Kentish Town Square
LONDON 2013
BBUK were shortlisted for the RIBA competition Forgotten Spaces in 2013 for their entry submitted with Urban Projects Bureau.
Kentish Town Square creates a new urban hub in North London, and a much-needed active heart for visitors to the area and the local community.
The proposal extends the inaccessible and incoherent public corner into a vibrant and active public space straddling the railway. New entrances are created into Kentish Town tube and rail stations, relieving the existing congestion and creating a space for markets, cafes and local events. A new station canopy improves 24-hour security and provides accessible routes to the over-ground railway platforms below, it also creates a new backdrop to the square, reminiscent of the old station demolished in the 1970s.
The square is carefully landscaped to evoke the direction and history of the railway lines beneath, and includes new planting of small flowering trees, benches, enlarged bicycle parking and room for market stalls.
The square reconnects the local routes of Leverton Street and Frideswide Place, re-linking the local fabric, opening up the potential for new housing and mixed-use development along Frideswide Place, and providing north to south cycle routes which can be continued along the whole length of Kentish Town Road.