Grace Wardle Solano
Leisurely Place As a shopping centre, the Grafton Centre is increasingly weary. A third of its retail floorspace is vacant, and its owners are seeking (and struggling) to sell the site. But retail is not the Grafton’s only function. Its foodcourt, gym, and cinema remain well-liked and well-used destinations for Cambridge’s local population. Serviced by a 1100-space multi-storey car park, these facilities attract visitors from across the region. As the Grafton Centre looks towards a large-scale reinvention, it is my proposal that the site doubles-down on these leisure activities, using existing structures where possible, and opening new civic spaces by selectively demolishing the building’s monolithic form. The plan offers a new swimming pool, running track, football pitches, and tennis courts, all wrapped around a playscape for young children to teenagers. A close attention to landscaping materials, and international design precedents has directed the design, intended to be an exciting, joyful location in the city. Where Cambridge’s university members receive plentiful facilities for leisure and sport, its local communities are less well-served. This reinvention of the Grafton corrects that imbalance.
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