The heart of Colchester’s cultural quarter is created by the new square
This project is the first new urban space for the St Botolph's Quarter. The square has a simple aesthetic of grey blue stone and white concrete punctuated by detailed mosaic benches in gold, pink and brown.
The use of mosaic refers back to the history of the site as a mosaic workshop in Roman times. The Square sits around the Rafael Viñoly Visual Arts Facility which is a semi circular golden building.
The site is part of the Conservation Area and is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, due to the proximity of the roman wall and archaeological remains at lower levels. These remains were preserved by careful design and construction using raised ground levels.
KLA worked closely with the conservation officer, English Heritage, the various design teams and a multi-headed client group to bring their disparate needs together into one simple beautiful design.
2009–2011
Colchester, UK
Client
Colchester Borough Council / Arts Council / Essex County Council
Value
£1.7m
Architect
Rafael Viñoly Architects
Artist
Simon Periton
Trevor Caley
Engineer
Stockley