Evaluation
The Duke of York Square is removed from the main flow of pedestrians and provides an inviting retreat from the hustle and bustle of the King's Road. However, the need to connect the development with the wider public realm and to entice people off the main drag has been dealt with very effectively. The designers have created a seamless transition between the pavement along the King's Road and the new square which helps to blur the boundaries between the two. Although an informal line of existing trees subtly marks the real boundary to the square, the use of Yorkstone paving, to match the existing paving along the King's Road, means that visually, the actual boundary to the pedestrian space appears to be the edge of the carriageway. This gives the new square the character of being a very public space. By contrast the retail court feels a more semi-private space and this is accentuated by the covered walkway that links the court with Sloane Square.
Routes through the space are easily legible and the arrangement of elements within the square provide visual clues helping to direct pedestrians and more specifically shoppers, towards the main retail outlets. The relatively high levels of activity from passing pedestrians and the provision of active building frontages, many with external dining areas, animates the space and gives a good level of natural surveillance.
Street furniture is well designed and completely integrated into the design. The low walls, hewn from solid blocks of stone, are durable enough to withstand the intensity of use and their design and arrangement provides a variety of seating arrangements. Integral features such as litter bins within the structure of the walls help to reduce visual clutter, although additional features have been added at a later date, some of which detract from the clean lines of the original design. Those added elements that work best such as the visually recessive lighting columns, have been well designed and co-ordinated by EBA, whereas those elements added to satisfy overly cautious health and safety requirements, such as the clumsy trip rails and the scuffed blue timber frame around the steel-edged planting beds, appear incongruous and ugly.
The fountains and various works of art engage the senses and add to the rich and stimulating environment. The art work does not 'shout' for recognition, but is there as a background element to be discovered, adding another layer of interest and helping to enhance the local identity and sense of place. The retention and integration of existing mature trees, and the built fabric of the historic campus lend the space a sense of permanence and a unique character, to which the new elements sensitively respond.
The quality of materials and level of detailing is excellent and the scheme is an exemplar for the close co-ordination of service requirements, both in terms of vehicular access for servicing the retail outlets and in terms of successfully camouflaging of service covers and drainage gullies within the paving. There have been some problems with the washing out of mortar from the joints between the paving slabs, and this appears to be worse in the Phase 1 works than the latter paving construction around the Queripel building. Some damage and loss of ground recessed LED lights has also occurred.
The management and maintenance of the facilities is to a high standard with daily high pressure cleaning occurring each morning. Pop-up power points have been provided for maintenance crews to plug into and these can also be used for events or for small market stalls, increasing the potential for diverse usage of the space.
