'Theatr Gwynedd [NPRN 411060] was demolished in 2010 and replaced by Pontio in 2015, a building split into four interlinked structures. Pontio means "to bridge" in Welsh. The 10,600 square metre building over six levels was designed to physically bridge the steep slope between the University's upper campus and the science site running along Deiniol Road, retaining the views to the memorial arch at the bottom of the site. This is achieved by a long fully glazed internal street allowing views from the entrance lobby on Level 0 up through the building to the Grade I listed Main Arts Building at the top of the hill, which can be reached from Level 5. At the heart of the building, the street opens to a dramatic triple height atrium space designed also for aerial performance and which is fringed by public balconies, bars, cafes and foyer spaces. The external cladding of the new building is ashlar limestone, sections of which have textural striations emphasising the building's massing. Vertical louvered cladding runs parallel to the internal street and forms a backdrop to the new external amphitheatre style external performance space. Externally the new landscaping creates a series of linked public spaces, which interconnect with cascading roof terraces. The main theatre, Theatr Bryn Terfel, has a flexible auditorium which can transform from a 450-seat conventional end stage format to theatre-in-the-round or standing only gigs for 600+. Flexibility is achieved via a series of floor elevators which allow quick and easy adaption between the different modes of performance. The stage can also be tilted and the front part lowered to create an orchestra pit. The auditorium is rectangular with seating on stalls, and 2 balcony levels, the balconies extending around three sides of the auditorium. Auditorium walls are clad with irregularly spaced vertical timbers which also form the acoustic panelling. Pontio also houses a fully digital 200-seat cinema, 120-seat studio theatre with full theatrical facilities, ?white box? exhibition space, restaurants, lecture hall, teaching and learning facilities as well as outdoor performance spaces and Bangor University's student union and radio station. Hwb is in the innovation floor on Level 3 equipped with cutting-edge technologies to boost the University's cross-disciplinary teaching programmes and encourage collaborative work between students, staff and local businesses as Pontio is also intended to be a bridge between the University, commerce and the wider community.'
Source: thetheatrestrust.org