Accedi
Utenti registrati
Bishops Square Retail by Foster + Partners is a combination retail and open space development in London, UK. The development is a multi-faceted project that revitalizes Lamb Street, Market Street, and Bishops Square Gardens. The development includes a mix of retail and food kiosks with built-in kitchens, a reimagined shopping street, and three landscaped areas with bespoke street furniture. These landscaped areas – the Adaptive Plaza, the Urban Living Room, and the Lawns – provide a tranquil urban oasis in the heart of Bishops Square. The project increases the amount of green space in the area and creates a more vibrant public space for gatherings and community events.
The Bishops Square development showcases innovation in its multifaceted approach to revitalizing public spaces. The project addresses the challenge of creating vibrant, user-friendly, and sustainable urban spaces in a dense city environment. The design employs original thinking by transforming existing infrastructure into a mixed-use space that fosters community engagement and enhances local biodiversity. The incorporation of landscaped areas with bespoke street furniture, all contribute to a vibrant, inclusive, public space that encourages social interaction and community events. The project is remarkable in its focus on social sustainability, with design elements that not only provide aesthetic value but also encourage more people to dwell in the area, enhancing the sense of community.
The Bishops Square development increases the amount of green space available, providing tranquil areas for locals, office workers, and visitors alike. This approach to urban development is considerate to both people and the planet, as it encourages community interaction and reduces the heat island effect. Environmentally, the design follows the mayor’s energy hierarchy principles and uses air source heat pumps, reducing energy demand and CO2 emissions. The project also contributes to carbon offsetting and has achieved a BREEAM rating of "Very Good." The project's commitment to re-use and waste minimization is evident in the flexible design of the kiosks, which can adapt to the changing needs of the community, and in the reimagining of existing spaces.
Lamb Street - Inspired by the East End’s historic industrial warehouses, the new oxide red steel structure on Lamb Street acts as a marker for the latest phase of the development and activates the north side of the site. The two-storey building complements the mix of independent retailers and market traders operating in Bishops Square and the wider area. A larger unit, on the level above, can be accessed via a double-height entrance space at one end of the building. The structure responds to its immediate surroundings, with warmer natural materials cladding the northern façade that faces Elder Gardens.
Market Street - Market Street is reimagined as a vibrant new shopping street that is open to the elements. Shop frontages have been extended outwards, beyond the existing colonnade, narrowing the street and creating a more intimate shopping experience.
Bishops Square Gardens - The project creates three distinctive landscaped areas, with bespoke street furniture designed by Foster + Partners’ industrial design team. The Adaptive Plaza is a flexible outdoor space that incorporates tiered pyramid seating for informal gatherings or community events. The Urban Living Room is a naturally shaded space for outdoor meetings and social gatherings. The Lawns significantly increase the amount of green space for local people, office workers and visitors. The existing water feature, Charnel House and several mature trees have been retained and fused into the new landscape.
“We are thrilled to finally be able to reveal the development projects we have been working on for Spitalfields with Foster + Partners. Spitalfields has always proudly supported London’s independent retailers and restaurateurs, offering unique, high-quality products and services to Londoners, commuters, and explorers alike. We look forward to welcoming our community back to celebrate Spitalfields’ new era with us.” - Jason Dervin, Spitalfields Estate Director
Foster + Partners is a global studio for architecture, urbanism and design, rooted in sustainability, which was founded over fifty years ago in 1967 by Lord Foster. Since then, the practice has established an international reputation for thoughtful and pioneering design, working as a single studio that is both ethnically and culturally diverse. The studio integrates the skills of architecture with engineering, both structural and environmental, urbanism, interior and industrial design, model and film making and many more – the collegiate working environment is similar to a compact university. These diverse skills make Foster + Partners capable of tackling a wide range of projects, particularly those of considerable complexity and scale. Design is at the core of everything the practice does, from products and buildings to cities, always maintaining a commitment to listening, questioning, and innovation.
