Re-establishing Castlegate Through Layers and Platforms James Richards
Concept. • Pedestrian and cycle focussed paths
Castlegate has historically been the main civic centre for Sheffield while it continues to provide inhabitants and visitors with important connections through to work and home. ‘Layers and platforms’ aims to re-establish the Castlegate site and enrich the experience of future users.
• Bringing the historic elements to life
• Creating a series of spaces at varying scales that provide both short term and long term opportunities for the local community. This can be achieved by using vegetation, events, temporary and long term uses
• Provision of high quality open space
• Provide vital links through the site and creating opportunities for the public to use the site with functionality
Interventions at different time scales 0-5 years: adaptations to the River Don’s edge (traffic route changed) and vegetation will be planted. Temporary spaces can hold events while the site establishes itself to accommodate and attract other uses. Works on improving circulation patterns within the site and its context will begin such as the creation of improved cycle paths within the site and its links to the city centre-Quays and Kelham Island to city centre/quays.
• Reuse of Castle Market in both hardscape detailing and crushed materials in planting scheme
• Using sustainable methods of reclaiming materials from Castle Market, enhancing biodiversity through a range of low maintanance planting scheme and personalisation of space
Layers and Platforms • Varying scales of space created through both landform and vegetation types
• Allowing the Rivers edge (Sheaf and Don) running through the site to thrive and provide important connectivity for residents and visitors to access and use the site. Good transport links from Kelham Island (North-West), Train station (South East) and the quays (East), including cycle paths. Offer open views throughout the riverside and the site at important vistas
Layers and Platforms through Vegetation. 1 This space provides a more engaging and wilder setting away from the surrounding roads with scents and structural climber planting to engage the user. Using recycled brick providing meadow planting. 2 Vegetation framing historic remains, enhancing the sites character 3 Grid form tree planting creates a canopy and allows from varying levels of views on the journey through the dense canopy onto amenity space and the riverside
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5-10 years: maturing vegetation and improvements made to the edge of the River Don and exposing Sheaf will benefit users on the site and attract more functions such as a cafe and allow more communities to be attracted to the site.
4 Planting considering the changing views along the rivers edge 5 Fruit planting in full sun areas and possibilities for the growth of food 6 Swales contain run off water from the more hard surface entrance (west) of the site. 7 large open amenity space accommodating larger temporary events while also containing meadow planting in parts 8 Waters edge ecotone planting with spurred edges on robust materials 10-15 years: Any temporary spaces will be replaced by built form and provide Castle Market site with a wide range of uses while retaining its vigour through robust materials and relatively low maintenance planting scheme.
Key: Existing Building
Steel lineal forms with climbing vegetation
Cobbled Brick
S.U.D planting with Betula nigra
Recycled brick reused in structures for meadow planting
gravel bound aggregate
yorkstone Weir with lighting along the waters edge