2022 Alan Barnes Scholarship Winner reports back

The Alan Barnes Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate architecture students in their final year who wish to explore the world through architecture. It is open to any student educated through the post-primary system in Northern Ireland, who studies at a recognised School of Architecture in Britain or Ireland, and who is at present in their third year. The scholarship is for between £500 and £1000 and should be used to assist the winning student(s) with the costs of their trip.

In 2022 Orren McLaughlin was one of the scholarship recipients, here he reports back on his travels to Philadelphia and New York.

I was delighted to win this award for my proposal to travel to Philadelphia and New York to study urban parks. Urban Parks are important spaces that add value to inner cities, they allow residents and workers to dwell within their city and are important for tourism and for supporting regeneration. Neighbourhood parks not only add diversity to a city, they also give something back to their surroundings and the environment. How big a role an urban park can play depends on the quality of the park and how many people use it.

The parks I studied to inform my proposal were in Philadelphia (Logan Circle, Franklin Square, Washington Square and Rittenhouse Square) and New York’s Paley Park. Belfast is similar in many ways to these two great cities in terms of having a wealth of history and culture, facing social and economic challenges and in many ways, they are all trying hard to re-invent themselves.

The four parks in Philadelphia were part of Pennsylvania’s founding father William Penn’s great plan for the city. He can to this day be seen clutching the plan in his hand in his statue on top of Philadelphia City Hall. Penn specified that the parks were to remain open for the recreation of the residents. The four parks have evolved with the neighbourhoods around them but play an important role for residents, workers and tourists.

New York’s Paley Park is a pocket park located at 3 East 53rd Street between Madison and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, NY. It is on the former site of the infamous Stork Club where the engagement of Grace Kelly and Prince Renier was made public to the world. The club was purchased by the owner of CBS network and philanthropist William Paley and turned into an Urban Park for the local residents, workers and tourists to enjoy. It opened May 23rd, 1967.

From my research in Philadelphia and New York I have presented a proposal for a new Urban Park in a central but deprived area of Belfast City Centre between lower Donegal Street and lower North Street. It is currently a car park on waste ground but has historical and geographical significance. An Urban Park at this location could potentially act as a catalyst and springboard for positive change in line with Planning policy to increase the number of people living in Belfast City Centre. It could transform this area, encourage footfall, encourage tourists and enhance a deprived area. It could support current and long-term regeneration projects within the city. The Tribeca proposals for Belfast would really benefit from this type of Urban Park with a small luxury boutique hotel (including it’s extension on one side (The Assembly Building) and dual-purpose apartments overlooking the Park with ground floor office and retail units on the side (These are currently in the Tribeca planning proposals).All mile markers out of Belfast were once measured from this location. It’s beside the old Assembly Building, the site of the Belfast Harp Festival and the trial and execution of Henry Joy McCracken. The site was once surrounded by mills and warehouses. The river Farset which gives Belfast its name runs underground near the site. The area was popular for writers and most of the major newspapers in Belfast. The Marquess of Donegall (Arthur Chichester) paid for the Cathedral to be built which was named after his wife Anne. I have endeavoured to bring all this history and culture into the park while at the same time adhering to the three elements that make an Urban Park – Water, Stone and Vegetation (Ray Hughes – Manager of Paley Park New York).

I have called the park in my proposal ‘Four Corners Park’ as a nod to the site’s previous importance. The Park has been designed with a curved glass feature roof with LED lighting attached to add character at night. The glass roof was important in the design to allow light within the park which will be important for the strategically placed Ash trees. It would also act as shelter from Belfast’s inclement weather and allow the park to be used for longer periods.

The Donegal Street entrance has an arch that will include the name of the park with ‘Belfast’ deliberately placed to encourage tourists to take photos. The floor of the park will be cobblestones as a reminder of what used to be on the surrounding streets. The main feature of the park will be a huge water feature to create atmosphere which will also have strategic lighting. The water feature will have all the quarters of Belfast carved onto a low wall around the water feature which I would call the Farset Fall to remind people of the river that gave Belfast its name. The water feature is designed to be intentionally loud but not over powering.

I have included a small catering venue within the park for street food to be served from. People will be encouraged to eat their own packed lunch in the park or to purchase a meal on the site. Tables and chairs are similar to those in Paley Park and MOMA will be in the park as they are practical and it gives you the freedom off space to sit where the users would prefer (The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces – The Moveable Chair). I have included steel plates around the walls with the name of current and past newspapers carved into them. These touches have all been added deliberately to make the park a tourist attraction. Visitors to the park are likely to ‘splash cash’ in nearby businesses.

Importantly the Four Corners Park proposal can be accessed from both Donegall and North Street. The water feature is visible from both sides and is deliberated wider at one side to provide an appearance of being straight on from both streets.