One defining feature of Heatherwick Studios‘ recent output is its enthusiastic use of greenery. Everything from the firm’s planned department store in Madrid to the completed high-rise in Singapore is covered in many trees and plants. This trend continued with its recently opened 1000 Trees, which consists of a large shopping mall designed to look like a tree-covered mountain.
Now, the firm plans to transform one part-demolished shopping center into a new greenery-filled space that hosts leisure, fitness, and retail facilities, as part of a more comprehensive redevelopment project in Nottingham, England. This center was in the process of being demolished when the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the bankruptcy of the company handling its removal.
Heatherwick Studios has joined forces with developer Stories to create the Broad Marsh Project. This project will also involve redeveloping an extensive inner-city site, measuring 8 ha (20 acres), anchored by the shopping center.
Thomas Heatherwick, the head of Heatherwick studio, explained:
The challenge of what to do with the former Broadmarsh shopping center has been a chance to think about the failure of our city centers. They should be about bringing people together, not just about retail.
Rather than demolish the structure, we are proposing to keep the frame and breathe new life into it, creating a place that can hold the diversity and vibrancy that is so lacking from many city centers. The aim is to bridge between generations, communities, and cultures so that the new Broad Marsh can reflect the true diversity of the city. In the fog of COVID-19, Nottingham has seized the opportunity to create a new blueprint for the future of city centers.”
The center’s greenery-filled interior will host a climbing wall, boxing gym, a large net play area, retail spaces, restaurants, smaller community spaces, and market stalls.
As part of the broader development, Heatherwick Studio will also create a significant new green area measuring 3.5 ha (8.6 acres) filled with trees, plants, and other greenery. The project will involve the creation of 750 new homes and more than roughly 37,000 sq m (400,000 sq ft) of new business and office space. Additionally, an existing hotel will be restored, and a new entrance will be made for Nottingham’s incredible network of caves.
As retail habits have changed throughout the years, many malls and shopping centers have fallen into disrepair, and it can be challenging to figure out what to do with the massive structures. The Broad Marsh project is an excellent example of how these neglected structures could be transformed. However, the firm is still in the early plans are still in the early stages, and it could take ten years to complete, assuming all goes well.
