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London eyesore set for facelift as DSDHA wins Waterloo City Square project
10 Mar 2009
One of the last remaining blights of 1960s London is set for regeneration following the selection of DSDHA as the design team for the Waterloo City Square scheme.
Fighting off competition from Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and EDAW, DSDHA has been selected to rethink the ugly and inaccessible street design in and around the IMAX roundabout, Waterloo Road and Waterloo Station to create a better experience for all users. Despite huge improvements since the 'cardboard city' days, the confusing labyrinth of streets and subways remains unwelcoming, unattractive and often feels unsafe.
Both the local community and the judging panel selected DSDHA as the best team for the job of revitalising this critical part of central London and creating an appropriate gateway to the South Bank's cultural institutions and popular visitor attractions.
Over 1700 people took part in the local consultation which gave residents and employees the opportunity to meet each of the shortlisted design teams face to face and to evaluate their concepts. Participants scored each team against a range of criteria, considering how well they had met the design brief. In the opinion of local people, DSDHA and their thinking showed particular strengths in making the area more attractive and better connected as well as safer and more pleasant for pedestrians and simpler to change mode of transport.
Deborah Saunt, co-founder of DSDHA comments: "We recognise Waterloo as one of the most important public spaces in the country, serving the busiest station in the UK with over 300,000 commuters each day, as well as being the gateway to London's South Bank and home to thousands of local residents.
For us, this is a unique opportunity. Waterloo is a meeting place for people, journeys and identities. We hope to create seamless connections at ground level to allow dignified access for everyone to all local spaces - from The Cut to the South Bank, Kings College to Lower Marsh, Coin Street to Waterloo Station. The labyrinth of underpasses will be a thing of the past and the IMAX will finally be able to takes its place as a landmark at the heart of the area.
This will be an incredibly important project to DSDHA, and we look forward to collaborating with stakeholders and the local community to realise our vision for this area and to consolidate the importance of Waterloo to central London, the outer boroughs and beyond."
The judging panel was chaired by Peter Bishop, Group Director of Design, Development and Environment, London Development Agency. Commenting on the scheme he said: "By working together, the public and private sectors have come up with a clear plan to regenerate Waterloo City Square that is backed by local businesses and residents. We want to get the area designed and transform the experience of visitors, where people can enjoy moving around the area - especially from Waterloo Station to the attractions on the South Bank."
"We are focused on attracting investment into this area and believe that the regeneration of the spaces around Waterloo Station is critical to future growth. We are confident that by adopting the practical approach of phased delivery, we will be in a position to deliver significant improvements over the next 5 years and are looking forward to working with DSDHA and the LDA on this scheme." says Ted Inman, Chief Executive, South Bank Employers' Group which is managing the project.
It is anticipated that a final design will be submitted to planning at the end of the year, following further in-depth consultation with all stakeholders including local residents, employees and businesses. The various consultation activities will be promoted throughout the area.
Waterloo City Square - DSDHA concept team:
Atkins Transport
ARUP Engineering & Sustainability
Cushman & Wakefield Development Consultant
Space Syntax Pedestrian Movement
Speirs & Major Lighting Design
VOGT Landscape
Waterloo City Square design competition:
- DSDHA have been selected following a two-stage Open Project Competition (OJEU).
- South Bank Employers' Group managed the commission on behalf of the London Development Agency.
- The Judging Panel comprises the landowners and stakeholders who have come together to improve this area for the benefit of local residents, employees, commuters and visitors: Greater London Authority, London Development Agency, Transport for London, London Borough of Lambeth, British Film Institute, Coin Street Community Builders, P&O Estates, CABE (space), Network Rail, Southbank Centre, King's College London, St John's Church, National Theatre and Shell.
- The design competition was funded by London Development Agency and P&O Estates.
DSDHA
Previously:
Plans to rethink Waterloo unveiled - Design concepts from DSDHA, EDAW and Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands bring Waterloo City Square to life
Three top architects will be unveiling their design concepts for Waterloo City Square at a public consultation which opens on 31 January 2009.
The scheme intends to transform the complex labyrinth of streets, subways and poorly though out street design around the IMAX roundabout and along Waterloo Road to The Cut/Lower Marsh. The aim is create a high quality, attractive, welcoming public space which will be easier for local residents, employees, commuters and visitors to use and enjoy. Improvements will include enhanced walking routes, simplified transport interchange and better connections between Waterloo Station and its surrounds. It is also hoped that the new scheme will reflect the importance of this space as the gateway to the South Bank’s cultural institutions and popular visitor attractions.
Public opinion is sought at the consultation which opens on 31 January. People are invited to share their views either online at www.waterloocitysquare.info or at the exhibition and event which will be held at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre.
Peter Bishop, Chair of the Judging Panel and Group Director of Design, Development and Environment, London Development Agency comments, “This scheme will create a new sense of place in Waterloo. Each of the design teams has responded to the brief with inspirational thinking and we are now looking forward to hearing the views of local communities, commuters and visitors.”
Waterloo City Square Design Teams’ Concepts:-
DSDHA
Where the obelisk at St Georges Circus marks the entrance to London, the BFI IMAX on Waterloo Circus will claim its significance as the identifiable entrance to the Cultural Quarter of the South Bank for local residents, tourists and commuters.
With the recent advancements in 4d technology, the BFI IMAX has finally come of age. We have carved, remodelled and overclad the existing building with a dynamic digital screen which reflects both its dynamic future and the richness of its connection to the BFI and the culture of film. By instinct people choose to walk on the ground. The IMAX is given a new street level entrance and visible connections are carved through the site to give presence and identity to each of the buildings addressing Waterloo Circus. Existing streetscapes have been decluttered, with new crossings and a unified surface creating unhindered safe access to all transport modes and destinations from the river to the Old Vic Theatre. The ground is gracefully unfolded around the BFI IMAX to create a seamless new connection to its lower entrance and onwards to engage Kings College, the proposed Doon Street development and the South Bank. This new route replaces the existing labyrinth of subterranean routes with a continuous line of cultural and commercial activity from The Cut, through Waterloo Circus to the Thames at National Theatre Square, bringing together new and existing life.
EDAW
Bringing the West End closer to the South Bank, Waterloo City Square will become a focus of activity in London’s most vibrant cultural district. Adjacent to Waterloo Station, this new high-quality public space will be an exciting addition to the amenities of the South Bank and will change the balance between traffic and pedestrians to create a highly accessible space. The contemporary square will be an attractive destination with shops, cafes and entertainment, it will incorporate improved facilities for public transport users, provide clear circulation routes to the riverfront and create an important new London square for the local community, commuters and tourists. The work, to be completed in phases, begins by redesigning the road system to run east of the BFI IMAX cinema. This eases congestion and creates a splendid new forecourt to the east of Waterloo Station. The existing tangle of underpasses and walkways will be replaced by clear pedestrian routes and new vistas into and out of the square. Later phases could include building a landmark tower on the site. Full social, economic and environmental sustainability including the careful use of natural materials and innovative water management, will be incorporated from the start of the project.
Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
The area immediately outside Waterloo Station, one of the busiest in Europe, should lead people easily into the surrounding areas and onwards to other destinations. Instead passage for commuters and residents is discouraged by wide streets full of traffic at ground level or a dingy basement route to the South Bank via the BFI IMAX Cinema. We propose closing the subway and creating surface crossings across narrowed roads. Instead of a sea of tarmac between the IMAX and its surroundings there will be a generous public space around the cinema with a prominent ground level entrance. This forms the hub of the scheme. Immediately to the south is a new bus station on Tenison Way; a much more generous arrangement than the few existing bus stops on a narrow spit of land. Extending across the site, Waterloo Road and Waterloo Bridge are realigned to create a continuous, coherent route with activated shop fronts and coordinated bus stops along its length. This is a key axis of the scheme. Five ‘pocket’ parks at the periphery of the site connect to the surroundings. These include Emma Cons Gardens to the south, a new square at the proposed Doon Street development to the north and a new piazza in front of the Station. The proposals also include possible development of the IMAX, should the cinema be relocated into a new BFI complex. In this case a tall structure on this central site forms the significant element in a cluster of new buildings around the station. Additional development is feasible on the bus station site at Tenison Way and the buses relocated to Waterloo Road. A mid height development with a central winter garden help define the road and provides an exciting covered public space opposite St John’s Waterloo.
We are inviting local residents and employees who use these streets and subways all the time to share their views on the initial concepts. Their insight is hugely valuable and we appreciate any time people can spare.” says Ted Inman, Chief Executive of South Bank Employers’ Group which has been appointed to manage the design competition in behalf of the London Development Agency.
Following the consultation, the judging panel will meet to consider the design teams’ entries, taking into account the results of the public consultation and technical panel review. A decision is expected in March 2009.
Waterloo City Square Exhibition
23 Jan 2009
Exhibition of design concepts for Waterloo City Square
Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, 108 Stamford Street, SE1
Waterloo City Square Images : Transport for London
Three top architectural practices showcase their ideas for creating a high quality, welcoming space around Waterloo Station and the IMAX roundabout. The brief is to create a space which is easier for local residents, employees, commuters and visitors to use and enjoy, including enhanced walking routes and simplified transport interchange. View the design concepts from DSDHA, EDAW and Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and share your views, visit www.waterloocitysquare.info
London Architects
Waterloo City Square - Other Shortlisted Designers:
EDAW I Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
Waterloo City Square Context : BFI IMAX London
Major Buildings nearby:
Waterloo Station I Royal Festival Hall I South Bank Centre London
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Comments / photos for the Waterloo City Square London Architecture page welcome: info@e-architect.co.uk
Waterloo City Square London - page: adrian welch / isabelle lomholt
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