The Old College, the home of Wales’ first university college, is being transformed into a major new centre for learning, heritage, culture and enterprise that will contribute over £14.5m to the local economy annually.

In a new monthly feature, we will be looking at the latest developments and sharing newly released images from behind the scenes on this ambitious project.

Recent weeks have seen major advances on the construction of the project’s centre piece, the new atrium.

Offering a contemporary interpretation of the Old College’s architectural heritage, it extends over seven floors and will provide easy access to all levels of the Grade 1 listed building for the first time.

The atrium’s concrete core also supports the steel frame of the new glass-fronted 200-seater function room with stunning views over Cardigan Bay.

Extending out over the Georgian Villas, it features 73 individual steel sections weighing a total of 115 tonnes and was assembled on site during the run up to Easter.

With the new concrete floor in place, it is now possible to stand and marvel at the view over the bay. A room with a view indeed.

The contrast between the large steel sections of the atrium and the painstaking renovation of the Old Hall, which also served as the University’s examinations hall for over a century, couldn’t be greater.

Layers of paint are being carefully removed to reveal the original stone and plaster work. The unfinished carvings on the arches reflect an earlier episode in the story of the Old College, when the stone masons were left unpaid by Thomas Savin, the developer of the Castle Hotel back in 1866.

In keeping with the building’s Grade 1 listed status, they will be preserved as they were.