List of tallest buildings in Cardiff

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Meridian Gate, Joint 7th tallest building in Cardiff (left) and Altolusso the 6th tallest (right)

This is a list of the tallest buildings in Cardiff that are 40 metres (130 feet) in height and above in the capital of Wales. They include buildings ranging from the ornate civic centre to the historic Cardiff Castle and Llandaff Cathedral.

The city's growth is reflected in its growing skyline.[1] As is the case with many British cities, some of Cardiff's skyline comprises 1960s and 1970s residential and commercial tower blocks. However, current development trends for high-rise buildings include upmarket apartments and office space.

Cardiff is the largest city in Wales and has the most tall buildings in the country.[2] The tallest building in Cardiff is Bridge Street Exchange at 85 m (279 ft). It replaced Capital Tower which, at 80 m (260 ft), which had been the tallest building in Cardiff since 1970.

Cardiff Council considers a tall building within the city centre and Cardiff Bay to be 8 storeys or more or from 25 m (82 ft) in height.[3] Any proposals to the council for a tall building should "Generally be located within an existing cluster or form part of a proposal to create a new cluster (a cluster can be defined as a group of buildings which form a visual cohesion from more than one viewing point)".[3]

Buildings in Cardiff[]

This list comprises the tallest current standing buildings.

Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap 
Download coordinates as: KML
Rank Name Height (m) Height (ft) Floors Year Use Location Source Image Notes
1 Bridge Street Exchange 85 279 26 2018 Residential and retail units 51°28′48″N 3°10′21″W / 51.4800°N 3.1725°W / 51.4800; -3.1725 (Bridge Street Exchange) [4][5][6] 71 Bridge Street (1), Cardiff city centre.jpg Student accommodation
2 Capital Tower 80 262 25 1967 Office and retail units 51°28′58″N 3°10′39″W / 51.4829°N 3.1776°W / 51.4829; -3.1776 (Capital Tower) [7] Capital Tower, Cardiff.jpg Until 2018, the tallest building in Cardiff to the top of the roof (architectural feature).
3 Stadium House 78 256 17 1976/2002 Office 51°28′40″N 3°10′50″W / 51.4778°N 3.1806°W / 51.4778; -3.1806 (Stadium House) [8] Stadium House Park Street Cardiff.jpg With the spire structure (added in 2002), the height is 125 metres (410 ft), the highest point in central Cardiff.
4 Zenith 75 (approx) 247 (approx) 25 2019 Residential 51°28′35″N 3°10′17″W / 51.4764°N 3.1715°W / 51.4764; -3.1715 (Zenith) [9] The Zenith, Cardiff.jpg Student accommodation
5 HM Government Offices 73 239 18 1969 Office 51°31′36″N 3°11′54″W / 51.5267°N 3.1982°W / 51.5267; -3.1982 (HM Government Offices) [10][11] HMRC offices, Llanishen, Cardiff 1988496 84976c0f.jpg In Llanishen, a suburb of north Cardiff.
6 Altolusso 72 236 23 2005 Residential 51°28′39″N 3°10′21″W / 51.4775°N 3.1725°W / 51.4775; -3.1725 (Altolusso) [12] Altolusso, Cardiff - geograph-1940031-by-John-Lord (cropped).jpg
7 Tŷ Pont Haearn 63 207 21 2005 Residential 51°28′41″N 3°10′21″W / 51.4780°N 3.1725°W / 51.4780; -3.1725 (Ty Pont Haearn) [13] Tŷ Pont Haearn, Cardiff - geograph-2106119-by-M-J-Richardson (cropped).jpg Student accommodation
Meridian Gate 63 207 21 2009 Hotel 51°28′36″N 3°10′25″W / 51.4768°N 3.1737°W / 51.4768; -3.1737 (Meridian Gate) [14] Meridian Gate Cardiff.JPG
9 Tŷ Admiral 61 203 14 2015 Office and retail units 51°28′46″N 3°10′22″W / 51.4795°N 3.1728°W / 51.4795; -3.1728 (Ty Admiral) [15] Tŷ Admiral, Cardiff.JPG Not to be confused with Admiral House.
Designed by Glenn Howells Architects at a cost of £58 million.
10 Holland House 60.3 198 15 1968 (Renovated 2004)[16] Hotel 51°29′01″N 3°10′02″W / 51.4836°N 3.1672°W / 51.4836; -3.1672 (Holland House) [17] Mercure Holland House Cardiff.JPG Converted office block
11 Llandaff Cathedral 59.40 195 1290 Cathedral 51°29′45″N 3°13′05″W / 51.4958°N 3.2180°W / 51.4958; -3.2180 (Llandaff Cathedral) [18] Llandaff Cathedral2.jpg In Llandaff, a suburb of north Cardiff. Until 1967, the tallest building in Cardiff to the top of the spire (architectural feature).
12 Cardiff City Hall Clock Tower 59 194 1905 Civic building 51°29′06″N 3°10′45″W / 51.4850°N 3.1792°W / 51.4850; -3.1792 (Cardiff City Hall Clock Tower) [19] Cardiff City Hall Tower.jpg
15 Tŷ William Morgan - William Morgan House 58 (approx) 190 12 2020 Office 51°28′39″N 3°10′48″W / 51.4776°N 3.1801°W / 51.4776; -3.1801 (William Morgan House) [20] UK Government Regional Hub and offices of HMRC. Named after the bible translator William Morgan (1545–1604).[21]
Helmont House 58 190 12 1984 Office / Hotel 51°28′52″N 3°10′17″W / 51.4810°N 3.1713°W / 51.4810; -3.1713 (Helmont House) [22] Premier Inn, Helmont House, 10 Churchill Way, Cardiff.jpg
Brunel House 58 190 16 1974[23] Office and retail units 51°28′56″N 3°10′11″W / 51.4823°N 3.1698°W / 51.4823; -3.1698 (Brunel House) [24] Cardiff Queen St. (19540802739) (cropped).jpg Originally called Great Western House, headquarters for the Western Region of British Rail.[25]
16 Admiral House 55 180 16 2006 (Renovated) Residential 51°29′03″N 3°09′56″W / 51.4842°N 3.1656°W / 51.4842; -3.1656 (Admiral House) [26] Admiral House Cardiff.JPG Not to be confused with Tŷ Admiral
17 Landmark Place 51 167 17 2004 Residential and retail units 51°28′53″N 3°10′17″W / 51.4815°N 3.1713°W / 51.4815; -3.1713 (Landmark Place) [27] Landmark Place Cardiff - geograph-5425051-by-Jaggery.jpg
18 Cardiff University Tower Building 50 164 12 – University 51°29′20″N 3°10′51″W / 51.4888°N 3.1808°W / 51.4888; -3.1808 (Cardiff University Tower Building) [28] Tower Building, Cathays Park.JPG
19 Celestia 48 158 2007 Residential 51°27′51″N 3°09′32″W / 51.4643°N 3.1590°W / 51.4643; -3.1590 (Celestia) [29] Celestia, Cardiff Bay.jpg
Southgate House 48 157 13 1978 Office / Retail 51°28′40″N 3°10′45″W / 51.4778°N 3.1792°W / 51.4778; -3.1792 (Southgate House) [30] Southgate House, Cardiff - 3282031 58df43c8 (cropped).jpg Twin tower office block comprising one block 13 storeys and one block of 11 storeys
21 Loudoun House 47 154 16 1964 Residential 51°28′12″N 3°10′13″W / 51.4699°N 3.1703°W / 51.4699; -3.1703 (Loudoun House) [31] Loudoun House, Butetown.jpg In Butetown, a district of south Cardiff.
Nelson House 47 154 16 1964 Residential 51°28′12″N 3°10′15″W / 51.4701°N 3.1709°W / 51.4701; -3.1709 (Nelson House) [32] Nelson House, Butetown.jpg In Butetown.
23 ISIS 3D 46 151 15 2007 Residential 51°28′03″N 3°10′29″W / 51.4675°N 3.1747°W / 51.4675; -3.1747 (ISIS 3D) [33] ISIS 3D Cardiff.jpg
McKenzie House 46 151 12 – University 51°29′02″N 3°09′58″W / 51.4840°N 3.1661°W / 51.4840; -3.1661 (McKenzie House) [34] Old NPI Building, Newport Road, Cardiff.jpg Previously known as NPI House
Eastgate House 46 151 14 1969 Office 51°29′06″N 3°09′57″W / 51.4851°N 3.1658°W / 51.4851; -3.1658 (Eastgate House) [35] Eastgate House, Cardiff - 1954153 571d4531 (cropped).jpg
26 The Aspect 45 148 15 1960s, renovated 2003 Residential and retail units 51°28′58″N 3°10′16″W / 51.4827°N 3.1710°W / 51.4827; -3.1710 (The Aspect) [36] The Aspect Cardiff.JPG Converted office block
Century Wharf: Strata 45 148 15 2009 Residential 51°28′05″N 3°10′34″W / 51.4681°N 3.1761°W / 51.4681; -3.1761 (Century Wharf: Strata) [37] Century Wharf, Cardiff.jpg
The Neighbourhood 45 148 11 – Residential and retail units 51°29′10″N 3°09′58″W / 51.4860°N 3.1662°W / 51.4860; -3.1662 (The Neighbourhood) [38][39][40] Coleg Glan Hafen City Road Cardiff (cropped).JPG Former City Road campus of Coleg Glan Hafren, converted in 2016 into a student accommodation and a coffee shop.
29 Gleider House 44.50 146 11 – Office 51°31′39″N 3°11′48″W / 51.5276°N 3.1966°W / 51.5276; -3.1966 (Marriott Hotel) [41] Gleider House, Llanishen.JPG In HM Government Offices complex in Llanishen, north Cardiff
30 Marriott Hotel 43 141 12 1986 Hotel and restaurant 51°28′38″N 3°10′31″W / 51.4771°N 3.1752°W / 51.4771; -3.1752 (Marriott Hotel) [42] Cardiff Marriott.JPG
31 Channel View Flats 42 138 14 1965 Residential 51°27′30″N 3°10′57″W / 51.4582°N 3.1824°W / 51.4582; -3.1824 (Channel View Flats) [43] Channel View flats (Grangetown-Cardiff).JPG In Grangetown, a district of south Cardiff.
32 2 Central Square 41 (approx) 135 10 2018 Office 51°28′35″N 3°10′50″W / 51.4765°N 3.1806°W / 51.4765; -3.1806 (2 Central Square) [44] 2 Central Square 18 March 2020 (3).JPG
33 Cardiff Castle Clock Tower 40 131 7 1873 Monument 51°28′53″N 3°10′55″W / 51.4813°N 3.182°W / 51.4813; -3.182 (Cardiff Castle Clock Tower) [45] Cardiff Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1504532.jpg

Buildings under construction, approved for construction or proposed[]

This list comprises buildings which are either under construction, approved for construction or proposed (November 2021).

Rank Name Height (m) Height (ft) Floors Approved (Year) Under Construction Image Use Source
1 Custom House Street Tower 132 433 42 2016 No
(construction halted) 		- Student accommodation / retail [46]
2 Harlech Court, Bute Terrace 35 Proposed No - Residential [47]
3 Apartment tower, 1-6 Guildford Crescent 30 2021 No - Residential [48][49]
4 Crawshay Court, 6 Curran Road 84 275 27 2020 No - Residential [50]
5 The Interchange, 4 Central Square 83.5 274 22 2019 Yes Construction of Cardiff Transport Interchange 16 Dec 2021 (1).jpg Bus station / residential / office [51]
6 Plot J, Capital Quarter, Tyndall Street 75 246 23 2020 Yes Plot J, Capital Quarter, Cardiff (June 2021).jpg Residential [52]
7 Premier Inn Hotel 61 200 18 2017 No
(construction halted) 		Site of the former Customer House and York Hotel 11 May 2021.jpg Hotel / restaurants [53]
8 The new Bradley Court, 11 Park Place 55.2 181 18 2018 Yes The new Bradley Court, 11 Park Place-3 Sept 2021 (cropped).jpg Student accommodation [54]
9 Landore Court, 47-53 Charles Street 50.5 165 16 2019 Yes - Residential [55]
10 Central Square Plot 5 30 Proposed No - Residential [56]

Cancelled developments[]

This list comprises buildings which were approved for construction but later cancelled.

Rank Name Height (m) Height (ft) Floors Proposal Date Use Source
1 Bay Pointe 122.8 403 33 2008 Residential [57]
2 Glass Needle Scheme, also known as Heritage Gateway Scheme 107 352 32 2005 Residential [58]
3 Capitol Apartments 75 246 25 2008 Residential [59]
Cardiff skyline

See also[]

  • Cardiff city centre
  • Architecture of Cardiff

References[]

  1. ^ "Cardiff – A Capital City". Cardiff University. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  2. ^ "Skyscrapernews.com Wales". Skyscrapernews. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Tall Buildings - Supplementary Planning Guidance" (PDF). Cardiff Council. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Tallest building for Cardiff gets 'topped out'". BBC.
  5. ^ "Bridge Street, Cardiff". 18 November 2016.
  6. ^ Hayward, Will (25 April 2018). "These are the views from Cardiff's new tallest building". walesonline.
  7. ^ "Capital Tower, Cardiff - Building #217". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  8. ^ "BT Stadium House, Cardiff - Building #223". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  9. ^ "These are the new tallest buildings in Cardiff". www.walesonline.co.uk.
  10. ^ "Government Buildings, Cardiff - Building #1312". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  11. ^ Hignell, A. K. "Post-war changes in Llanishen". Atschool. Archived from the original on 20 February 2006.[self-published source]
  12. ^ "Altolusso, Cardiff - Building #644". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  13. ^ "Ty Pont Haearn, Cardiff - Building #1313". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  14. ^ "Meridian Gate; Hotel Tower, Cardiff - Building #1314". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  15. ^ "McAlpine to build £58m Cardiff office scheme". The Construction Index. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  16. ^ Mortimer, Dic (8 October 2014). Cardiff: The Biography. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-4456-4251-2.
  17. ^ "Macdonald Holland House Hotel, Cardiff - 157871 - EMPORIS". www.emporis.com.
  18. ^ "Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff - Building #2768". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  19. ^ "Cardiff City Hall Clock Tower, Cardiff - Building #3682". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  20. ^ "How can you bring business to the heart of a city?". www.arup.com. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  21. ^ "UK Government's flagship new Wales home named after literary pioneer". Office of the Secretary of State for Wales. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Helmont House, Cardiff - Building #1469". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  23. ^ Mortimer, Dic (15 October 2014). Cardiff The Biography. Amberley Publishing Limited. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-4456-4251-2.
  24. ^ "Brunel House, Cardiff - Building #719". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  25. ^ "New nerve centre for Western Region network". Western Mail. 22 March 1974. p. 9.
  26. ^ "Admiral House, Cardiff - Building #967". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  27. ^ "Landmark Place, Cardiff - Building #716". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  28. ^ "Tower Building, Cardiff University, Cardiff - Building #1065". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  29. ^ "Celestia". www.parkmans.co.uk.
  30. ^ "Southgate House, Cardiff - Building #4686". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  31. ^ "Loudoun House, Cardiff - Building #645". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  32. ^ "Nelson House, Cardiff - Building #647". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  33. ^ "ISIS 3D, Cardiff - Building #4868". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  34. ^ "NPI House, Cardiff - Building #648". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  35. ^ "Eastgate House, Cardiff - Building #720". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  36. ^ "The Aspect, Cardiff - Building #717". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  37. ^ "Century Wharf: Strata, Cardiff - Building #4869". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  38. ^ "Coleg Glan Hafren, City Road Building, Cardiff - Building #2257". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  39. ^ Ruth Mosalski (20 July 2015). "Former city college building set to be turned into student accommodation if planners give the go-ahead". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  40. ^ Ruth Mosalski (14 March 2016). "We bet your student flats never looked as good as these new ones". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  41. ^ "Gleider House". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  42. ^ "Marriott Hotel, Cardiff - Building #435". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  43. ^ "Channel View Flats, Cardiff - Building #718". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  44. ^ Barry, Sion (13 May 2019). "A Cardiff office has been named one of the best working spaces in the UK". WalesOnline. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  45. ^ "Cardiff Castle Clock Tower, Cardiff - Building #4930". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  46. ^ Mosalski, Ruth (9 March 2016). "Plans to build Wales' tallest building are given the go ahead". walesonline.
  47. ^ "Tallest building in Wales planned for Cardiff city centre on Porter's site". Media Wales. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  48. ^ "Galliford Try go-ahead for landmark Cardiff tower". www.constructionenquirer.com/. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  49. ^ "Full Planning Permission". Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  50. ^ "Full Planning Permission" (PDF). Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  51. ^ "Full Planning Permission" (PDF). Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  52. ^ "Plot J, Capital Quarter, Tyndall Street,Cardiff". Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  53. ^ "Full Planning Permission" (PDF). Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  54. ^ "Full Planning Permission" (PDF). Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  55. ^ "Full Planning Permission" (PDF). Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  56. ^ "Giant 30-storey apartment tower planned for Central Square in Cardiff". Media Wales. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  57. ^ "Wales' tallest building approved". 28 February 2008 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  58. ^ "Urban Solutions, Glass Needle Scheme". www.skyscrapernews.com.
  59. ^ "Capitol Apartments, Cardiff - Building #5481". www.skyscrapernews.com.

External links[]

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