6 minute read
Three Waves –the new landscape of Dover Esplanade
Dover Esplanade. © Robbie Polley
In 2009 Tonkin Liu won a Landscape Institute –CABE Space competition for a new landscape in Dover. One of the architects reflects on her recent visit.
It is always a bit unnerving to revisit a project one has designed and delivered some time ago. Has it weathered well? Has it been cared for and loved? Is it living up to its utmost potential? Our trepidation before visiting Dover Esplanade was allayed on arrival.
The undulating textured precast concrete walls have endured and endeared, still white but worn soft by the sea air’s sculpting. The different social groups perching within the bays and the planting in the shingle all felt bedded-in.
Three Waves, our proposal for Dover Esplanade, was conceived as three artworks – Lifting Wave, Resting Wave, and Lighting Wave – that have grown out of their social and environmental context and the way they are constructed. The design harnesses the architectural language of Dover’s identity: the gentle nature of waves on the sheltered beach, the rhythmical sweep of the Georgian seafront terrace and the undulating topography of the White Cliffs of Dover.
The Lifting Wave is a repeated formation of sculptural ramps and staircases made of pre cast white concrete that rise and fall to connect the Esplanade to the lower shingle beach. The Lifting Wave combines ramps formed of miniature steps that create a light-catching textured surface, with layered steps. The gentle ramps’ sinuous lines allow access for all and bring dynamic form to the beach. The experience of going to and from the sea is enriched by shingle gardens of local plant species between the undulating ramp and the new seawall coping. Rainwater is directed along the slatted surface into a channel at the side of the ramp.
The gentle ramps’ sinuous lines allow access for all and bring dynamic form to the beach.
The Resting Wave is a sculptural retaining wall that runs the length of the Esplanade, providing seating spaces sheltered from the south-westerly wind and orientated towards the sun. The wall is constructed with a shifting geometry of pre cast white concrete blocks cast in stacked timber moulds, which result in a textured surface evocative of the sedimentary strata layers of Dover’s White Cliffs. The surface creates shadows, minimising glare and discouraging fly-posting and tagging. Within the wall’s recessed bays are benches made of weathered oak, shot-blasted and bleached to the texture of ocean driftwood, with war memorial plaques set into the oak. The Resting Wave’s form tilts back and forth in a system of convex and concave forms, creating a rippled surface that catches the light. Undulating raised lawns follow the curving line of the wall providing a setting for picnics, with trees bringing seasonal colour and shelter from the sun.
The Lighting Wave is a sculptural line of white columns with artwork that captures the light, bringing improved amenity lighting and programmed lighting sequences to the Esplanade. Along the length of the Esplanade, the columns rise and fall, catching the light of the day as well as creating a lighting feature at night. The Lighting Wave combines large floodlights to illuminate the Lifting Wave, medium spotlights to accentuate the undulating Resting Wave, and mini spotlights to be reflected by the artwork at its top. The interactive low-energy LED lights were programmed to an intelligent lighting system that marks the passing of time with an energetic lighting sequence on the hour and a slower one on the quarter hour.
By looking for inspiration in the context of Dover as well as the broader context of the sea, and by asking people and the place ‘what it wanted to be’, the three waves have responded to the environmental conditions of the seafront location. Each explored themes at the scale of the city and at the fine scale of construction detail. Each fulfilled social tasks in the form of physical provision and through psychological association.
The project has increased access, safety, and usable spaces along the seafront.
The creation of the three new waves brings a new interactive dynamism to the Esplanade. At its grand scale, it is visible from Dover Castle, and at the human scale, engaging residents to walk, sit, and gather on the seafront.
The project has increased access, safety, and usable spaces along the seafront. To the west of the Esplanade is a new Sea Sports Centre, to the east is a crossing linked to a tunnel that connects the seafront to the central town square. The Esplanade is backed by Waterloo Mansions, a listed five-storey Regency terrace dating from 1834, and between the mega scales of the Eastern and Western docks. Being the first encounter with the town for many ferry and cruise passengers, the existing Esplanade was recognised as an important amenity for Dover residents but was difficult to access, lacked a sense of place and failed to make an attraction of the seafront. By making the Esplanade into an attraction in its own right, more pedestrian connectivity is now required, and more commercial amenities are needed. The project has regenerated the vacant ground floor spaces along the Esplanade. Future plans for a cable car connection to Dover Castle, as well as the land bridge connection to Dover town centre, will be pivotal in making pedestrian connections for tourists and local residents.
From appointment to completion the project took less than a year. This was only possible with a committed client, design, and delivery team. During its inception, the stakeholders included planners, district surveyors, members of Dover Town Council, Dover District Council and Kent County Council, working closely with Dover Harbour Board, CABE, SEEDA, and English Heritage. This meant that the project was continually supported by an informed group of stakeholders at key stages of approval. The construction was fast-tracked by having the underground structure, services, and paving surfaces delivered by the dedicated Kent County Council term contractor, Ringways. In parallel, the three pieces of artwork, Lifting Wave, Resting Wave, and Lighting Wave, were fabricated by specialist artisan subcontractors.
Anna Liu and Mike Tonkin are qualified architects. Mike is also a qualified landscape architect. Together they have delivered buildings, landscape, and sculptures for more than 20 years.
