Developers have promised that the project, which transforms what was once a much-loved former store, will become the “heart and lungs” of Swansea city center. Cranes can be seen floating above the city skyline as workers from Hace Developments are busy breathing new life into the former Woolworths building on Oxford Street.

From 2021, the company is looking to realize its vision of transforming the iconic former store into an attractive “living building”, which will feature a new 12-storey tower attached to the old store, “elevating” the building from Oxford Street to Picton. Yard. It will provide educational facilities, residential apartments, shops, offices and a courtyard and will be environmentally friendly with a biodiverse appearance with living (or biophilic) walls and roofs, as well as rooftop solar panels, battery storage and gardens.

There will be an urban farm-style greenhouse spread over four floors, with plants and vegetables in the south-facing greenhouse grown in water and fed with waste pumped from fish tanks at the bottom of the building. The wastewater will then be filtered and directed back to the fish tanks. For the latest Swansea news, sign up to our newsletter here.

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View of the High Street development.



View of the Picton Lane development

Biophilic Living project manager Lee Wrightson posted an update on how the project is progressing and shared photos showing the work in progress, including the stunning city views that will be on offer. He said: “Work is progressing according to plan. To date, we have carried out some demolition work to the rear of the old Woolworths building to make way for a unique tower. We then carried out continuous boring (CFA) of the piles, which reached an average of 15-23m deep into the ground, allowing us to start the concrete structure. We kept as much of the existing building as possible to reduce embodied carbon.

“We currently have six weeks to complete the concrete structure. When completed, the top of the building will be just over 57 meters above the munitions. The views from the top are truly impressive. The objective of the project is to guarantee sustainable living in the city. through a cooperative model of shared ownership through the built form with the creation of a community enterprise and providing access to food, social assistance, educational facilities and resources, rooftop amenities and a healthy lifestyle that encourages travel capabilities.

“Bioophilic Living Swansea brings together an entire ecosystem around the community, offering relief from energy poverty by providing access to clean, renewable energy whilst reducing hunger and social exclusion. This means not only a reduction in the use of high-carbon energy, but also its sequestration through green spaces. “It will become the heart and lungs of the city center and, we hope, the standard for future construction.”



What the building looked like when it was Woolworths
What the building looked like when it was Woolworths



The artist’s impression of what will happen.

Wrightson said the development will be completed in September 2024 and will “come to life” with roof gardens, green walls and a 14-metre greenhouse, which will be almost 30 meters above ground and feature a conservatory overlooking Swansea Bay. . The company is also partnering with local businesses to create a unique retail space on the ground floor where local produce will be sold alongside produce grown in the building’s greenhouse. It will also offer three floors of commercial space. Join our WhatsApp news community for the latest news.

He said: “We are committed to making this building model work and once completed we will be involved for five years to ensure the CIC group is a success story and that the future lies in biophilic design. It won’t just be a place to live or work: it will be a community to improve people’s well-being and health. In collaboration with Pobl, this building will also offer 50 new innovative apartments.”

A Swansea Council representative added: “Our investment in improving the appearance of Kingsway was aimed at helping to encourage significant private sector investment in the area, so it is fantastic to see progress being made on the biophilic construction site. Led by Hace Developments, this will result in an innovative city center scheme that will create jobs and living conditions in the city as part of a project that will protect sustainability.

“The project is located very close to the new 71/72 Kingsway office project being developed by the council on the site of the former Oceana nightclub. Once launched, these projects will combine to further enhance the profile of Swansea city center and benefit existing shops and businesses through the visitors and spending they will generate.”