Context

The Brewery Quarter in Cheltenham town centre is an established regional leisure destination that includes multi-screen cinemas, a bowling centre, health and fitness facilities, bars and restaurants.

In 2017, it was transformed with a £30m retail-led expansion, adding an additional 100,000 sq ft of prime retail space, a £6m 104-bedroom Premier Inn and 34 modern town centre apartments. A pedestrian link to the High Street forms the backbone to the new development.

Products supplied

IOTA was commissioned by the management company for The Brewery Quarter, on behalf of landlords NFU Mutual Insurance Society, to manufacture and supply bespoke aluminium tree planters for the pedestrian link.

The cylindrical planters were manufactured from 3.0mm-thick aluminium, with a polyester powder-coated finish to RAL 7016 [Anthracite grey]. The 1500 (dia) x 1000mm (h) planters include tree rootball attachment points.

Powder-coated aluminium is more expensive than powder-coated steel, but aluminium will not corrode if the surface paint finish is scratched through to bare metal. Therefore, for heavily-trafficked areas such as The Brewery Quarter where a long design life is required, the additional cost of aluminium can be justified.

Outcome

The planters are planted to great effect, for year-round interest, with multi-stem Prunus serrula Tibetica [Tibetan Cherry].