Mixed Woodland - Betula ermanii
Victoria Station HS2 Mixed Woodland -Quercus rubra
V3 C3 Street Trees - Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’
City Edge Trees - Liquidambar styraciflua C1 V2 River Bed Cut V1 Bus and Taxi Stops
C2
Proposed Bus Routes
City Centre
Castlegate Park Masterplan
Park Hill
Vegetation
Circulation
Future Development
At a city scale, a mixed riparian woodland bisects the park beginning a connection between the wider river and Park Hill while incorporating both deciduous varieties with seasonal variety and evergreen species with a greater consistency.
Vehicular transport routes have been altered to create a park that is pedestrianised.
Previous industrial forms set a precedence for future built development.
An alternate bus route along the reopened exchange street provides a drop of to the south of the site.
Large areas of turf can potentially be sacrificed should economic developments require new commercial functions in the area.
The block arrangement of space based on the previous industrial forms creates a pedestrian matrix with no direct axis across. This gives users a variety of options depending on desired journeys and journey times and encourages an overall slowing down of pedestrian movement to encourage appreciation of the park itself.
Supporting the woodland is a wetland corridor that includes swale planting that both reflects the previous castle moat and utilises site topography to manage rainwater run off. Supporting areas of mown grass provide an alternate gather space as well as the additional open space for seasonal events such as markets.
These new buildings will then be incorporated into the established river park maintaining public access to the park and river as well as the creation of a new pedestrianised street with shared surface vehicle access. This maintains room for the river and supporting ecology to flourish.
Design Strategies
The woodland corridor acts as a gateway between the wet river corridor and both the industrial and medieval character areas.
Large open spaces close to the city centre offer space for seasonal events (Christmas market, fares etc) as well as the potential for movable furniture.
V1
These spaces, enclosed by the woodland corridor are formal in character with street trees defining the main routes from pausing enclaves and guiding views towards surround landmarks. These will be the foundation for the pedestrianised street in the event that future development occurs on the park edge.
Perspective Visualisations
V2
Dense planting begins to open up to reveal other character features such as the castle remains or the wider city. Existing on site materials such as rubble are incorporated into the design with seating features and retaining walls created from gabions containing site material or rubble can be crushed and used as the base soil for the wet swales.
The Castlegate Footprints Alexander Saunders 110175603
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Recycled Structures
Steel
Climbing
Brushed Concrete Path V3
Exposed Aggregate Path Aggregate recycled from building rubble Creosote Decking
Treated
Timber
Reinforced Concrete Blocks & Stairs - Aggregate recycled from building rubble
Lamp The confluence platform offers multiple experiences with intimate seating enclaves that offer the chance to reflect back along the rivers or back into the park, and stepped blocks with greater access to the rivers themselves. Supporting wetlands allow the opportunity to manage rainwater before it reaches the river as well as acting as a flood management system. Floating gardens look to add more ecological and visual value to the river experience while deeper cuts in the river bed and have the water’s journey.
Detailed Area Masterplan
Brushed Concrete Path
Swale
Sectional Axo
Mown Lawn Exposed Aggregate Path
Deep Wetland Swale
Raised Platform Overlooking The Park And River
Stepped Access To River V3
Riverside Perspective Visualisation
The Castlegate Footprints
Alexander Saunders 110175603
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Vision
The Sheffield Footprints is the utilisation and manipulation of previous footprints, forms, scales, and textures in order to subtly celebrate the heritage of Castlegate’s previous communities, cultures and characters, while providing a green gateway to the city centre.
An appreciation of long open views and vistas between the park’s surroundings.
Planted forms from flat to blocks to a naturalistic aesthetic reflect the 3 character areas.
The park will be a hub for Sheffield’s future green infrastructure, founded at the confluence of the River Don and River Sheaf. It will explore and incorporate green technologies such as infiltration swales and floating gardens, as well as riparian woodland, to create a highly biodiverse river park, while the outer reaches are potentially sacrificial and adaptable to the ever changing city centre. The Castlegate Park is split into three core character areas reflecting upon key historical eras of the local surroundings, the industrial revolution, the medieval castle and the natural river with the latter partially enclosed in a woodland corridor. C1 The Industrial Revolution Emphasis on large ‘mass produced’ entities, playing on the notion of metal pressing, large industrial warehouses and the gateway to the modern city.
Gateway to various city sectors
Riparian Woodland Divide Encourage future links to HS2 Victoria Station
Flexible space for seasonal activities
C2 The Medieval Castle - A more intimate hand crafted feel. Still formal but starting to lose its precision. Reflecting on the castle and supporting moat.
Spatial arrangement is dictated by selectively converting 1800’s industrial building footprints outlines into green space.
Provision of a variety of places to pause and reflect as well as a variety of journeys through and around the park.
Wet swales and rain gardens planted into crushed brick substrate - Coventry
C3 The variety of existing finishes on site are used to reflect different character areas.
Lightweight steel structures accommodate Clematis climbers - Wisley
The Natural River - A wilder area with more random intervention and wilder textures. Both large and small scale, formal and informal features promoting access to the water.
The Castlegate Footprints
Alexander Saunders 110175603
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