Text description provided by the architects. Welcome to Exchange Square, a public park suspended above the tracks of Liverpool Street Station and within the Broadgate campus, the largest pedestrianised public space in central London. The creation of Exchange Square marks a milestone in a seven-year collaboration between the studio and its 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, designed with inclusion and accessibility in mind, Exchange Square establishes a new mixed-use amenity for the city. Combining recreational areas with informal outdoor work facilities and retail units, the square encourages a variety of potential uses and activities at different times of the day, extending dwell time beyond working hours and helping Broadgate become more responsive to the needs of a wider range of people, from its local offices and shop workers to residents of neighbouring boroughs.
Prior to our intervention, the site had been developed in the 1990s and included a central lawn that was popular with those using the space, but the large curved boundary wall at the western edge of the lawn created a significant barrier within the square, as well as limiting visual permeability. On the northern edge, steps led up to the Exchange House and provided ample seating, but the extensive use of pink granite felt monotonous. Alongside these material challenges, the changes in level within the square were addressed by various ramps and other stairs, creating barriers to access. Signage was poor throughout the space and the entrances to the square lacked legibility.
Wellbeing, inclusivity and permeability were key considerations throughout the design process, driven by the ambition to create a vibrant space that encourages engagement and interactivity and provides respite from the onslaught of commuters and noise of Bishopsgate. The 1.5-acre park features a four-fold increase in planting from its previous state – 14,000 plants and over 140 different species – a 600% increase in biodiversity and 25% of the area is provided with accessible green space. An on-site gardener encourages ongoing learning – providing opportunities for enquiries and public engagement, whilst maintaining the square. Engagement with tenants revealed a desire for a less corporate environment with more flexibility for temporary uses, which has helped encourage a more diverse group of people to use the space, such as for an open community Iftar celebrating Ramadan.
We sought to address accessibility and permeability issues by highlighting the park’s various entrances. A comprehensive pedestrian movement analysis identified barriers to access – steps, level changes, lack of visual contrast and changes in tactility, and poor signage – allowing us to develop the space across multiple levels to create a more natural permeable topography, with gently sloping routes that allow wheelchair and stroller access throughout the site. Legible material differences at level changes support neurodiverse users, and clear sightlines across the park from all boundaries allow users to feel safer when crossing alone or at night.
