Rethinking urban spaces worldwide
Chapman Taylor has long advocated the benefits of sustainable, integrated and mixed-use urban regeneration with a well-considered mix of retail, leisure, F&B, residential, office, hospitality and community functions alongside attractive public spaces and excellent infrastructure. We have designed many schemes around the globe in accordance with this approach, creating attractive and sustainable places which people enjoy and in which they can feel a sense of pride. Below we take a look at some of the current and recent urban redevelopment designs we have created internationally.
Bolton Victoria Square, Bolton, UK
Our proposals for Bolton Victoria Square lie at the heart of Bolton Council’s £1.5bn masterplan – the £250 million scheme is the first key step in developing an exciting vision for a refreshed and revitalised Bolton town centre. The council acquired the well-located, but outdated, 26,000m² Crompton Place shopping centre in June 2018 from Santander Pension Fund, in order to begin the process of overhauling the town centre.
The 64,000m² mixed-use scheme for the site includes a 110-bedroom hotel, 150 homes, 10,500m² of office space and a mixed-use retail, leisure, dining and events space (dubbed “Bolton Works”) alongside improved public realm.
The development will be seamlessly integrated into the wider streetscape and urban fabric to help reunite Bradshawgate with Victoria Square and improve the access and pedestrian flows within the town centre.
The project is being brought forward by Bolton Regeneration Ltd, a partnership between Beijing Construction & Engineering Group International and regeneration specialists Midia Group, which is working alongside Bolton Council to realise the scheme.
Altstadtquartier Büchel, Aachen, Germany
Transforming a central quarter of the historic city of Aachen, the regeneration of Altstadtquartier Büchel involves the provision of residential apartments with views of the spires of the town hall and cathedral, among a mix of other uses. Given the density of the quarter’s buildings, ensuring that sufficient natural lighting is present all year round is a key goal.
Chapman Taylor’s competition-winning masterplan and concept design creates a thriving, mixed-use district through the sensitive redesign of the medieval area to include new streets, public squares, housing, offices, retail and a kindergarten. The masterplan design won Chapman Taylor the 2018 Urban Design Award for ‘Best Practice’.
Jinqiao Mixed-Use District, Shanghai, China
Chapman Taylor won a design competition for two retail-led blocks in a new mixed-use development to be built at Jinqiao, in Shanghai, China. The competition involved the design of nine building blocks, with 19 designers from 14 of the world’s best-known masterplanners and architects of mixed-use developments taking part. The competition was part of a collaborative process aimed at producing a new world-class, mixed-use district for Shanghai.
Chapman Taylor was the only firm awarded two blocks, which will be the principal retail, leisure and F&B elements of the development. The blocks will also include office and residential components. The aim is to open all nine blocks of the landmark 1,000,000m² development, which will be planned collaboratively between all the winning designers, within four years.
Cour Bareuzai, Dijon, France
The Cour Bareuzai retail development involved the careful renovation of a 17th/18th century mansion house building formerly used as offices for Dijon's local authorities.
The context-sensitive scheme creates 2,300m² of attractive and welcoming, high-end retail and restaurant space across three floors for the UNESCO World Heritage-designated city centre of Dijon, designed to blend harmoniously with their surroundings. A wall which blocked views to the historic buildings was demolished.
The maintenance and renewal of the physical fabric of historic towns such as Dijon involves a broad range of skills, from strategic planning and detailed technical advice to the sensitive design of new buildings and the repair, alteration and extension of existing buildings.
City Centre South, Coventry, UK
‘City Centre South’ will upgrade several areas of the historic heart of Coventry, including Bull Yard, Shelton Square, City Arcade and Hertford Street, and will make the city a significant shopping and leisure destination in the West Midlands.
The development proposal includes up to 50 new retail units, a number of new public realm spaces, a pavilion containing independent and start-up retailers and restaurants, a premium cinema, new restaurants, private and rented residential accommodation and a hotel.
The whole scheme will connect the city’s much-loved circular market with the rest of the centre, with the aim to have the development open for business by 2026.
Chapman Taylor provided the masterplan for this urban regeneration project on behalf of Shearer Property Regen Ltd. Group.
Quartier Fünfgassen, Wiesbaden, Germany
Quartier Fünfgassen – meaning “Five Lanes Quarter” – covers a 7,055m² site connecting Wiesbaden’s prime shopping street with the city’s main traffic artery. New streets and squares will be lined with shops and a high concentration of restaurants, cafés and bars. The upper levels will be occupied by a hotel, leisure facilities and residential units. The above-ground GBA of 23,000m² is divided between four buildings, each consisting of six levels.
Chapman Taylor’s design, which was chosen by the city as its preferred scheme, enhances the existing urban connections and opens up new links to the surrounding area, activating the interior of the city block and ensuring that the quarter will integrate seamlessly with the urban fabric. With a high number of restaurants and cafés, the quarter is set to become Wiesbaden’s prime food destination.
RSUN Retail Street, Changzhou, China
This design creates a sustainable and vibrant commercial district across two plots, including the former Mingli textiles factory and its surrounding areas, with the retail component complemented by office, leisure and cultural provisions.
Located on the southern side of the old section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, where it meets Lihua North Road, the development will see a mix of new buildings and carefully restored protected buildings in a sympathetically realised urban renewal scheme which respects the cultural and architectural heritage of the area.
121,000m2 will be dedicated to retail and leisure offers, sitting alongside 61,000m2 of office space and 22,000m2 of cultural amenities. The development will include 94,000m2 of underground space and 36,000m2 of landscaped green space in which visitors will be able to relax and be entertained.
Chapman Taylor is developing this major waterside commercial and cultural destination on behalf of retail and leisure investors RSUN Business Group.
Liverpool Waters, Liverpool, UK
One of Europe’s largest and most important waterside regeneration schemes, Liverpool Waters has been unanimously granted outline planning consent for a 1,700,000m² development. Envisaged is a world-class, mixed-use waterfront environment which will help Liverpool compete economically with similarly sized cities such as Hamburg, Barcelona, Boston and Toronto.
Chapman Taylor undertook the overall masterplanning for this groundbreaking project.
City Plaza, Wuppertal, Germany
A five-storey flagship store for Primark is the centrepiece of City Plaza, a large urban redevelopment project which marks the rail gateway to Wuppertal’s city centre, forming part of an assembly of impressive historical buildings which define the remodelled square in front of the railway station.
City Plaza’s curved façade is clad with brass panels which alternate with the glass of the curtain wall, lifting the area's look and feel alongside major improvements to the surrounding public realm.
Chapman Taylor’s Düsseldorf studio, together with the investor, Signature Capital, won a prestigious 2019 MAPIC Award for the “Best Retail City Centre Regeneration” category.
Beixinjing Urban Design, Shanghai, China
The 1,700-hectare masterplan concept for Beixinjing will create a mixed-use urban development in the Putuo district of southern Shanghai. The urban regeneration project will redevelop former industrial areas to provide new residential areas, commercial facilities and community uses.
The scheme will be strategically well-located, served by Hongqiao Railway Station and Hongqiao Airport, and bolstered by the Hongqiao economic development zone.
Serpentine Green, Peterborough, UK
Serpentine Green, an 18-year-old shopping centre in Hampton, Peterborough, is to be redeveloped and modernised into a new retail and leisure destination by Chapman Taylor. The vision is to create a high-quality retail, F&B and leisure environment inspired by nature, using natural materials and references to create vibrant public spaces surrounded by high-quality contemporary buildings.
The £50 million asset enhancement combines an array of new retail units, a new town square for outdoor events, 11,300m² of leisure attractions and an additional 1,900m² of new restaurants and cafés. The centre attracts over 5.5 million visitors a year and will create new facilities and an exciting place for the community and surrounding areas to visit.
Plaza Grafinger Strasse, Munich, Germany
PLAZA Grafinger Strasse is the central development in a new district in Munich, on a 7,340m² former industrial site within the city’s inner ring. The former industrial precinct, near to the Munich East railway station, will be transformed into an attractive area for urban living, working, entertainment and culture.
Shopping occupies most of the ground floor, while separate buildings with various functions complete the block perimeter on the upper levels.
The individual buildings are occupied by a hotel, extended-stay apartments, offices and a fitness and sports medicine building, over which a climbing centre cantilevers.
Chapman Taylor's Düsseldorf studio designed this core part of the Werksviertel district’s regeneration for R&S Immobilien management GmbH, a subsidiary of Rhode & Schwarz.
Wolverhampton Regeneration Plan, Wolverhampton, UK
This project involves a series of masterplan studies for key sites in and around Wolverhampton city centre, designed to provide the basis for a ten-year process of redevelopment which will transform these areas and link them together as an integrated whole.
The regeneration plan would see underused land at the Molineux Quarter (centred on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ football stadium), the Springfield campus of the University of Wolverhampton, the city centre, railway and canalside areas all redeveloped, providing a carefully planned and dynamic mix of uses while improving connections throughout the city.
Chapman Taylor is working with CBRE and Wolverhampton City Council to produce this series of masterplan studies.
Yangpu Riverside, Shanghai, China
Chapman Taylor’s competition design creates a new, mixed-use, 1,100-hectare masterplan for one of the former industrial heartlands of Shanghai. The riverside design makes provision for residential areas, research and development start-ups, a central business district, a mixed-use area and a smart development area incorporating the very latest concepts in sustainable and technologically advanced ‘future living’.
The nearby University of Shanghai Science and Technology school will be served by a new university innovation cluster, providing a home for cutting-edge research, while the area’s protected industrial heritage will be refurbished to a high standard to provide a vibrant campus community.
To the north of Gonqing forest park will be an industrial incubation R&D district, well served by public transport, while the only island in the Huangpu River, Fuxing Island, will be home to a state-of-the-art 'smart development' which will produce a very low carbon footprint and act as a model for future sustainable districts.
Chapman Taylor’s masterplan concept proposes to regenerate an important urban development area of Shanghai and create a city district fully equipped for the demands of the 21st century.
Old Town Street, Plymouth, UK
The designs for the Old Town Street regeneration, created by Chapman Taylor, centre on the sensitive renovation of Norwich Union House, creating a decluttered and attractive, glazed frontage at the ground floor and restoring the modernist stone design at the upper levels.
The retail units will be modernised to attract new tenants, while a variety of new retail extensions will be provided in the rear service yard, capable of accommodating a wide range of offers.
Meanwhile, the tired public areas of Old Town Street and New George Street will be reinvigorated by MacGregor Smith and British Land on behalf of Plymouth City Council, with new ‘urban rooms’ created to encourage visitors to dwell. The spaces, largely pedestrianised and beautifully landscaped with new gardens and geometric floorscapes, will be flexible and capable of hosting a number of events and activities.
Six retail pavilions will be created in the centre of both streets, sensitively designed by Chapman Taylor in keeping with the design of Norwich Union House, to provide a home for new retailers and to stimulate a renewed commercial vibrancy in this part of Plymouth city centre.
The COVID-19 emergency has highlighted the pressing need for mixed-use urban regeneration in towns and cities across the world, as the trend towards online shopping accelerates. Many towns and cities are rethinking their urban environments to create environmentally, socially and economically sustainable spaces to draw people, and businesses, back in. Chapman Taylor’s award-winning record of urban regeneration and mixed-use design gives us the expertise to work with developers and local authorities to help revive these crucial urban spaces in a creative, flexible and future-proofed way.
The £250m mixed-use redevelopment of Crompton Place shopping centre in Bolton includes a 110-bedroom hotel, 150 homes, 10,500m² of office space and a mixed-use retail, leisure, dining and events space (dubbed “Bolton Works”) designed to accommodate independent retailers and food operators as well as providing incubator space for small business start-ups.
The development will be seamlessly integrated into the wider streetscape and urban fabric to help reunite Bradshawgate with Victoria Square and improve the access and pedestrian flows within the town centre. It will also act as a formal backdrop to the town hall, completing the high-quality set-piece of the square and featuring a colonnade which shelters artisan cafés and restaurants.
A comprehensive public realm design will provide a predominantly pedestrianised environment with user-friendly shared surfaces designed in line with current best practice. Great emphasis has been placed on long-term economic and environmental sustainability through the complementary mix of uses, choice of materials, soft landscaping, green roof terraces and rainwater collection, as well as a centralised energy centre, natural ventilation and solar collection.
The project is being brought forward by Bolton Regeneration Ltd., a partnership between Beijing Construction & Engineering Group International and regeneration specialists Midia Group, which is working alongside Bolton Council to realise the scheme.
Altstadtquartier Büchel, Aachen, Germany
Transforming a central quarter of the historic city of Aachen, the regeneration of Altstadtquartier Büchel involves the provision of residential apartments with views of the spires of the town hall and cathedral, among a mix of other uses. Given the density of the quarter’s buildings, ensuring that sufficient natural lighting is present all year round is a key goal.
Chapman Taylor’s competition-winning masterplan and concept design creates a thriving, mixed-use district through the sensitive redesign of the medieval area to include new streets, public squares, housing, offices, retail and a kindergarten. The masterplan design won Chapman Taylor the 2018 Urban Design Award for ‘Best Practice’.
Jinqiao Mixed-Use District, Shanghai, China
Chapman Taylor won a design competition for two retail-led blocks in a new mixed-use development to be built at Jinqiao, in Shanghai, China. The competition involved the design of nine building blocks, with 19 designers from 14 of the world’s best-known masterplanners and architects of mixed-use developments taking part. The competition was part of a collaborative process aimed at producing a new world-class, mixed-use district for Shanghai.
Chapman Taylor was the only firm awarded two blocks, which will be the principal retail, leisure and F&B elements of the development. The blocks will also include office and residential components. The aim is to open all nine blocks of the landmark 1,000,000m² development, which will be planned collaboratively between all the winning designers, within four years.
Cour Bareuzai, Dijon, France
The Cour Bareuzai retail development involved the careful renovation of a 17th/18th century mansion house building formerly used as offices for Dijon's local authorities.
The context-sensitive scheme creates 2,300m² of attractive and welcoming, high-end retail and restaurant space across three floors for the UNESCO World Heritage-designated city centre of Dijon, designed to blend harmoniously with their surroundings. A wall which blocked views to the historic buildings was demolished.
The maintenance and renewal of the physical fabric of historic towns such as Dijon involves a broad range of skills, from strategic planning and detailed technical advice to the sensitive design of new buildings and the repair, alteration and extension of existing buildings.
City Centre South, Coventry, UK
‘City Centre South’ will upgrade several areas of the historic heart of Coventry, including Bull Yard, Shelton Square, City Arcade and Hertford Street, and will make the city a significant shopping and leisure destination in the West Midlands.
The development proposal includes up to 50 new retail units, a number of new public realm spaces, a pavilion containing independent and start-up retailers and restaurants, a premium cinema, new restaurants, private and rented residential accommodation and a hotel.
The whole scheme will connect the city’s much-loved circular market with the rest of the centre, with the aim to have the development open for business by 2026.
Chapman Taylor provided the masterplan for this urban regeneration project on behalf of Shearer Property Regen Ltd. Group.
Quartier Fünfgassen, Wiesbaden, Germany
Quartier Fünfgassen – meaning “Five Lanes Quarter” – covers a 7,055m² site connecting Wiesbaden’s prime shopping street with the city’s main traffic artery. New streets and squares will be lined with shops and a high concentration of restaurants, cafés and bars. The upper levels will be occupied by a hotel, leisure facilities and residential units. The above-ground GBA of 23,000m² is divided between four buildings, each consisting of six levels.
Chapman Taylor’s design, which was chosen by the city as its preferred scheme, enhances the existing urban connections and opens up new links to the surrounding area, activating the interior of the city block and ensuring that the quarter will integrate seamlessly with the urban fabric. With a high number of restaurants and cafés, the quarter is set to become Wiesbaden’s prime food destination.
City Plaza, Wuppertal, Germany
A five-storey flagship store for Primark is the centrepiece of City Plaza, a large urban redevelopment project which marks the rail gateway to Wuppertal’s city centre, forming part of an assembly of impressive historical buildings which define the remodelled square in front of the railway station.
City Plaza’s curved façade is clad with brass panels which alternate with the glass of the curtain wall, lifting the area's look and feel alongside major improvements to the surrounding public realm.
Chapman Taylor’s Düsseldorf studio, together with the investor, Signature Capital, won a prestigious 2019 MAPIC Award for the “Best Retail City Centre Regeneration” category.
Beixinjing Urban Design, Shanghai, China
The 1,700-hectare masterplan concept for Beixinjing will create a mixed-use urban development in the Putuo district of southern Shanghai. The urban regeneration project will redevelop former industrial areas to provide new residential areas, commercial facilities and community uses.
The scheme will be strategically well-located, served by Hongqiao Railway Station and Hongqiao Airport, and bolstered by the Hongqiao economic development zone.
North Westgate, Peterborough, UK
Heritage preservation is a key feature of our North Westgate urban regeneration design in Peterborough. The development, by Hawksworth Securities, which will transform a site largely used for surface car parks, includes retail units, a new office block, restaurants, a medical centre, a new food hall, a community centre, 210 apartments and a 120-bed hotel.
Famous heritage buildings have been sympathetically incorporated, with a refurbished Westgate Church being the focus of a new public square. The development is designed to foster a sense of community with a vibrant environment active late into the evening.
Plaza Grafinger Strasse, Munich, Germany
PLAZA Grafinger Strasse is the central development in a new district in Munich, on a 7,340m² former industrial site within the city’s inner ring. The former industrial precinct, near to the Munich East railway station, will be transformed into an attractive area for urban living, working, entertainment and culture.
Shopping occupies most of the ground floor, while separate buildings with various functions complete the block perimeter on the upper levels.
The individual buildings are occupied by a hotel, extended-stay apartments, offices and a fitness and sports medicine building, over which a climbing centre cantilevers.
Chapman Taylor's Düsseldorf studio designed this core part of the Werksviertel district’s regeneration for R&S Immobilien management GmbH, a subsidiary of Rhode & Schwarz.