Barts Square

GROSS. MAX. collaborated with Shephard Robson architects and Maccreanor Lavington, and Piercy & Company on the design and delivery of Barts Square masterplan, a new urban mixed use quarter in the heart of the City of London. The project has transformed the urban landscape between Smithfield and the Museum of London with a sensitive and contemporary reinterpretation of the existing fabric. Historically occupied by St Bartholomew’s Priory, with St Bartholomew’s Hospital located to the south of Little Britain, the distinct character and grain that has evolved over centuries. Located partially in the Smithfield Conservation Area, historic plot widths, building scales, and good-quality facades have been retained, while new buildings slot in to create a permeable urban quarter, facilitating a dialogue between old and new. High quality public and private amenity space is incorporated within the development creating a tranquil environment for residents fostering a sense of community. Amenity space is provided by a new public square, landscaped residential courtyards and a sunken private garden. The palette of material consisting of brick, stone, timber and glazed terracotta tiles –robust and traditional in feel. The existing public realm is reanimated and transformed into a usable, pedestrian friendly and highly legible environment-opening up historic links into soft and hard landscaped spaces-whilst retaining and recreating discrete public, semi-private and private external spaces.