Located right beside Bath train station, SouthGate forms the southern gateway to the City and with an annual footfall of 24 million people, the project has been a real catalyst for the improvement of public realm further along this busy route into the centre of Bath.
Formerly a hard paved space used more as a thoroughfare, the main square at SouthGate now buzzes with shoppers, students, families and children, mingling and playing amongst the lawn ‘combes’ and relaxing amongst the planting.
British Land
The proposals focused on a transformation of SouthGate and Brunel Square to create meaningful, engaging areas of public realm which encourage people to dwell in a new series of green, vibrant external spaces. The new designs not only provide a canvas for the city’s daily civic life but have in-built flexibility to be able to play host to Bath’s busy events calendar.
The design forms of elements like the planters, seating and playful mounded landforms take their cues from cultural associations with Bath and the West Country – circular forms of the architecture, high quality handmade bronze work, a celebration of the written word and playful references to the local landscape character of hollows, combes, apple orchards and the legend of the Seven Hills of Bath.
It was clear from the start this was a special project for Gemma and her team and that desire and determination to honour the concept as truthfully as possible fed through to everyone lucky enough to be involved.
Simon Hebditch, Inspired Metals
Working alongside the Holburne Museum and a number of local primary schools, Macgregor Smith developed the theme of ‘an A-Z of what Bath means to me’ which culminated in the handcrafted bronze script incorporated into the feature lantern at the heart of the space. In the evening this lantern lights up to illuminate the square and projects the lettering onto the surrounding surfaces.
If you are asked to use your best techniques and the best materials to achieve a great design then the results are always going to be stunning.
Simon Hebditch, Inspired Metals
A seasonal planting palette has been utilised to maximise biodiversity opportunities and interest throughout the year. The summer scheme echos themes of an ‘English Country Garden’, with an eclectic mix of perennials and edibles celebrating the vibrant festival scene of Bath. Vivid colours and forms make for an eye-catching display and plant species are tailored throughout the year to ensure that pollinator plants are present over an extended season for bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects.
The urban greening throughout the scheme introduces colourful flowers, and luscious green areas attracting pollinators – linking to the Council’s ‘Get Bath Buzzing’ pollinator campaign.
Cleo Newcombe-Jones, High Street Renewal Lead, B&NES Council
Espalier apple trees are trained around a handmade bronze framework to create a ‘circle’ of apples, representing the archetypal ‘Circus’ and Crescent’ architecture of Bath and referencing the traditional apple orchards of Somerset and the cultural heritage of wassailing.
The scheme champions urban greening and promotes edibles and wildlife habitat within the public realm, all helping to make our cities happier and healthier places in which to live and work.
British Land
SouthGate hosts a series of successful events throughout the year, connecting in with the City’s busy festival programme. The new placemaking designs continue to foster these events by being flexible enough to be moved around during ‘event’ mode whilst also enhancing the space during ‘every day’ mode when there are no events on. The modular, movable design of the bespoke bronze planters allows the space to rapidly transform to host large crowds and outdoor performances.
The scheme has been an overwhelming success, with the animation and greening of the public spaces encouraging a more diverse range of users and significantly longer dwell times that extend throughout the day and into the evening.
British Land
[d] arc Awards – Shortlisted 2019
LI Awards Finalist 2021
