Designed by Architype, the £6m Cwm Ifor Primary School is a transformation of an old school building.

The original building was designed as a hospital with long corridors, which separated the classes and hampered interaction. The new design paid special attention on increasing interaction between classrooms.

The new single form entry school accommodates 120 pupils, and is designed without traditional corridor spaces.

The school embraces a ‘learner-led’ rather than a ‘teacher directed’ learning environment and focuses more on informal learning, which played a big role in the layout and design of classrooms.

The importance of healthy eating and celebrating communal dining was identified as a core priority and led to the creation of a café style dining area at the ‘heart’ of the school.

The building was part-funded by a £4m Welsh Government grant.

The National Eisteddfod of Wales’ Gold Medal award draws focus on the importance of architecture in the country’s culture and to honour architects achieving the highest design standards.

Supported by the Design Commission for Wales, and awarded in association with the Royal Society of Architects in Wales, the Medal is given to architects responsible for buildings completed between January 2010 and March 2013 and recommended to the Eisteddfod as being of greatest merit.

A total of 10 building projects, located throughout Wales, were shortlisted at a reception hosted by the Design Commission for Wales at Ruthin Craft Centre on 4 July.

The shortlist was drawn up by selectors Rhian Evans of RE:AP, Conwy and Andrew Taylor of Patel Taylor, London.

The winner for the Gold Medal for Architecture will be announced at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, held at Denbigh, on 3 August 2013.

All ten shortlisted projects for the Gold Medal will be included in the Architecture in Wales exhibition at the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 3–10 August.

The National Eisteddfod of Wales’ Gold Medal for Architecture was first established by the architect and town planner, Thomas Alwyn Lloyd (1881 – 1960). The first accolade was awarded in 1960 to Grenfell Baines & Hargreaves of Preston for the Warehouse and Offices of H J Heinz Ltd, Western Avenue, Cardiff.