Y Coleg Merthyr Tudful | The College Merthyr Tydfil

The College Merthyr Tydfil has enhanced its student experience with a revitalised interior environment designed to support modern learning, collaboration, and wellbeing.

Our interior design team has transformed the heart of the campus from a predominantly institutional setting, which has served the college well since its opening, into a vibrant, student-centred environment that responds to changing expectations around wellbeing, identity, and collaborative learning, creating a space that better supports students and staff.

Working closely with staff and students to understand their aspirations for the space, we developed a design solution that connects a number of previously separate areas into a cohesive destination at the heart of the campus.

A key focus of our interior design strategy was to create a warm, welcoming environment. Biophilic design principles informed the use of natural materials, colours, textures and planting, creating stronger connections between the entrance, café, Hellerup and learning spaces, making them feel calmer, more welcoming and integrated.

Previously experienced as separate destinations, these areas have been brought together to encourage collaboration, social interaction, and informal study. It has also created a clear and inviting arrival experience, providing students, staff and visitors with an accessible and intuitive journey through the main campus.

Sustainability and wellbeing were central to the material and finish selections throughout the project.

We selected durable, responsibly sourced materials for long-term performance while supporting the college’s environmental ambitions and the project’s biophilic design goals.

Throughout the campus, natural elements including preserved moss walls, feature planting and trees create a strong connection to nature, introducing texture, colour and a sense of calm to key spaces. The preserved foliage used across the scheme is hand-crafted, requires no watering or ongoing maintenance, and can be composted at the end of its life, reducing operational demands while supporting sustainable design principles.

The generous atrium space also presented acoustic challenges, which we addressed through introducing bespoke joinery features and specific material finishes that soften the environment and enhance comfort and usability.

The colour palette combines soft greens, warm timber tones and neutral finishes, working in harmony with the planting, natural materials and carefully placed accents of terracotta and red (a nod to the college’s visual identity).

Feature furniture, bespoke joinery and graphical wayfinding complete the interior to create the college’s new cohesive identity.

The result is a Learning Quarter that reflects the college’s ambition for a sustainable, student-focused experience and establishes the space as a destination for learning, collaboration, and social interaction.