Cardiff and Vale College

DaleSauna is about to start work on a new spa for the landmark £45m campus for Cardiff and Vale College in the heart of Cardiff.

Designed by architects BDP, Canal Parade is located in the heart of the city centre. The scheme, which is being developed by Willmott Dixon and Rightacres Property, is expected to kick start the wider regeneration of the Dumballs Road area.

At 16,000sq m, the Canal Parade development is currently the largest building project in Cardiff. Supported by the Welsh Government through a £20m grant, the development will provide an inspirational and real life learning facility.

The distinctive wedge-shaped building has an angled roof which is designed to accommodate a 1,850sq m photovoltaic array – one of the largest in the UK.

Facilities will include a rooftop fine dining restaurant with views across the city, a gym, dedicated science, technology, engineering and mathematics centre (STEM), hairdressing and beauty salons, a spa, conference facilities and an employment centre.

Following its successful collaboration with Willmott Dixon on a variety of projects, DaleSauna was appointed to design a thermal spa to be used for teaching purposes as well as a commercial venture.

The thermal offering will comprise a sauna, steam room, spa pool, ice feature, dry float and feature showers to meet the requirements of Level 3 Spa Therapy, while also meeting the demands of modern users.

“This is our first major project in Cardiff since the Marine Spa at The St. David’s Hotel & Spa, which is regularly voted as one of top five spas in the UK by Conde Nast Traveller. The standards in the spa at Cardiff and Vale College Canal Parade will easily be among the best in the city once completed and we’re very pleased to be part of such an inspiring venture,” says Gerard McCarthy, sales director at DaleSauna.

Completion is set for the summer of 2015, with students due to start their courses in the new building in autumn 2015.