More than 120 people joined architects Powell Dobson to celebrate the opening of their new premises at Eastern Business Park in Cardiff.
Powell Dobson, founded in 1966, has studios in Cardiff, London and Swansea.
It moved its 55-strong Cardiff studio to a newly fitted-out, 8,000 sq ft suite on the first floor of Building 1 at Eastern Business Park, owned by developers Robert Hitchins Ltd, after 25 years at the Links Business Park in Cardiff.
Asset and Development Manager for Robert Hitchins, John Jones, said: “We’re pleased that our long-term relationship with Powell Dobson continues to flourish and we congratulate them on their 50th anniversary.”
Managing Director of Powell Dobson, Anne-Marie Smale MBE, welcomed guests.
“The move of our Cardiff office to Eastern Business Park has been fantastic. The quality of the working environment has made a terrific difference to how our studios operate and reflects the design ethos of the practice,” she said.
“It’s a great time for this fresh start as this year sees us achieve the terrific milestone of 50 years in practice. This is a fantastic achievement for Powell Dobson and a reflection of the practice’s projects and development over those five decades which demonstrate some notable defining moments for the business such as the design competition win for new offices at Scott Harbour in Cardiff Bay in 1994, the development of The Brewery Quarter in the centre of Cardiff in 2003 and the design competition win for new homes at Old Town Dock for Seren in 2008.
“Looking forward to the next decade the practice has some very exciting current schemes and is delighted to be the architects in the recently announced winning Trebor Developments proposal for the Swansea Civic Centre site.”
Eastern Business Park is a campus-style, modern complex on the eastern outskirts of the city with excellent access to the M4 and A48. Its three buildings offer a total 160,000 sq ft and benefit from a restaurant, fitness suite, conference facility, meeting rooms, children’s nursery, excellent car parking, 24-hour access and on-site management provided by landlords Robert Hitchins Ltd.
It was built in 1980, extended in 1994 and has since been substantially upgraded.
Other tenants include SSE Services PLC, E-On UK plc, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Laing O’Rourke Construction Ltd, Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and Aspiration Training.
Robert Hitchins Ltd, based in Gloucestershire, is one of the leading and most respected property companies in the South West and South Wales with a long history of delivering property solutions to suit occupier requirements. It provides the full development process from site acquisition and planning through to development and investment.