Urban Design Project

Concept photo montages

The initial group project aimed to build on the creative history of the district. In place of the unkempt warehouse buildings and ground level parking between Constance Street and Bayhorse Lane, we proposed a market place, and designated graffiti exhibition, as well as a much needed green space of grass and trees.

I decided to focus my individual design on the arts aspect of this original project. The grassy rooftop gardens become sculptural forms, which juxtapose the run down, industrial feel of the district. These rooftop sculpture gardens are the centre of an enlarged version of the maze from our original project, with some neglected facades and paving on surrounding streets being designated to murals of street art and mosaics.

Along the North edge of Kempston Street is a line of disused shop facades, which are to be transformed simply with bright unique murals, and become small cafes with mostly outside seating, and independent stores. These smaller scale interventions, which are to be community lead projects will link Arts Park into its context, whilst encouraging people to explore the district, and stay a while.

The multilevel rooftops themselves utilise bricks reclaimed from the demolished central warehouse buildings, along with steel and concrete, mosaicked to create organic curving forms to sit with friends, and the picnics brought from the market place below, showcase art, look at, and move through. Steel and stained glass bridges connect the two rooftops, and external stair and lift access is found at ground level.