Linking the High Street to the Golden Mile
Brentford has a unique location where the railway, canal network and River Thames meet. This point of exchange, particularly the relationship to water, historically informed Brentford’s Market Town character. However, Brentford has become car centric and indistinguishable from its neighbours - its identity gradually eroded since the 1940s. KLA's projects seek to reassert Brentford High Street's sense of place and identity.
The newly configured Market Place public realm is flexible space that accommodates regular markets and events whilst also providing a living room in the town centre with a variety of opportunities for meeting and playing across all generations.
Moving high street addresses the connection via the towpath to the Golden Mile and in doing so extends the high street's influence and encourages local trade and exchange through the testing transport alternatives.
Through the process of developing the moving high street a strong team of collaborators were formed and together further developed social economic activation project, Brentford Works. Together with MAAP, The Decorators and Brentford High Street Steering Group a lease was negotiated for the shop on the corner of the High Street to become an outlet for activity/small businesses.
The dark interior of the sheds previously formed a space that felt unsafe, and served as deterrent to a key line of movement along the towpath between Brentford Town Centre and the Golden Mile. The new timber fretwork facades allow light into the space during the day and become a beacon of light at night.
Different threads of the project: the cultural and economic venues of the sheds and the market place; the cycling culture initiatives through Brentford works and the Brentford cargo bike programme; as well as the walking connections opened up by the sheds project, all pull towards making Brentford a more socially sustainable and liveable place.
2012–2014
Hounslow, London
Client
London Borough of Hounslow / Greater London Authority (GLA)
Value
£1.4m
Artist
Simon Periton
Lubna Chowdhary
Collaborating Organisation
Meanwhile Space
the Decorators
MAAP
London Bike Hub
Brentford High Street Steering Group
Studio Dekka
Cost Consultant
Appleyard & Trew
Engineer
Expedition
Alan Baxter
Graphic Design
Guglielmo Rossi
Europa
Photographer
Grant Smith
Awards
2015 Civic Trust Award Commendation
2015 Landscape Institute President's Award Winner
2015 Landscape Institute Urban Design and Masterplanning Award Winner
Linking the High Street to the Golden Mile