Landscape Architecture
Masterplanning
As part of an international competition, we were shortlisted, together with Make architects, to develop a design scheme for a key waterfront site in St Helier. The existing site lacked a unified development strategy and was historically severed from the town centre by a six-lane highway, known as the Esplanade. Previous plans to unlock the site’s potential had all been deemed economically unviable, meaning a fresh new direction was required.
Our design response centred on developing an achievable masterplan framework that would create a cohesive identity and sense of place. The strategy aimed to reconnect the waterfront to the historic town centre and provide a compatible mix of uses, thereby establishing a thriving new neighbourhood and leisure destination.
In our design response, we proposed improvements to the Esplanade to create a greener, more pedestrian-friendly environment. We also detailed powerful crossing points to reduce the severance between town and waterfront, plus new pedestrian and cycle connections to ‘stich’ the site back together. At the heart of our proposal, we conceived a beachfront leisure destination, comprising a seawater lido, art gallery, pier and activated promenade. And as part of our commitment to sustainability, we embedded a green ‘wellbeing spine’ within residential neighbourhoods. We also future-proofed our interventions to enhance climate resilience and minimise flood risk.
