A car park, abandoned warehouses: this is the greeting on the prime site across the water that awaited passengers as the train slowed to enter Newport. Change that, was the brief. Set the tone. Kick-start regeneration all along the riverfront area, inspire people and enrich the city with an adventurous cultural centrepiece.

With regeneration now spreading along, across and back from the river, we believe we have achieved that. Variously described as a ‘Bond villain’s lair’, ‘wonderful’, ‘spectacular’, ‘dynamic’, ‘enigmatic’ and ‘a joy to behold’, the resulting 7,300m2 theatre project was, amongst other awards, named building of the year in Wales.

Designs were altered after a 25-metre fifteenth-century ship was discovered buried in the river silt early in the building process, so allowing its housing and display when conservation is complete. The building provides a 500-seat theatre, a 150-seat studio theatre, dance, recording and artists’ studios, function room, riverside café, art gallery and bar. Its form is asymmetrical, with several roofs, and a transparent, double-height foyer to unify the varying elements, open the space to the light and river setting, and act as a beacon. It’s unmistakably lit at night. But it’s drawing more than admiring glances, thankfully. Audiences, companies and reputed names are returning regularly.

Although cultural buildings like theatres are often vital to regeneration projects, usually they have to take their cue to some degree from their surroundings. But Newport was different. With the river on one side and a dual carriageway on the other there were no obvious reference points. Newport City Council wanted the project to set the tone, take the lead. A car park and abandoned warehouses greeted passengers on the prime site across the water as the train slowed before entering the station: not the most desirable first impression of the city, or indeed of South Wales. Change that, was the brief. Make a statement. Kick-start regeneration all along the riverfront area, inspire people and enrich the city with an adventurous cultural centrepiece.

Barely had building work begun when it was halted by the extraordinary discovery of a 25-metre fifteenth-century ship of similar importance to the Mary Rose. Given that it coincided with the excavation of the orchestra pit, the sense of providence was strong: any other place and it would never have been discovered. New designs were drawn up to turn the discovery into a site-defining centrepiece. Despite the challenge of finding new space without compromising the theatres (and avoiding the aforementioned piles) a design solution was devised which involved removing two piles and replacing them with a large transfer beam, digging down 8 metres into the ground, below the river level, and securing a basement space using self-compacting waterproof concrete. The ship will return, hopefully, to this spot just metres from where it had lain for 550 years.  When it does – conservation is time-consuming and ongoing – it should form a quite extraordinary attraction.

The brief required three performance spaces, which were to share front and back-of-house facilities. To make best use of the site, the three spaces are treated as independent entities. Their plan and three dimensional form and those of the ancillary and foyer spaces form a solid-void-solid rhythm which helps reduce the scale of the building, relates it to the neighbouring urban grain and makes it ‘legible’, creating three smaller, acoustically independent buildings within the one venue.

Linking the three forms together is a transparent, double height foyer which unifies the individual elements and provides a beacon to draw people in. The three main forms are clad in vitreous enamel steel, and lighting is placed around the building projecting, at night, ever-changing colour onto the elevations. The brickwork ancillary form wraps around its principal forms.

The foyer leads the user to explore the facilities, whilst still being aware of the cityscape. It is open, bright and fresh, containing artwork and a buzz of activity. Once inside the auditoria, the freshness of the foyer gives way to a warmth which indulges all the senses – the colour of aubergine, the sight of rich chocolate-coloured wood and the touch and smell of leather. Like the building’s exterior, the main auditorium is asymmetric. At 500 seats, it is intimate, and linking the stalls and upper tier on one side has added to the feeling of a united space.

With much attention given to its external (and internal) appearance, it is important not to overlook the technical merits of the performance spaces themselves, such as the acoustics, for these are of great importance to performers and artists when considering potential venues for tours. The return of companies and the attraction of renowned names augers well for audience figures and initiates a positive cycle – it’s pleasing to say that this has been the case with The Riverfront. Pianist John Lill OBE said that he “was greatly impressed by the acoustic and superb organisation throughout.  I give many concerts worldwide and most theatres do not achieve anywhere near these standards”.

The Riverfront has enjoyed remarkable success since opening, appearing in local and national media, including the book ‘Building Wales’ by Monica Cherry, the television programme Doctor Who (for its futuristic appearance), as well as appearances on both BBC Wales News and HTV Wales News. With regeneration now spreading along, across and back from the river, we believe we have achieved the objectives set down by the Council. Variously described as a ‘Bond villain’s lair’, ‘wonderful’, ‘spectacular’, ‘dynamic’, ‘enigmatic’ and ‘a joy to behold’, the Riverfront received the Best Building of the Year Award in 2005 from the Consortium of Local Authorities in Wales, and the Regional Built-in Quality Award for 2005, and was shortlisted for an RIBA Award for Architecture.