A seven-storey apartment block being built in Cardiff city centre has reached its highest point

The Cascade on City Road will have 48 affordable apartments for social rent and two commercial units when it’s complete in Summer 2025

It will be the tallest residential block in Wales that has used cross-laminated timber (CLT) for its frame and internal walls instead of traditional construction, timber frame, steel or concrete.

The construction industry’s traditional ‘topping-out’ ceremony was held on Thursday 14 November. Guests from registered social landlord Linc Cymru (Linc) who are behind the project, Langstone Construction Group, the main contractor, and Welsh Government toured the building and visited the roof.

Siân Diaz, development director at Linc, said: “Everyone at the event loved learning and seeing first-hand how CLT has been used. They heard about its strength, durability and low carbon benefits over traditional methods.

“This was done while we were walking up through the building and seeing our contractors working on the site.

“The most important part of the ‘topping out’ event was seeing how well progress is going and the occasion marked the completion of the structure of the building. We’re proud to be bringing affordable homes to the city centre and can’t wait to be able to hand the keys over to our new tenants next year.”

Neil Phillpott, director of Langstone Construction Group, said: “Delivery of the Cascade has only been made possible by the collaborative approach of everyone involved, including Linc Cymru, the design team & consultants, the Langstone team and our supply chain. The Cascade is a challenging project, with everyone determined to prove a success and hi-light the viability of CLT frame technology and contribute to the reduction of our carbon footprint.

The building is being built in partnership with Cardiff Council with funding support from the Welsh Government’s Innovative Housing Programme and Social Housing Grant Programme.