From the It’s Your Swansea 2026 Stage: A Presentation on the 'Biome': A Pioneering Vision for Urban Regeneration

In a visionary presentation at the 'It’s Your Swansea 2026' event, Luci Attala, Deputy Executive Director of BRIDGES and Director of the UK Hub at UWTSD, introduces the 'Biome' and the work of Project REPAIR, which is transforming the former Woolworths building - more recently known as the old Poundland site - on Oxford Street. This initiative aims to establish the UK’s first deep biophilic retrofit, turning a central urban space into a hub for sustainable living.

A Multi-Purpose Space for the Future

In the presentation Luci explains how the Biome is designed to be more than just housing; it is a multi-purpose, regenerative space that integrates social housing, offices, retail, and vertical farming. By utilising green technology, the project has already saved 3,000 tons of carbon during its retrofit process, reducing reliance on external energy sources. The site also serves as a climate adaptation hub, acting as a living laboratory to test strategies for addressing urban flooding, biodiversity loss, and urban heating.

The REPAIR Methodology

At the core of this initiative is the REPAIR project, a major collaboration between Swansea University, UWTSD - BRIDGES, UCL, and a diverse group of societal partners, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The research uses a unique "braiding" framework - represented by the acronym REPAIR (Restoration, Experience, Performance, Adaptation, Integration, and Reflection) - to weave together the "hard facts" of science and technology with the "deep wisdom" of the arts, humanities, and indigenous knowledge systems. Weaving these threads together helps create a comprehensive understanding of environmental challenges, such as climate change, flooding, and biodiversity loss. The project seeks to understand how to repair the relationships between people, places, and nature.

Community-Led Change

Luci emphasises that Project REPAIR is about co-creating a vision for the city's future with those who live there. Rather than traditional "top-down" research, the team is prioritising co-creation with local residents. The project aims to collect community insights to develop a replicable toolkit that could help cities worldwide tackle urgent issues like biodiversity loss and urban heating, acting as a model for community-led climate resilience.

Luci concludes by inviting local residents to share their perspectives on biophilic living in the city centre, highlighting how this initiative is a pioneering step for Swansea.

Watch the full presentation to discover how Swansea is setting a new global standard for sustainable urban living.

The 'It's Your Swansea' event was organised by 4theRegion  - an independent network for South West Wales, uniting residents, businesses, and community groups, linking on-the-ground action with strategic planning.

Discover more about Project REPAIR.