Eccleston Yards

Eccleston Yards redevelops a previously derelict and underutilised car park between Victoria and Belgravia. Our focus on the pedestrian experience has brought in new footfall – and a diverse new community. The project involves the refurbishment of five existing buildings at ground level which are opened up into nineteen retail and gallery spaces, as well as the creation of a new public courtyard, and the placement of new pedestrian routes to connect with neighbouring streets. The scheme repairs the urban fabric and creates an energetic co-working hub for visitors and creative talent that champions the reuse of existing buildings in London. It re-establishes this area as a vibrant and attractive place to visit. Our interventions centred on the experience at ground floor: visitors are led through the scheme by a unifying ‘carpet’ of concrete paving, while new shopfronts have been added to the surrounding buildings, activating the perimeter of the previously dormant site. Life at the Yards revolves around a central courtyard, which is both an anteroom to the buildings around it and a place in itself. We envisaged it as a blank canvas which could be co-opted by its user: it now hosts pop-up screenings, food festivals and sporting events, while local artists have taken occupation of the space by painting murals around its walls. We began by establishing pedestrian access from Ebury Street and Eccleston Yards through new passageways. Retail units housed within restored industrial buildings at ground level serve to activate the public realm set out beneath a new lighting scheme. This increases permeability through the site and leads to central landscaped courtyard which serves as an anteroom for the entire scheme. Raised planters interlock to act as seating and the space is popular throughout the week, appealing to office workers on weekday lunchtimes, as well as visitors and families at weekends. The provision of power allows for cultural events to be held in the space, such as a pop-up cinema, food festivals and sporting events. Throughout Eccleston Yards, the character of the original buildings is evident in those elements we have chosen to retain. These include larger features such as decorative stonework, cast- and wrought-iron structural columns and beams, as well as smaller touches such as Victorian junction boxes and archaeologically exposed layers of brick and render. By reusing the existing buildings in their current form with little to no structural intervention, we have sustainably brought them and the courtyard into public use. This demonstrates a minimal and passive way to develop buildings whilst successfully creating engaging spaces that greatly improve the pre-existing site. The success of Eccleston Yards rests in its diverse mix of uses. The scheme retains a human scale and celebrates the individuality of each of the buildings, and the combination of food, fashion and retail, combined with co-working, culture and wellbeing, keeps the space lively, whether during the working week or evenings and weekends.