Merging various uses together inevitably creates complexities and demands - the larger the scheme, the bigger the challenge when it comes to making sure they stand the test of time.
Maggie Grogan of Muse Developments leads on Arden Cross (pictured), one of the UK’s biggest placemaking projects.
Over a 346-acre (140-hectare) site in Solihull, the project blends residential homes with a globally significant new digital healthcare campus. Located near Birmingham Airport, Arden Cross is expected to create around 27,000 jobs and see 3,000 new homes built along with up to 6m sq ft (557,418 sq m) of new commercial and employment space. The site is also near Birmingham International railway station and the forthcoming HS2 interchange.
We’ve got to give people a reason to want to go to Arden Cross. Great transport links are important but there must be a deeper reason to make people want to visit, live or work there. The challenge is making it distinctive, creating a unique sense of place.”
Developers, investors, architects and everyone else involved in the challenge of placemaking also had to consider the need to “think about meeting the evolving needs of modern residents not just now, but in years to come, so we must maintain flexibility in the design from the very start.”
Richard Fielding of Morgan Sindall Construction took planning back to first principles and said stakeholders should start by asking: “What is the exact purpose of each building within a multi-use scheme? Work back from that and then think about what developers need to incorporate to successfully achieve that goal.”
He stressed that all the advantages and disadvantages also need to be surveyed early on too, to make sure the development is viable, considering planning permission complexities, infrastructure limitations and any potential legal barriers such as zoning laws.
The panel agreed that bringing planners to the table early is key, so designs can be tailored around the desired outcomes.
Richard Fielding advised a collegiate approach is crucial but is commonly overlooked:
All too often stakeholders forget to collaborate effectively from the beginning and that can cause real barriers and delays further down the line. We need to ask what does the first phase look like? What makes the development unique? What are the connectivity challenges?”
Lisa Deering of Glancy Nicholls Architects specialises in residential and commercial regeneration. She also stressed the need to put extra time into the initial planning and design phase of each multi-use project to ensure its longevity and to give it mass appeal:
When building a community, we must remember that it is a living organism which changes over time – we must build that in, as it's not something you can bring to the market in one go or flip in a year’s time. You need to really think about what element comes first. Detailed and diverse questions, therefore, are essential in master planning from the offset, she added. "
