Plans by Zaha Hadid Architects and LDA Design for Temple Island, a new waterfront neighbourhood in the centre of Bristol, have been submitted for consideration by the city’s council.
The £350 million Legal & General scheme is situated on the site of a vacant train depot near Temple Meads rail station.
Bound by the River Avon to the east, the scheme will serve as a gateway to the evolving Temple Quarter area of the city, one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects and which includes the new University of Bristol Enterprise Campus.
Temple Island includes 520 homes, with 40% targeted as affordable, plus two commercial office buildings, retail, flexible workspace and a hotel. It opens up a stretch of waterfront to the public and stitches this new district into the wider fabric of the city.
LDA Design’s inspiration for the public spaces draws from the area’s strong riparian characteristics. The site is one of the few places where the River Avon can be clearly seen in the city before it sweeps round into the Avon Gorge. In the spring, the tidal range of the Avon can exceed 14 metres, making it the second highest tidal range in the world.
References to the site’s industrial past are also brought to life through play, public art and street furniture, with materials reflecting Bristol’s layered history and the colours of the riverbank, of pennant wall and sandstone cliff.
Creating a new section of the city’s riverside walk supports active travel. A new public square and biodiverse and playful riverside gardens provide quality open space in the heart of Bristol.
Catherine Birkin of LDA Design said of the scheme: “We know that Temple Island can deliver for Bristol and become a great place to live and work. We have rooted our design thinking in the specificity of its location by the River Avon, and the ways in which the rhythmic presence of the tidal range informs a powerful sense of place. Twice a day, mesmerising textures and shapes are exposed in the mud banks, and these have helped direct the circulation, planting, and materiality.”
Images Credit: Bloomimages
Text from LDA Design
