Farrer Huxley
The public realm is designed to be inhabited day or night.

Clarendon Centre

Oxford

Public realm proposals for an experiential mixed-use quarter in Oxford City Centre, comprising a new square and connecting streets.
 
Type Regeneration, Play, Health & Wellbeing, Masterplanning & Urban Design, Public Realm & Commercial
Location Oxford City Centre
Scale 0.71 ha (7,100 sqm) Public realm proposals for an experiential mixed-use quarter in Oxford City Centre, comprising a new square and connecting streets.
Client Lothbury Investment Management
Partners Marchini Curran Associates
 
Context/ Ambition Farrer Huxley have been appointed to design the public realm for the mixed-use development of the Clarendon Centre in Oxford, a covered shopping mall in existence since the 1960s. Working alongside Marchini Curran Associate

Context/ Ambition

Farrer Huxley have been appointed to design the public realm for the mixed-use development of the Clarendon Centre in Oxford, a covered shopping mall in existence since the 1960s.

Working alongside Marchini Curran Associates, the vision is to create a 21st century social destination, unlocking the site’s sustainable and contemporary value through a greater diversity of uses including food and drink, retail, offices, student accommodation, R&D facilities, a destination square and inhabitable streets.

The transformation of this space represents a pioneering approach to reimagining our town centres which reflects the change in people’s needs and expectations of what these places should offer. The design offers visitors and the community a varied, green and animated place to dwell, meet and encounter moments of excitement.

IMPACT A New Destination In a city centre whose green spaces are mostly college quads glimpsed through gateways, Clarendon Square represents a much-needed open space for use by all - a city centre oasis in which to meet or find a moment of

IMPACT

A New Destination

In a city centre whose green spaces are mostly college quads glimpsed through gateways, Clarendon Square represents a much-needed open space for use by all - a city centre oasis in which to meet or find a moment of quiet.

Gateways, courtyards and connecting passages of varying characters and scales are woven together by natural elements whose form, texture and movement contribute to a sensory experience. Greenery visible from the end of routes signpost this destination and draw people to its heart, and a water feature further celebrates and amplifies nature within the city.

The public realm is at once practical and memorable. Working with local artists has enabled the creation of a culturally significant and adaptable square that can welcome events and installations throughout the year.

Approach Complementing Local Character, but Offering Something New Clarendon Square builds on the distinctive college quad typology but enhances its usability. Taking inspiration from the site’s history and heritage, the typical manicured a

Approach

Complementing Local Character, but Offering Something New

Clarendon Square builds on the distinctive college quad typology but enhances its usability. Taking inspiration from the site’s history and heritage, the typical manicured aesthetic is replaced with something more relaxed, creating an environment that encourages people to dwell and which welcomes nature’s changing habits.

A Place to Connect

The Clarendon Centre brings together ‘town and gown’, providing outdoor amenity for local residents, students and visitors alike. The versatile spaces afford opportunities to socialise, study, stop for lunch or simply pass through. The public realm is designed to be inhabited day or night, with cafes and retail spilling into the square and its surround passages. Playful invitations are brought by changes in levels and the presence of moving water.

Nature Promotes Wellbeing

Natural elements – trees, boulders and wate – create a calm and sensory setting. Mature trees bring about an established feel and their verdant canopy provides shade in the summer months. The sound of water diverts attention away from the city centre hubbub, contributing to a sense of tranquillity. Planting across many levels promotes biodiversity and welcomes wildlife.

Robust & Practical

The public realm is refined but made to last, composed of robust, attractive and low-maintenance materials and planting. Furniture and surfaces are tactile and welcoming, complimenting each other to create a coherent palette which feels familiar and welcoming.

Type Regeneration, Play, Health & Wellbeing, Masterplanning & Urban Design, Public Realm & Commercial