the Millennium Commission was announced on 22 December 1995. Many claim that the bid failed because of the widespread unpopularity of the Millennium Commission support for the Royal Opera House in London, which was seen as elitist. ^[10] Others say that the project was destroyed by conservatism and provincialism in relation to the modern architecture, and by Cardiff Council's support for the Millennium Stadium.

Virginia Bottomley, Secretary of State for National Heritage, announced in a news conference that the project was flawed by uncertainties in the building's financing and construction, which made it the project too risky. Lord Crickhowell interrupted that news conference to denounce the rejection. He said the decision was "...shocking and incomprehensible...If this had been a project in London, it would be getting backing...You can understand the annoyance of people in Wales that we can't get the kind of vitally important projects that London seems to be allowed." ^[11]

Origins of Wales Millennium Centre

After the Cardiff Bay Opera House project was rejected, a new project was conceived that included more than opera and was felt to be a better reflection of Welsh culture. The change of name symbolised this, but the project still had to overcome many hurdles. Funding from the Welsh Assembly and Millennium Commission took years to obtain. Cardiff Council had to buy the land after the previous owners, Grosvenor Waterside (Associated British Ports property division) threatened to built a retail centre there due to the delays. ^[12] ^[13] Further boosts were given by large donations from South African businessman Donald Gordon and a loan from the international bank, HSBC. The GB£20 million donation from Donald Gordon was split evenly between the Royal Opera House and Wales Millennium Centre and was spread over five years. This is believed to be the largest single private donation ever made to the arts in the UK. ^[14]

Design and construction history

Phase I (Donald Gordon Theatre, Weston Studio Theatre & Urdd Hall)

The centre was designed by Jonathan Adams, of local architects, Capita Percy Thomas, with Arup Acoustics providing the acoustic design. His first concept drawings were made in the spring of 1998, ^[15] by 1999 his design was starting to look more like the building is today.

Construction began on 25 February 2002, the main contractor being Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd ^[16] and Kelsey Roofing Industries Ltd being the roofing contractor. ^[17] Carr and Angier were the theatre consultants. Other contractors included Stent (foundations), Swansea Institute (glass), GH James Cyf (stonemasonry), Rimex (stainless steel), Alfred McAlpine (slate), Coed Cymru (wood), Ann Catrin Evans (door furniture), Amber Hiscott (etchings on glass walls).

The architect's concept of the building was to design a building that expressed "Welshness" and that was instantly recognisable. ^[18] The building was designed to reflect the many different parts of Wales with local Welsh materials that dominate its history; slate, metal, wood and glass. ^[19] All the materials used come from Wales and was built from 1,350 tonnes of Welsh slate, 300,000 concrete blocks, a million metres of electric cable. ^[20]

Slate

The exterior of the building is clad in multi-coloured slate collected from Welsh slate quarries. Narrow windows are built into the layers of slate to give the impression of rock strata they depict the different stone layers in sea cliffs. The purple slate came from the Penrhyn Quarry, the blue from Cwt y Bugail Quarry, the green from the Nantlle Valley, the grey from Llechwedd quarry, and the black from the Corris Quarry. The slate industry in Wales changed the landscape of North Wales forever and is a part of Welsh heritage.

I always loved going to Ogmore and Southerndown. I thought the cliffs there looked like a building anyway. A building capable of withstanding the roughest weather for hundreds of years. The older they get, the better they look. I wondered if it would be possible to make a building which had the same qualities as these magnificent cliffs. To do that I needed a lot of stone. Normal stone for buildings has to be specially cut into blocks; it takes a long time to make and costs a fortune. But in north Wales the historic slate industry has left behind whole mountains of waste stone that no-one wants. This was stone cut from the mountainside for nearly two hundred years but which wasn’t good enough to make roof slates. Over 90% was thrown away. But it was ideal for making walls like the one I had in mind...

—Jonathan Adams, the architect

Metal

The structure is dominated by a huge dome, clad in steel which has been treated with copper oxide to give it a bronze colour. It has been designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the waterfront, and to look better with age. The steel industry was once a major employer in Wales, which is why it was decided to use bronze coloured textured stainless steel for the shell dome. The architect decided against using copper and aluminium because they would both change colour with weathering.

We all know that steel making has been important to South Wales, just as slate making has changed the landscape of the north. We have to use a special type of steel that won’t go rusty near to the salt-laden, maritime air of Cardiff Bay. This stainless steel will be made near to Pontypool. For the Wales Millennium Centre I thought it was important that the materials should have a "natural" texture, and that they should be instantly recognisable to anyone seeing them, even from a distance. For this reason I felt it was important that the steel of the shell should have the rough grain and the riveted pattern that we think of as more typical of old industrial structures, such as those that used to be commonplace around the landscape of the industrial south.

—Jonathan Adams

Wood

Both inside and outside the building, including the main Donald Gordon theatre, the balconies and the rear of the building, is dominated by bands of hardwood lining the walls.

Like the exterior of the building, the principal internal spaces are designed to make the best use of natural materials in their natural state. The structure and detail of the concourse galleries echo the form of the exterior, with the curving strata formed in native hardwoods. Oak, ash, beech, sycamore, alder, birch, chestnut and cherry woods from renewable sources in mid-Wales will be used together in proportions that reflect their relative availability from the forest. The design of the concourse galleries is intended to evoke the image of the edge of the forest, partly as a counterpoint to the coastal nature of the exterior, and partly because the edge of the forest in folklore and mythology represents a line between the real world and the magical world, a line which resembles the front edge of the theatre stage. The form of trees is created by the interweaving curvature of the gallery edges, and by the random positioning of the supporting columns.

—Jonathan Adams

Glass

Glass was used to incorporate into the bands of slate. The glass is 15}} () thick and was cut and installed by the Architectural Glass Department at Swansea Institute. Glass is used not in the contemporary British architectural style of the glass curtain.

Jonathan Adams said, "The glass veins in the external walls of the Wales Millennium Centre make use of conventional glass in a unique way: the sheets of glass are stacked together and fused in a kiln to form solid blocks."

Calligraphy

Inscribed on the front of the dome, above the main entrance, are two poetic lines, written by Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis. The Welsh version is Creu Gwir fel gwydr o ffwrnais awen , which means "Creating truth like glass from the furnace of inspiration". The English is In These Stones Horizons Sing . The lettering is formed by windows in an upstairs bar area; these are internally illuminated at night, giving spectacular reflections in the water features.

The idea of this monumental inscription comes from Roman classical architecture. The Romans brought Christianity to these islands, along with the custom of engraving stone. The form of the Celtic cross embodies the cross-fertilisation of indigenous and Roman cultures, from which the Welsh nation first emerged. The monumental inscription is a familiar feature of Roman architecture. The inscription over the entrance of the Wales Millennium Centre is a revival of this classical tradition, and also a recognition of the formative influence of Roman culture upon our nation. We’re lucky to have two languages; one that we share with half the world and one which belongs just to us. Words in songs, stories and poems have helped to make Wales the proud country that it is.

—Jonathan Adams

Creu Gwir Fel Gwydr o Ffwrnais Awen

Of the inscription, Gwyneth Lewis said:

I wanted the words to reflect the architecture of the building. Its copper dome reminded me of the furnaces from Wales's industrial heritage and also Ceridwen's cauldron, from which the early poet Taliesin received his inspiration ('awen'). Awen suggests both poetic inspiration and the general creative vision by which people and societies form their aspirations.

—Gwyneth Lewis

In These Stones Horizons Sing

Of the inscription,

It was important to me that the English words on the building should not simply be a translation of the Welsh, that they should have their own message. The strata of the slate frontage of the Wales Millennium Centre reminded me of the horizons just beyond Penarth Head. The sea has, traditionally, been for Cardiff the means by which the Welsh export their best to the world and the route by which the world comes to Cardiff. The stones inside the theatre literally sing with opera, musicals and orchestral music, and I wanted to convey the sense of an international space created by the art of music. ^[21]

—Gwyneth Lewis

Phase II (BBC Hoddinott Hall)

The new extension to the Wales Millennium Centre will be completed by autumn 2008 and will be the new home for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. The new theatre will be named the BBC Hoddinott Hall, in recognition of the late Welsh classical composer Alun Hoddinott CBE (August 11, 1929 – March 12, 2008). ^[22] It will also include a custom-built broadcast, recording and performance facilities and will hold 350 people, together with a second space for practice rooms, administration offices, a music library and backstage facilities. ^[23]

The BBC Hoddinott Hall was also designed by the same architectural team of Capita Percy Thomas, now called Capita Architecture, acousticians Arup Acoustics and the main contractor has again been Sir Robert McAlpine. ^[24]

The first concert to be held at the BBC Hoddinott Hall will be on Tuesday 3 February 2009 by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thierry Fischer in a production of Petrushka (1911 version) by Igor Stravinsky. ^[25]

Resident organisations

The Wales Millennium Centre is currently home to seven resident arts companies:

Academi - The Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society For Writers
Diversions - the Dance Company of Wales - Wales' national dance company
Hijinx Theatre - an award-winning, innovative theatre company that promotes community work, aiming to bring together people of all ages
Touch Trust - providing educational touch and movement therapies to people with profound disabilities and autism
Ty Cerdd - music information centre for Wales’ amateur and professional musicians
Urdd Gobaith Cymru (The Welsh League of Youth) - The Welsh language youth movement
Welsh National Opera - The international touring opera company

When the BBC Hoddinott Hall is opened, it will also be home to:

BBC National Orchestra of Wales - The only professional national symphony orchestra for Wales

They all have office and work space in the Centre, with performance spaces, rehearsal halls, a fully equipped recording studio, and a dance house.

Facilities

In addition to the 2 theatres (Donald Gordon Theatre and Weston Studio Theatre), the building also has six function rooms: Victor Salvi Room, The David Morgan Room, The Sony Room, The Seligman Room, The Japan Room and Function Room 6. The building also includes rehearsal rooms and orchestral facilities for the Welsh National Opera, also dance studios for Diversions, called the The Dance House, it includes the Blue Room, with seating for up to 100. The Urdd Gobaith Cymru houses a 140-bed hostel, as well as performance and teaching space. The Urdd Hall has 153 seats and is under the control of the Urdd. ^[26] It will also include the BBC Hoddinott Hall, which will hold 350 people.

Corporate financing and rebranding

The total cost of the project was GB£106.2 million. The National Lottery Millennium Fund provided £31.7 million, a further £37 million came from The National Assembly for Wales and £10.4 million was donated by the Arts Council of Wales. In addition a private investor, South African businessman Donald Gordon donated £20 million to be shared equally between the Royal Opera House and the Wales Millennium Centre. The centre also received a £13.5 million loan from HSBC. The remaining funds for the project came from a major sponsorship deal with the Principality Building Society. Today the Centre has many corporations and public bodies who provide sponsorship to the Centre. ^[27]

The National Assembly for Wales announced on 6 November 2007 that it was to pay off the outstanding loan of £13.5 million from HSBC and also increase the annual funding. This would only repay the capital debt and not any ongoing operating loss as the Centre remains profitable. The money used to pay the debt came from unallocated funds from the Assembly's previous budget and it was said by the Minister for Heritage, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, that the new money allocation would not come at the expense of other art projects from other parts of Wales. ^[28]

In November 2006, Wales Millennium Centre announced that they would begin a two phase rebranding project. The project was won by a local Cardiff company, Sweet. The first phase of the project would involve a new corporate logo, the second phase would include the complete redesign of other marketing tools, such as brochures and advertisements. ^[29]

In popular culture

Doctor Who and Torchwood

The Centre has begun to take on iconic status amongst the people of Wales and the rest of the UK, making numerous appearances in film and television including Doctor Who , whose new series was produced by BBC Wales. It has appeared six times to date: as itself from outside in the episode "Boom Town", its marquee momentarily at the end of the episode "Bad Wolf", its lobby as a hospital lobby in the far future in the episode "New Earth", briefly in the episodes "Utopia" and "The Stolen Earth", and also in the final episode of series 3, "Last of the Time Lords".

The spin-off series Torchwood , has its headquarters, known as "The Hub", set underneath the Water Tower, Roald Dahl Plass, ^[30] with the Wales Millennium Centre's frontage featuring heavily through the show.

Jones Jones Jones

On 3 November 2006, a record breaking attempt to gather the most people with the same surname, Jones, took place in the centre under the show banner Jones Jones Jones , filmed for television by S4C. The record was broken with 1224 Joneses filling the Donald Gordon Theatre. ^[31]