Duke of York Square
New public square, retail units, commercial space, public realm design
Redeveloped by Cadogan Estate as a vibrant new public square, the project fuses classical architecture with contemporary design.
Client: Cadogan Estate
Location: London
Area: 4.1 Ha
Value: £170m
Status: Complete
This award-winning project transformed a former car parking site into a new destination and what was the first public square in London for more than a century. This highly regarded masterplan creates a dynamic public realm with public squares, retail quarter, offices, community facilities and the Saatchi Gallery.
Key project themes include:
Design for a ‘greater’ London
Integrating with the wider context
Supporting a diverse mix of uses
Design for a ‘greater’ London
The development exemplifies the aims of ‘Designs for a Greater London’, which was published by the Greater London Authority (GLA) in 2001. Creating a calmer, safer environment in an area well served by public transport - no car parking is provided - the design includes a number of squares, pedestrian friendly streets and dramatic new buildings which were built in three key phases over eight years.
Integrating with the wider context
An antithesis of contemporary shopping, the scheme extends the existing street pattern. Its main virtue is the careful analysis and placement of key buildings within the overall composition to meet Cadogan’s brief for a variety of sizes and types of units. We continue to provide advice today as the square continues to shift and adapt with changing times.
Supporting a diverse mix of uses
Accommodating a range of medium-sized shop units with basements, reflecting those typically found on the King’s Road, the building also provides 30 affordable, high-quality one and two bedroom flats above the retail units. Elsewhere, buildings were refurbished and the key former headquarters were transformed into the Saatchi Gallery. A timed servicing strategy within the square avoids the need for unsightly service yards.
