Project Brief

Completed in November 2011, the RIBA Award-winning £28 million Exhibition Road redevelopment project has transformed one of London’s most visited streets into one of the most accessible cultural destinations in the world. Home to leading cultural and academic institutions such as the Natural History Museum and Imperial College, Exhibition Road had become inefficient over time, dominated by traffic with narrow, crowded pavements and street clutter. A complete redesign was needed to improve infrastructure and access to facilities.

Solution

The winning design envisioned a complete overhaul of the street, creating a ‘shared space’ where pedestrians and vehicles co-exist without one being dominant. This was achieved by removing kerbs, pavements, and other obstructions, encouraging motorists to slow down and engage with pedestrians, and creating a safer and more secure environment for all.

Marshalls was approached in 2010 to supply a range of key physical features for the redevelopment, including natural stone, bespoke street lighting, drainage solutions, and street furniture. Marshalls worked with Dixon Jones and contractors Balfour Beatty to supply 22,000m² of Yorkstone paving and Granite setts banded in black and pink, creating the diagrid crisscross paving pattern that gives the street its unique visual identity. The Marshalls water management team designed and supplied the street’s drainage solutions, including two continuous linear drainage channels with bespoke cast iron tops. Woodhouse, part of the Marshalls PLC group, designed and supplied a new multifunction street lighting concept, including 28 bespoke tapering 20m steel lighting masts that define the centre of the carriageway and coordinate with the Woodhouse Geo street furniture range.

Outcome

The finished result makes Exhibition Road one of the most striking thoroughfares in London. The paving’s diamond-shaped pattern naturally leads users across the street from one famous cultural centre to another. The clutter-free environment feels calm and allows crowds to flow more freely, providing easy passage from South Kensington tube station to the museums lining the famous road. The bespoke Woodhouse lighting masts enhance the appearance of the streetscape's many colours, textures, and finishes, giving pedestrians a feeling of added security.

Client Comments

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “This clever approach to rearranging the streetscape at the heart of one of the most important cultural and academic corners on the planet will heighten the whole experience for visitors. In particular, it will make it much easier and even more pleasurable for families visiting these unique attractions with space to wander unhindered in an area that puts people first.”

Councillor Sir Merrick Cockell, leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, said: “It has taken us the best part of ten years to get here but South Kensington and Exhibition Road finally have the setting they deserve. We now have a unique streetscape that will delight our many millions of visitors and which sets a new standard for urban design.”