Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek was a defi ning project
Local authorities and private developer s see the value that a well- designed public realm can add to a building projec t
moving into a building and we are able to take on quite
In terms of the courtyard, the aim was to open up a site that’s
complex projects given our combined skills.
been closed off to the public for years. The route between
Hong Kong is quite a frenetic place. Will these new public spaces offer an antidote to that?
Rathbone Place and Newman Street has been reconnected for the first time since the Royal Mail site was there. We worked very closely with Make Architects, and also with
Very much so. The gardens have a series of water features
Publica who did a public realm strategy for the wider area. The
that draw on our experience with the Diana, Princess of
challenge for a relatively small courtyard garden like that in
Wales Memorial Fountain. We think that these will create a
Central London is how can you hold people, and at the same
destination that’s a calm and environmentally comfortable
time allow it to be a great movement space.
place to be. We’ve used highly textured granite stone to
We work all over the world but it’s really nice to be able
create a series of different water effects. It will be a quiet,
to work in one’s hometown. I studied at the Architectural
contemplative space for people to spend time in.
Association and lived on Charlotte Street, so I’ve known that
The first phase of the landscape should complete later
area for a long time! It’s great to see it transform.
this year or at the beginning of 2019, with the full garden completed in the final phase by 2020.
Tell us about the recently opened Rathbone Square project in London
Are you seeing more integration between architects and landscape designers? There’s more of a demand for landscape architecture services now, not just from local authorities, but also from private
The aim was to redevelop the former Royal Mail site off Oxford
developers. They see the value that a well-designed public
Street into a commercial and residential development with a
realm can add to a building project. There’s a greater value put
new publicly-accessible garden square at its heart.
on landscape than there was 10-20 years ago.
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