Call me picky but can we keep this to... Admiral HQ progress photos - many thanks!

Hi paul did you take that photo around 2pm yesterday? I took a photo 2 but it was only on my phone i was on top of SD2, i'm trying to work out where you took this photo from?

Hi Jefferson - I guess it was about that time and it was taken from the cardiffwalesmap 'loft cam'!! which is in grangetown. So when the Admiral building starts growing I can keep an eye on it from my bedroom!! (sad but true!) This was one of the many reasons that it p***** me off so much that the glass needle didn't come off, as that site is only about 1/4 mile away - still ever the optimist I live in hope of something a bit interesting going up on that site.... one day!!

Great photos guys, here's a photo of progress at ground level ...

Some vertical progress now on the Admiral site ...

It looks a bit like a carpark with no windows. But then again, perhaps the bit that I saw in the photo IS the company carpark.

Either way, progress is progress.

I'll make note to check on the building the next time I'm falling out of Club X at four in the morning.

That's the central core of lift shafts, stair cases etc so not surprised its so concretey!

I checked the planning application on this building today to remind myself of what we are getting.

While it's quite blocky, the top of the top floor hits 70m in height, so it will have a substantial impact on the skyline, being only 10m or so shy of capital tower.

Capital Tower has 25 floors at 80m, while Admiral has 11 floors at 70m, from what you say, big differences in floor size.

I know they have been seen already but on the Admiral website there a few images showing what the building will look like - from the castle keep and from near Capital Quarter. It looks fairly bulky.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but Capital Tower was sold in September http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=3135

Its 16 storeys, not 11.

Heres a link to the Admiral website -

http://www.admiralgroup.co.uk/media/pressreleases/2012/14_05_12.php

It definately says 11 storeys. I don't know if that means a ground floor and then 11 storeys or 11 storeys in total. If the latter then I can only see it being 40-45m high (barring any spire type thing being added). If it's the former then probably 50m plus given the ground floor appears to be quite high to incorporate the commercial premises.

Either way I don't see it being anywhere near 70m unless there has been a radical change in the design (which would be news to the Council, the DCfW and probably Admiral).

I echo the frustration others have felt about Admiral not being taller but ultimately it's cheaper to build wider but shorter and if this means that Admiral continue to grow and create jobs in south Wales so be it.

As for Capitol tower being sold this building strikes me as one of the few talls in the city that could be genuinely converted into high end apartments. Great views, ample underground car parking, the top floors are sufficiently far away from the bars and clubs in Greyfriars and the Friary to negate any potential noise nuisance etc.

Also when Admiral do move I wonder what will happen to Friary House? I think they (or Confused.com) are the only tenants at the moment. It's a brute of a building and the car park connected to it is equally disgusting. Does anyone ever park there btw? I'd like to see this building overhauled/demolished.

The northern side of Greyfriars won't win any architectural prizes but it does have presence. The southern side has a couple of nice buildings at the one end and is then mullered by the MSCP/Friary house combo before regaining its dignity with Capitol Tower (I know many don't like it but aside from the concrete the shape and height are very nice in my opinion) and the Hilton.

I like capital tower. it is very canary wharf-esque in proportion. being around 25 storeys high it is very tall, sleek and elegant. I think it is a sad indictment of Cardiff's actual ability to deliver that this tower is the highest in the city and is almost 50 years old. I digress.

I still can't find any images on that Admiral site. If anyone can help that would be much appreciate.

If you click this link on the Glenn Howells Architects website then you can see the 11 storeys and also the underground carpark ... http://www.glennhowells.co.uk/content/commercial/417/0/3

are they really the photos from the admiral site? I'll have to wait until I get home and put in my bionic eye

splendid!

ground floor plus 11 storeys - i make that 12 storeys in total

the ceiling height does look higher than normal

Based on the diagram on the Glenn Howells site if floor height is 3m I calculate the height will be around 46m in total (11 floors at 3m each plus double height ground floor and double height+ brize soleil type feature at the top to hide all the plant.

The facade facing Churchill Way looks (from the renders's on the Admiral site) a little grim but of course there will be a substantial 25 storey plus development shortly to commence on the Rapport site to hide it so I'm not unduly worried on that score....oh hang on.

I'm looking at it as I type. (Planning Application 11/00546)

Sorry I don't know how to post links to it, or to add an image.

The floors start on the ground floor, which is called 'Level 00'.

you then have Level OM, followed by Level O1 up to Level 012, which is a roof terrace. You then have two levels of 'illuminated plant screen' presumably the Admiral sign and other details, which takes it up to '70,350mm' or 70.35 metres.

I appreciate that the detail on the top two floors isn't office space, but equally it's not a spire. It's substantial, and effectively will make the building 10m taller than the office space section of it is.

Note, looking again, Level '00' on the ground floor, starts at 9m, so this obviously includes the ground floor parking.

So, I correct myself. The building is 70m including the underground parking, with 61m therefore rising from the ground.

So effectively we will be seeing a building 61m in height.

All the planning application documents are here ...

http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=_CARDIFF_DCAPR_95673

... just click "View document" next to the elevation/document you'd like to see.

From what i understand the minimum floor height in construction of high rise buildings is 10ft (3.048 meters) that 10ft is not just the room height it includes floor plate (structure). However there is many reasons to build taller floors. A buildings usage and it's depth ect. But at the end of the day i think it's all about having enough natural light. While 1960's high rise probably didn't target the amount of natural light the staff who spend 8 hours+ a day were exposed to. The improvements in our health may have partly caused this to change.
A healthy workforce makes a good workforce.

In terms of offices there will be partition flooring to hide cable's and possibly coolant, Air conditioning ect
So a 10 ft floor could be 2ft of concrete/rebar 1ft for partition floor and ceiling, leaving only 7ft living space

@James

and we wonder why we're called development geeks

@Jefferson

having worked in office buildings of FS I'd say the height is more like 10ft plus the space between floors - so 12ft (4m) per storey is probably more realistic.

Hopefully Admiral will show other companies that Cardiff is the type of place that they should be doing business in.

The building might look out of place next to the dinky little building that is across the street, and the Jobcentre Plus building. But that just sums up Cardiff, doesn't it?

A ramshackle city where towering buildings that still smell of fresh pain sit next to dingy, bland, ancient buildings that whiff of dog shit.

I kid of course, none of the buildings in Cardiff are tall enough to tower over anything other than the local news agents.

It's getting taller! Starts to look down on some of the buildings around it and coming round the corner for the hayes you already get a feel of something new and big in town.

I was walking past it yesterday. Every time I go there it gets just a little bit closer to completion, and it does feel like it'll be done in no time, even thogh it'll take a while.

There were also about fifty workers onsite, so that just proves that Admiral means business.

Here's a photo of the Admiral site this morning ...

Cheeya'z James

So what proportion of the final height do we think that image shows? About 30%?

Also worth noting in the background of the picture is the ongoing work on the build in Charles St.

Lordcrow ... it appears to be a residential development, there is some more info and photos here http://www.intentiumsl.co.uk/project/charles-street-cardiff/

Here's some more photos that I took last night ...

great stuff. it is already becoming a landmark on the skyline from some angles.

It's getting taller every day. Look at the comparison from last year and now.