New planning application gone in for the ATRIUM 2 extension which will add 2 wings to the currnet building. A small one where they are currently demolishing the garage will be basically a students union / resource centre.. and in the medium term (they mention 3 - 4 years), a larger extension on the Eastern side to have more teaching space, which will allow for the expansion of media/arts provision and introduce some business studies provision (I guess business related to the media/arts?).

A design and access statement here shows a fair bit:
http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/files/0EA7BB5811A2C3E8652DD637A453527B/pdf/13_00641_DCI--1078293.pdf

And a full list of stuff is here:
http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=_CARDIFF_DCAPR_103776

I quite like the design.

Thank you for pointing it out!

I can't find the renders, but some of the blueprints that I saw actually look quite promising. Hopefully, it will blend in to the surroundings nicely.

Thinking about students unions, I wonder if Cardiff would ever consider building new one. The current one is serviceable but I'm not sure how it compares to other ones in the UK.

It is nearly fifty, according to Wikipedia, and I think that it is starting to show its age. You are right that it's fine in terms of services, but I think that it really has aged badly, and a new one would be preferable.

I dont think they would build a new one. A few years back there were big plans to develop the existing building with some quite significant changes. Money issues slowed it down. I suspect that is still the plan, but put back.

It would be nice to get easier access to the Sherman from Park Place.

A bit more here

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/university-submits-plans-major-expansion-3157492

I don't want to sound like a whiner, but does anyone else feel the University of South Wales is a less good name than the University of Glamorgan? Does this new Uni include Newport, or is it just a re-naming?

Fairly sure it was a merger of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport.

It's bound to become USW fairly quickly, or "Ooooo-Soooou"!

As a University of Glamorgan graduate I really don't like the new name post-merger.

OT Is there any chance that Cardiff Met will get involved with the USW further down the line? I do like the idea of having just 2 Uni's for South East Wales

USW say the door remains open if Cardiff Met want to get involved further down the line - Cardiff Met don't currently seem interested in joining (I suspect their tact may change as USW's stature begins to grow!)

I'm a current student at USW/Glam and to say the place has a little bit of an identity crisis would be an understatement! We have a variety of websites, formal letters, e-mails coming partially from USW and partially from UoG. Around campus some of the logos and noticeboards have changed, but the vast majority remain UoG branded - there is one board advertising forthcoming events at the union with brand new posters using the Glam name alongside slightly older ones (a couple of weeks old) using USW's name and logos!

I suspect it will take time to completely change all websites and rebrand the campus, I just question why did they not wait til the end of the year to do it? Why change name mid-term?

University of Glamorgan? That would be the South Wales School of Mines... Glamorgan Polytechnic... Polytechnic of Wales...

The name has changed many times before. South Wales University is pretty close to the original name. "University of Glamorgan" was one of the shorter lasting ones.

I don't mind the new name. It had to change as it was merging with an institution outside of Glamorganshire anyway.