Adding shelter to the courtyards is one of the primary additions as part of the Masterplan works to provide more usable and inviting spaces for tenants to congregate. Latest CGI’s show all of courtyard structures which have undergone significant design development since concept design as a result of design team input and subsequent subcontractors design.
The Garden Pavilion, the focal point of the east courtyard, is a large external / internal space offering a comfortable, relaxing and bright space where people can eat lunch, socialise or gather for an event. The lightweight glazed structure held up by three large structural trees not only provides tenants with shelter from the wind and rain, but also an escape from their desks to an alternative greenhouse-like environment filled with plants and landscaping.
The Café Pavilion provides additional courtyard seating in various different forms for the occupants of the office blocks to enjoy that is also sheltered from the wind and rain. This covered area is visible from the offices above and so the design is to be crisp and contemporary, using it as an opportunity to add character to the courtyard space.
Pod 1 is a flexible meeting room that provides the modern technology required internally to act as a formal meeting room yet enables connection with the external courtyard for other uses with the use of folding sliding doors running the entire length of the meeting room.
Pod 2 will be surrounded by an area of extensive planting and a grove of mixed birch trees, helping to buffer the effects of the underground vents and provide a soft green setting to the south eastern corner of the courtyard.
A key consideration throughout the design process was to ensure there would be adequate access and proposals for the cleaning and maintenance of not just the new structures, but for the existing buildings also.
Comments