Cardiff University Students Visit Fairwater Community Campus

On 20th October, we were pleased to welcome 120 students from Cardiff University to our Fairwater Community Campus site as part of their third-year studies in Sustainable Structural Design and Construction.

The visit formed a key part of the students’ core module, which focuses on applying sustainable design and construction principles to real-world, multi-storey building projects. By visiting an active site, students were able to gain first-hand insight into the practical realities that shape how buildings are delivered — beyond what can be learned in the classroom alone.

The primary aim of the visit was to help students develop a direct appreciation of site logistics, constraints, and buildability, encouraging them to think critically about how design decisions translate into construction practice.

Reflecting on the value of the visit to Fairwater, Dr Richard Sandford, Lecturer in Civil Engineering at Cardiff University, said:

“The visit also provided valuable exposure to the role of a construction/project manager, which our students will not have encountered in depth before this module.”

With sustainability at the heart of their studies, the students also benefited from seeing how sustainability principles and net-zero ambitions are implemented on site in practice, providing valuable context for the designs they will go on to develop as part of the module.

Overall, the visit provided a valuable learning experience, bridging the gap between academic study and real-world construction, and supporting the students’ development as future professionals in the built environment.