The former market-place of Nottingham

Landscape architects: Gustafson Porter
Text: Ágnes Bechtold
Photos: Dirk Lellau, Hamilton Knignt, Gutafson Porter Team

The former market-place of Nottingham is one of the oldest ones in England and the second largest in the country to Trafalgar Square with its area of 11,500 square metres. It gained its present-day appearance in 2007 designed by Gustafson Porter’s landscape designing team after an international competition was conducted in 2004 to recreate the former, poorly functioning design not up to the needs of the city. The one submitted by Gustafson Porter’s architects won the approval of the professional jury as well as that of the public. It suited exactly the specifications phrased as the guiding principles of the tender, and the key concepts of the design – recollection and culture; soul; urban relations; safety; simple approach; layers of utilization; community; materials and surface; water; light – were based on them. The success of the new image is proven by the fact that it has won several awards both in Hungary and abroad since the inauguration of the square two years ago.

Client: Nottingham City Council
Landscape: Gustafson Porter Project Team – Neil Porter, Nilesh Patel, Dominik Bueckers, Ines Marcelino
Engineers: Ove Arup & Partners Ltd
Lighting design: Speirs & Major Associates
Pedestrian study: Space Syntax Ltd
Conservation consultant: Jules Renfrew Associates
Main contractor: Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd
Water feature specialist: OCMIS Ltd