EXCHANGE SQUARE PARK

Text description provided by the architects.

The creation of Exchange Square marks a significant milestone in a seven-year collaboration between DSDHA and their client to successfully transform the public spaces surrounding one of the UK’s busiest stations.

Reimagined as a bucolic landscape and generously planted green space and designed with inclusivity and accessibility at its heart, Exchange Square establishes a new mixed-use amenity for the City. Blending recreational areas with informal, open-air working facilities and retail units, the square encourages a variety of potential uses and activities at different times of day, extending the dwelling time beyond working hours and helping Broadgate become more receptive to the needs of a wider variety of people, from its local offices and shop workers to the residents of neighboring boroughs.

The site prior to our intervention had been developed in the 1990s and comprised a central lawn area that was popular with people who used the space, but the large, curved feature wall on the western boundary to the lawn created a significant barrier within the square, as well as restricting visual permeability. On the northern edge, steps led up to the Exchange House and provided generous seating, but the extensive use of pink granite appeared monotonous. Alongside these material challenges, level changes across the square were addressed through various ramps and other stairs, creating barriers to access. Signage was poor throughout the space and entrances to the square lacked legibility.

Well-being, inclusivity and permeability were vital considerations throughout the design process, driven by the ambition to create a vibrant space that encouraged engagement and interactivity and offered respite from the onslaught of commuters and the noise of Bishopsgate. The 1.5-acre park provides a four-fold increase in planting from its previous state - 14,000 plants and over 140 different species - a 600 percent increase in biodiversity, and 25 percent of the area features accessible green space. An onsite gardener encourages continual learning – offering opportunities for inquiries and involvement from the wider public, whilst maintaining the square. Engagement with tenants revealed the desire for a less corporate environment with more flexibility for temporary uses, resulting in a more diverse group of people being encouraged to use the space, such as for a community Open Iftar celebrating Ramadan.

We sought to address issues of accessibility and permeability by celebrating the various gateways into the park. A comprehensive analysis of pedestrian movement helped to identify barriers to access – steps, changes in level, lack of visual contrast and changes in tactility and poor signage – informing our response of unfolding the space across several levels to create a more naturalistic permeable topography, with gently sloping routes that allow wheelchair and pushchair access across and through the whole site. Legible material differences at changes in level support neurodiverse users, and clear sightlines across the park from all borders allow users to feel safer when crossing alone or at night.

Architect DSDHA
Location London, UK
Contractor Maylim
Photography Daniel Fisher, Jim Stephenson