The centrepiece of Cardiff Bay's regeneration is this £106-million edifice, an architectural masterpiece of stacked Welsh slate in shades of purple, green and gray topped with an overarching bronzed steel shell. Designed by Welsh architect Jonathan Adams, it opened in 2004 as Wales' premier arts complex, housing major cultural organizations such as the Welsh National Opera and National Dance Company Wales.
The roof above the main entrance is pierced by 2m-high letter-shaped windows, spectacularly backlit at night, which spell out phrases from the work of Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis. Beneath it are housed a 1900-seat theater, a recital hall, a studio theater, a cabaret venue and other performance and recording spaces.
At the time of research it was closed until at least early 2021. When it's open you can wander around the impressive inside, where you'll find a decent cafe and shop.
Outside, Roald Dahl Plass, a square honoring the famous Cardiff-born writer and with an unusual shape due to its past life as the basin of the West Bute Dock, stretches south to the Pierhead Building and Senedd. The square starred in the Doctor Who spin-off series as the secret entrance to Torchwood's underground headquarters.
