Context

Bristol is home to Cabot Circus, a modern and uniquely designed city centre shopping mall with a number of high street retail shops, restaurants and office spaces. The area was to be reimagined to include apartments above retail units, car parking, rooftop gardens and residential terraces.

Near to Cabot Circus is Quakers Friars, a bustling public space with high-end shops. The square is surrounded by restaurants and cafes and, in the warm months, shoppers and tourists can dine alfresco.

Requirement

To connect shoppers to the centre of the shopping mall, more intimate spaces were required for them to pause and rest.

Solution

RailRoad seating with integrated planters were chosen to provide places to rest in the centre of the square. A combination of straight and curved modules were combined with Delta supports made from recycled steel, triple-processed and powder-coated in copper brown. Built-in RailRoad planters brought people closer to nature and added much-needed greenery to the concrete surroundings.

In addition, bespoke RailRoad wall-top benches were created and added to existing brick walls that formed part of a tree protection area, creating a more appealing and comfortable place to rest opposed to the ordinary brick walls.

For litter management, the Arca dual litter bins provided a perfect co-ordinated solution with the RailRoad seating, which were also powder-coated in copper brown to harmonise.

Result

The additional space in the area has provided a much needed place for workers and locals to sit, eat lunch and dwell.