Situated within the North Western region of Ireland, the site commonly known as Fort George has provided various usages for the City of Derry and beyond. The site was named ‘Fort George’ by British soldiers who moved into the site in the 1970’s. Fort George is located on the west bank of the River Foyle, which is connected to the Atlantic Ocean. Fort George has played a major role in both the World Wars and was famous for its shipbuild-ing industry contributing with the manufacture of landing craft.

From the year 2000, the site has remained derelict and is locally perceived as a barrier to pedestrian movement and an eye-sore to the city’s waterfront image. The reason for part of the delay was the eradication of Japanese Knotweed. The site is approximately 5.17 Ha and is currently derelict. Many proposals within the past decade have been dismissed and the city’s popula-tion are concerned about the future usage of the site.

Introduction

The aim of this project is to assess the Fort George site and its surrounding areas, so that a concept of redevelopment may be established and a final proposal utilising concept plan for sustainable regeneration can be implemented.

Waterfront regeneration has become a common feature of urban re-generation, where it is seen as a prime location for developers to adopt. With the success of the recent regeneration of Ebrington Square and the newly constructed Peace Bridge, all eyes in the city have turned towards Fort George. This site poses a perfect opportunity to further improve the recent success of regeneration along the city’s waterfront whilst respect-ing the historical heritage that this site has forged.

The City of Derry was rewarded the first ever UK City of Culture award for the year 2013. The award has revitalised the city and has attract funding that has helped regenerate urban spaces into new civic areas. The city has suffered major setbacks over the past 40 years due to the Troubles and deindustrialisation. However, now there is a belief that Derry can reform into a new iconic city within the UK. Aim & Objectives

Brief

Introduction

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In the early 19th century the site that is now known as Fort George saw the establishment of shipbuilders which built and repaired small boat vessels. In 1855 The Londonderry Port and Harbour Commission-ers was created and was responsible for the con-struction of a dry dock to further improve the city’s shipbuilding industry. The shipyard suffered some setbacks towards the end of 19th century and was closed; however in 1899 the shipyard was re-opened and was reinvigorated so that the yard could start to build larger vessels (380+ feet). These vessels were sold all across the British Isles and some were even sold to countries within the African continent.

When World War I started the shipyard was further improved so that it could operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. It employed over 2000 men and helped boost and diversify the economy of the city which relied heavily on the clothing industry. With the end of the Great War and the subse-quent Great Depression the ship building industry in Derry suffered immensely, eventually leading to the closure of the shipyard. This was the end of shipbuilding in Derry and site remained derelict up until the start of World War II.

The former shipyard became a national base for the Royal Navy and was used as a base to protect allied warships from enemy threats. During this period of time, Derry became a very cosmopolitan city as an estimated 20,000-30,000 foreign sailors visited. Navy’s came from Canada, France, and USA and even as far as India. An estimated 1600 ships used the port during World War II and the US navy invested in building facilities within Derry in 1941. The site was used as a repairing yard, help-ing repair over 400 US vessels but also saw the construction of landing craft. Derry was the UK’s most westerly harbour, meaning that it was outside the reaches of German Bombers (due to the fuel: distance ratio). This was a key factor in Derry’s suc-cess to being a major navy base during those war periods. An underground naval command bunker still remains in the grounds of Magee University College.

In 1960 the port and dockyards closed for the final time, where the site lay derelict until 1971 when the British Army used it as a base. ‘Fort George’ was a name given to the site by the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, named after Fort George (Scotland).

In 2000, the site was vacated and left derelict for over a decade. Many ideas have come forward about the future usage of the site, however due to conflicting interests and the current economic climate the site still remains vacant.

Fort George has remained empty for over the past decade, it has become a barrier for pedestrian movement and creates a displeasing visual image for the city’s waterfront. The site seems to be forgotten and overlooked by the regeneration of more central areas to the city, such as Ebrington and the Guildhall Square. For such a site steeped in a great deal of history and heritage, it is sad to see the lack of interest into regenerating the site and its surrounding areas.

It has the potential of becoming an iconic space within North Ireland and even within Europe. The city’s waterfront setting is something which the city prides itself on, where the site has a view southwards towards the city and the surrounding topography. Over the past few years Derry has seen a lot of regeneration projects take place in the preparation for City of Culture 2013. Those include the Peace Bridge, Ebrington Square, Waterloo Place and The Guildhall Square. These projects have helped vastly improve what was once a ‘no-go’ area at the end of the 20th Century, into linked public spaces booming with vitality and offering a pleasant neutral environment for both communities to interact. With these improvements to the city’s public realm, there remains an opportunity to continue with the successful waterfront regeneration on the derelict Fort George site.

Historical Analysis

19th Century

Early 20th Century

Late 20th Century

Site Today

Views From Site

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4 5 6

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Derry Area Plan 2011 This area plan points out some of the key issues that relate to the Fort George site. Some of the important factors are listed as follows:

o To help protect and conserve the natural habit of local wildlife o A focus on developing imaginative and interesting housing layouts,

which meet the needs of the community and provide variety and choice.

o Emphasis on open space within areas of high residency figures. o Policy H 5 Designated Flat Zones – Emphasis on commercial ground

floor usage along with residential occupancy on floors above, due to the likely growth of the Magee University Campus.

o To help provide community facilities that ‘embrace education, health and community services’.

o Policy R2 Recreational use of the River Foyle – ‘To encourage both public and private bodies to provide appropriate recreational facilities along the River Foyle’.

o Boosting tourism figures within the city to help improve economic and employment figures.

o To further develop the transportation network within the inner city towards surrounding areas, with a strong focus on improving public transport and cycle routes.

o Riverside Strategy – Recognition of the widespread public desire to re-establish a meaningful relationship between the City and its river.

o Policy BE 1 Urban Design – ‘Development proposals should respect the opportunities and constraints of the specific site and have regard to the potential to create a new sense of place through sensitive design’

PPS 3 Access, Movement and Parking

The objectives for this policy are:

o Promote road safety for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users. o Restrict number of new access routes and control the level of use of existing access

routes. o Ensure that new development offers a realistic choice of accesses by walking cycling and

public transport. o To promote parking policies that will assist in reducing reliance on the private car. o PPS 8 Open Space, Sport and Outdoor Recreation o Ensuring open space areas and sporting facilities are convenient and accessible for all

sections of society. o Achieving high standards of siting, design and landscaping for all new open space areas

and sporting facilities.

Regional Development Strategy (RDS)

There are some important issues within this strategy that relate to development on the Fort George site. Some of these points are listed below:

o To help improve the quality and style of housing. o Use of effective mixed use space, especially on derelict sites. o Focus on good urban design within built up environments. o Strengthen the role of Derry as the regional city and transport hub of the North-West. o Encourage economic growth and industrial development to meet the employment

needs of a fast growing population. o Accommodate planned housing growth for the year 2015. o Upgrading strategic transport links. o Diversification of energy supplies. o Expansion of University.

Like many northern urban areas within the UK over the last decade, Derry has suffered significantly due to the lack of employment opportunities and investment. Recently a major concern within the city is the issue of whether or not Derry will receive an expansion to its existing university campus (Magee).

Derry is also suffering from an ongoing problem, where many 16-39 years olds have decided to emigrate from the city due to lack of opportunities. This problem has been referred to both as a ‘Brain Drain’ and as a ‘Skills Seepage’. Due to the recent economic downfall the opportunity of employment within the city has fallen leading to mass emigration amongst school leavers eager to avoid a life on the dole. The graph on the right shows the population fall in the 16-39 age bracket between 2001-2011 (39050-36709), it should also be noted that Derry’s population has grown from 105,000 -108,000 in between these years (NISRA, 2011).

Another aspect to this brain drain is the limited spaces for third level education within Derry. Magee only offers 1500 places, which means that Derry has one of the smallest proportions of undergraduate places of any city within the UK and Ireland (U4D, 2012). Over the years there has been talk of Magee expansion, however despite positive specula-tion nothing has emerged. With a lack of university spaces within the city, school leavers are forced to move away from home creating a small age gap within the city’s population. As a result of this, local businesses are losing out on the substantial benefits of a student population which other cities use to balance out the drop in tourists during winter months.

Furthermore once students that have moved to Scotland and England have graduated, the opportunity to return to their native city and gain employment is extremely limited due to the lack of relevant career opportunities. It has become a vicious cycle. Derry which once lost its youth to violence is now losing them to emigration .If allowed to continue unchecked this will produce social and economic problems which will create a bleak picture for potential investors and prospective returning émigrés alike.

Contextual Analysis

Brain Drain SWOT Analysis

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Carrying out a detailed site analysis helps provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the site. This section of the project shows the physical setting of the site in relation to its surrounding areas and its physical attributes. Using a site analysis helps with developing a future con-cept for the site.

This map shows the walking distances from the site into the city centre and some of the surrounding areas. It also displays the key nodes and landmarks within the city. The site is approximately a 20 minute walk from the Peace Bridge, Guildhall Square and the city centre. As mentioned before it is situated on a major node which acts as a barrier to pedestrian move-ment.

The river front walkway is one that is used often by the population of Derry. This would be the main walkway up to the site, as people would prefer to walk along the river side and away from the busy main roads. The riverfront walkway features a range of various uses: City Council offices, restaurants, shops, businesses and accommodation.

Fort George is located approximately 20 minutes (walking distance) from the city centre. The site is situated along the River Foyle and very close to the Pennyburn and Culmore Road residential areas. One of the key attributes for the site is its existing position along the riverfront pathway, running southwards along the river and through the city centre towards the border with Co. Donegal.

This walkway is also connected to the recently constructed Peace Bridge which is linked to the regenerated Ebrington Square. The opportunity to propose a development strategy that connects the city centre with Fort George can also have an important impact on the surrounding commu-nities within the area. Therefore it is important that any development proposals need to be sympathetic to the local communities in terms of building heights, enclosures and land uses.

As well as being located on the river, Fort George is also located on a meeting point of 3 busy roads. The Pennyburn Roundabout is a major nodal point situated between the Buncrana Road, Culmore Road and Strand Road. These are three of the busiest roads within the Cityside (west side of river), where the Culmore and Buncrana Road run directly to the international border. The Strand Road begins at this meeting point and runs in towards the city centre; it is one of the busiest dual carriage-ways within the city during peak traffic hours.

As the site is located directly beside this node, it creates a serious prob-lem for pedestrian movement around this area. These roads have cre-ated a barrier for pedestrian movement and have damaged the attrac-tiveness for developing public space along the waterfront. Attention to this issue will help create a pedestrian friendly environment for proposed redevelopment.

Early observations show that there are limited entry points into the site in terms of vehicle access. The only vehicle access point is at the far north west of the site. It has been recently constructed so that the site could provide temporary car parking during events that were taking place during the City of Culture year.

As mentioned previously the site sits upon a major node, which limits the possibilities of implementing more vehicle access points into the site. This is another factor that will be taken into account throughout the pro-ject, as it will have great impact on the design concept for the site.

Strand Road Cross Section

The hand drawn map to the right displays further legibility in terms of sun orienta-tion, building heights and barriers within the surrounding area.

The cross section below shows the Strand Road corridor facing south towards the city centre. The image shows how the road is acting as a barrier to the site for pedes-trians.

Site Analysis

Walking Distances

Traffic Conversion

Access Points

Legibility & Landmarks

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The map to the left shows the existing pedestrian walkways that sur-round the site. All of these walkways are connected to the city centre and move in alternate directions. Walking along riverfront means that the pedestrian does not have to cross any roads, which helps improve the public realm for the city.

The other 3 walkways include the difficulty of crossing busy main roads with the assistance of few pedestrian crossings. This factor has to be looked at when developing a concept plan for the redevelopment of the site.

However on a positive note, these walkways are well connected to sur-rounding neighbourhood communities i.e. Duncreggan Student Village, Pennyburn and Garden City. This factor will help boost the public realm in this part of the city and will hopefully attract more people to walk down, visit and pass through a new developed site.

As mentioned previously Fort George is located in a difficult transit posi-tion, where it sits on a major junction. Adjacent to the site is the Pen-nyburn round-about, which connects the Strand Road, Buncrana Road and the Culmore Road. These roads transport traffic towards the city and to the border at Muff and Bridge End. This is an issue that could be both beneficial and detrimental to any development taking place on the site.

The Culmore Road is also linked to the Foyle Bridge which is connected to the Crescent Link (Waterside), Skeoge Road (City Side) and the Lima-vady Road (Waterside/Road to Airport). This will help benefit the pro-posal in terms of accessing the site and surrounding areas.

The Pennyburn Gateway is predominantly an industrial area, which lacks in urban design and a good public realm. There is also very little green space areas that are easily accessible to the site. Furthermore, with the exception of the riverside jetty the area has no civic spaces for people to use. The waterfront has very few places for people to engage in riverside activities, such as rowing or sailing. These are issues that need to be focused upon when redeveloping this Brownfield site, as the area lacks a public realm and has very little green space.

The map shows a variety of land uses that surround the Fort George site. The surrounding areas are of mixed use and show a pattern of development. The two major uses that dominate this area are residential and industrial, which is not surprising as the area was vastly industrial in the early 20th Century. The Strand Road corridor leading in towards the city centre is lined with a commercial usage pattern.

During the concept stage of the project, land use will be looked at again as the proposal will explore how a new development of mixed uses will interact with the outside uses of the surrounding areas.

The building heights surrounding the site differ only slightly from one another and there are no substantial differences in height along the waterfront. The tallest building within the area is the Ulster Bank Building (7 Storeys), which is located to the north of the proposed site.

The Strand Road corridor has a range of building heights between 2-5 storeys high. Fort George has the advantage of being a south facing site, meaning that it can take full advantage of the suns’ orientation all year long.

The figure ground map shows the urban fabric of the surround-ing areas in reference to the proposed site. As the site lies on the edge of the city centre, there is a variety of building sizes which can be seen. During the 20th century the site was a domi-nant industrial space within the city. The map shows that to the north and the west of the site, there is urban grain in the form of large block structures matching an industrial style format.

Along the south west of the site (adjacent to the Strand Road), there are rows of terraced housing which would have been constructed during the industrial period. These rows of houses would have been used to accommodate those working in the shipyards and other surrounding clothing factories.

The urban grain also shows that there are also a lot of resi-dential settlements surrounding the site, which will have to be acknowledged in any proposal put forward.

Figure Ground

Land Use

Building Heights

Existing Walkways

Public Realm/ Green Space

Arterial Routes

IndustrialCommunityCommercial (retail)ResidentialCommercial (non-retail)Educational

1-2 Storey2-3 Storey4-5 Storey6+ Storey

Waterfront WalkwayDuncreggan WalkwayGarden City WalkwayPennyburn Walkway

Site Analysis

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Laganside Corporation was set up in 1989 with the responsi-bility to regenerate designated derelict areas along the River Lagan. The corporations’ aims were to help rebuild Belfast after the effect of the Troubles. One of the main objectives was to improve the water quality within the Lagan weir. Laganside received grants from various commissions to help regenerate the city, which proved to be a success. Up until 1998, it was reported that Laganside received a total of £84 million. The funding has helped rebuild areas such as Ravenhill Reach and has helped boost tourism-led development.

Another important objective was to help attract international investors to what was once a ‘no-go’ zone within Western Eu-rope. It has proved to be a success as Belfast now hosts global businesses such as Citi Bank, All State and Deloitte.

The Harbourfront Centre in Toronto Canada is a 10-acre waterfront development set up by a non-profitable organisa-tion. The Canadian government realised that there was po-tential in Toronto’s derelict industrial harbour land. In 1971 the Ontario Government opened up Ontario Place (Public Space), to encourage more access and tourism.

During the Harbourfronts’ development process a lot of care was taken to preserve existing buildings. Some of the old buildings have been refurbished to house galleries, theatres, craft studios, cafes and shops. There are also marina slips for rent on the harbour front for those visiting the city and the Harbourfront area. It also provides seasonal activities all year long for people of all ages. Offering outside events, exhibi-tions and even summer camp programmes, Harbourfront Centre is a global hotspot for waterfront activity.

Seaport Village is a 14 acre site accommodating a shopping, dining and entertainment complex. Established in 1980, the vision was to recreate the harbour side setting from a centu-ry ago. San Diego is one of the biggest ports in the US, where it brings in an estimated 3.3 million metric tons of cargo per year. Located in the South of California, San Diego is becom-ing one of the fastest growing cities within USA. The city receives over 32 million visitors per year and generates over $388 million from tourism alone.

Seaport is a major tourist attraction that is linked into San Diego’s harbour front. The village is surrounded with mari-nas and marine activity. It is a space of leisure situated away from the built up area of the inner city, featuring a 4 miles of cobblestone pathways that flow through the village.

The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) was cre-ated by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997 to lead a major project of physical, social and economic regen-eration in the East side of Dublin. The aim for the DDDA was to develop the Dublin Docklands into a world-class city quarter paragon of sustainable inner city regeneration. Their objectives were to create a space where communities could enjoy the highest standards of access to education, employment, housing and social amenity. They aimed to deliver a major contribution to the social and economic prosperity of Dublin and the whole of Ireland through this regeneration project.

The project started in 1997 and consisted of redeveloping a site that stretched over 520 ha. Dublin Docklands has attracted over €3.35 billion of public and private investment. 40,000 new jobs have been created and 11,000 new homes have been built (which 2,200 are social and affordable housing).From 1997-2008 the population within the area grew from 17,500 to 22,000.

After a brief online consultation with members of the public, insight into the needs of the surrounding com-munities was gained. People within the area wanted to see the site being developed for the people of the city, rather than for another science park or commercial unit.

From the site analysis and the community consultation, the following objectives were created in order to pro-vide a site that will benefit the area:

• Provide mixed use facilities that can be used by residents and visitors.• Create an economic structure that benefits local businesses and helps to provide long term employment.• Link the site to the City Centre, Peace Bridge and Ebrington Square along the waterfront walkway.• Create open spaces where people can come to relax and enjoy a waterfront atmosphere. • Create green space within the site to help ameliorate the built up environment that surrounds the site.• Develop walkways that facilitate permeability whilst providing new visuals for pedestrians moving through

the site (serial vision).• Provide sport and recreational activities along the waterfront for residents of both the site and surrounding

communities.• Create an extension of the University of Ulster Magee campus to help attract more students into the city.

The aim is to create a ‘work-live-play’ environment that entices people in to the area. Moreover, expanding the university campus and connecting it to onsite incubation units will help boost the city’s economy. It will also offer students the option to stay and study in Derry, rather than travel afar to undertake courses that are not offered to them at the present moment. All-in-all the new vision for development will encourage activity within the area and will increase the vitality of the public realm.

Concept & Precendents

Belfast, Laganside Toronto, Harbourfront Centre San Diego, Seaport Village Dublin, Dublin Docklands

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Mara Avenue Plaza

Through the centre of the site there will be a main street corridor that runs from the Strand Road all the way to the water’s edge. Pedestrians will be welcomed by ground floor commercial units along the plaza; made up of shops, cafes and boutiques helping to create lively frontages.

University Campus

This signature building will host a new university extension; it will help provide additional space that the Magee campus is desperately looking for. The building will consist of lecture theatres and labora-tories, as well as an events room and ground floor cafeteria.

Office Buildings

The back edge of the site will provide office space for potential investors to set up business. These buildings will incorporate incubation units that area connected to the new university campus. The connection between the two will help new gradu-ates/ existing students gain experience in a working environment, without having to travel outside of the city.

Dry Dock Square

This new landmark space will provide the city with a new historical and cultural district dedi-cated to marine heritage. It will serve as a space for people to relax in and enjoy the waterfront environment.

Marine Heritage Museum & Outdoor Gallery

This building will be dedicated to the marine heritage of the site, and will serve as a museum celebrating the rich maritime heritage of the North West of Ireland. Attached to the outside of the building will be an outdoor gallery displaying old images and maps of the sites history.

One Way Road System

The one-way road system would be more effec-tive as the site only has one vehicle access point. This system allows for a continuous flow which helps limit congestion within the site.

Pedestrian Crossings

Pedestrian crossings will be implemented within the site and along the Strand Road to help increase pe-destrian movement.

From looking at the objectives and developing a concept, certain approaches to physically developing the site were explored. One of the main focuses was to make sure that views to the river were not obscured by new buildings. By implementing smaller structures towards the waterfront, views from the back of the site to the river were opened up. The building format along the waterfront consisted of various sizes and heights. These were structured in a random formation so that serial vision could be achieved. The implementation of a small marina gives the site more character and allows people to enjoy the waterfront with-out being subject to strong winds coming from the North. Green and civic spaces have been implemented through-out in order to facilitate human scale. These spaces make the development feel a lot more open and created a re-laxed environment.

Health and Respite Centre

This building will be dedicated to on and offsite medical care, as well as providing a respite centre for children. As Northern Ireland lacks in this kind of service, this site poses the perfect opportunity for developing such a centre for families situated in the North West. The building would provide underground parking facilities for those using the site that have travelled from afar.

Marina

A new introduction to the site will be a small marina inlet, which allows for water sport activity and slips for people to dock small boats. Surrounding the ma-rina will be small local cafes for people to relax along the waters edge.

Community Centre, Park & Sports Pitch

This area of the site offers a community centre attached to a park and 3G sports pitch. Neighbouring the commu-nity centre is a gallery/arts centre, which provides the opportunity for local artists to display their work.

Mixed-Use Residential Buildings

These two buildings will provide a centre for the site, with ground floor commercial units and upper floor residential space. This area of the site will see a lot of vitality and will help improve the public realm of the area. The building will consist of a mix of private, social and affordable apartments with shared access points. These buildings will also have onsite security as well as ground floor laundry rooms. The roof of each building will be covered in vegetation to encourage ecological activities, whilst also helping to intercept heavy rainfall during certain times of the year.

Landmark Building

Protruding out over the River Foyle is the site’s landmark building. The front of the building extends out over the river and is shaped like a ships bow. It is enveloped in an all glass façade that offers 180° views of the city and the river. The building will play host to various waterfront events that occur throughout the year and will serve as the club headquarters for Magee Boating Club and Lough Foyle Yacht Club. It can be developed to host intervarsity rowing competitions between Magee and other Irish and international universities.

Design Concepts

Concept Plan

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Following on from the concept plan these last few pages will establish the method behind the new design for the site and explore some of the key features within. This new site design has looked at some of the key issues from the SWOT analysis and provided a resolution for them. The land use within the site is mixed, which helps solve a lot of the socio-economic issues within surrounding areas. The new design also brings back life to the area, revi-talising a once historic site. Overall this new layout helps build upon the strengths, as outlined above, capturing beautiful views southwards along the Foyle towards the city centre.

The building heights within the site vary between 1-7+ storeys. An important factor in the planning of the heights of the buildings was the orientation of the sun throughout the entire year. Building upwards can have negative consequences, as a building behind could suffer from lack of sunlight during certain times of the day/year. It can also bring about a sense of enclosure between tall buildings which can be overwhelming for pedes-trians.

For those reasons the taller buildings are located towards the back of the site (north-west) and the smaller buildings are located towards the front of the site (waterfront). It was very important for this proposal to have the smaller buildings towards the water’s edge, so that views outwards towards the river and city centre do not suffer from a negative aspect.

Landuse

The landuse for the ground floor will consist primarily of commercial retail uses around the residential and waterfront area. The reason for this is to cre-ate a 24 hour environment and help establish active frontages within the site.

The north of the site will accommodate offices for businesses with a link to a new university campus. The vision is to create a link with the University of Ulster (Magee), expanding the city’s existing campus in order to help introduce more positions for students living within the city. This will help form a fluid business environment, where students can be linked with these onsite busi-nesses to help improve graduate employment figures within the city.

Along the waterfront there is an inlet marina proposed for water sport and marine based activities; this is also linked with the University of Ulster and City of Derry Rowing Club. A maritime museum will also be set along the water-front, helping to restore the culture and heritage of the site and its surround-ing areas.

Network and Parking

As there is only one vehicular access point onto the site, a one-way road net-work has been set up to encourage a smooth flow of traffic within the devel-opment proposal. The concept for the site is to make it very pedestrian friend-ly, therefore the one way system with pedestrian crossings is the best solution.

The plaza running through the middle of the site can be used as a shared road for both pedestrians and vehicles; however it can only be accessed by vehicles providing a maintenance or delivery service for commercial units within the plaza corridor, at certain times of the day. Access for emergency vehicles is available throughout the site.

On street parking will be implemented throughout the site along with under-ground parking. As there are a lot of office and residential units within the site, it is important to provide secure parking for car users.

Pedestrian Movement

The redevelopment of this site will create opportunity for new pedestrian movement along the waterfront. The map shows how movement could evolve around the area due to the site redevelopment. The layout of the building structures also provides serial vision within the site as well as act-ing as a permeable space.

By increasing permeability and creating the effect of serial vision the amount of nodes within the site will increase. This is important for the public realm of the area and it also increases the vibrancy along shop frontages.

The image to the left shows a breakdown in apartment size within Mara Avenue Apartments. These apartment buildings create a sense of urban living on top of a waterfront setting. Mara Avenue Apartments consists of 2/3 bedroom apartments suitable for small families and large studio apart-ments for young professionals.

The cross section below shows the width of Mara Avenue Plaza and the distance between the apartments and other surrounding buildings. Provid-ing a comfortable sense of enclosure within the site is very important when seeking to improve the public realm. The cross sections provide information regarding shared space.

OfficeEducationalCommercialResidentialCommunity, Arts and Leisure

1 Bedroom Apartment2 Bedroom Apartment3 Bedroom ApartmentShared AccessCommercial Units

1-2 Storey3-4 Storey5+ Storey

Design Proposal

Overview

Building Heights

Apartment Breakdown

Street Sections1 2

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Moving through the pedestrian access point and to the centre of the site, the initial building on the left is the Foyleview Gallery. This building is dedicated to local art-ists looking to display art and sculptures. The building is two storeys tall with a roof that supports large glass windows that help bring in natural sunlight to the inside gallery. Across from the gallery is a small civic space that commemorates the city’s role in WWII with two sculp-tures consisting of a U-Boat and its nemesis the Flower Class corvette. This civic space has great views across to St. Columb’s Park and the city centre.

A community centre, play park and sports pitch have been incorporated into the proposal to provide a leisure space for residents living within the site. The community centre also offers a small creche facility for onsite residents. There is also a greenspace to the front of the centre that can be utilised for small events i.e. Halloween/Christmas festivals. This area of the proposal seeks to create a more vibrant environment, as well as pro-viding an onsite service for small families.

To the rear of the centre is a small 3G sports pitch that is lit up at night by floodlights. It is a space that can be used by residents on and off the site throughout the entire year.The images on this page aim to portray the final designs proposals

within the community and leisure section of the site.

It compromises of a mix of uses that have been implemented to benefit those living within the site and surrounding communities. This section of the site has been designed to attract people to the waterfront. The buildings within this area have been laid out to create a pedestrian flow around the waterfront and marina areas. Open green spaces along with trees have been introduced to soften the area and create a relaxed envi-ronment. Trees will provide shade in summer, encourage airflow and act as an ecological balance to vehicular traffic.

A marina inlet has been implemented into the design proposal, which allows people to enjoy the waterfront atmosphere without being subject to oncoming northerly winds. The marina is surrounded by a restaurant and a small café. On the outside of these eateries, heated seat-ing areas are provided for people visiting the marina late at night. The buildings that surround the marina are at a low level height, which allows sunlight to reach the area throughout the year.

The improved pedestrian access point along the riverfront, allows people to move fur-ther into the site as well as along the water’s edge. The diagram to the right shows how the area is still very permeable even with the incorporation of new buildings.

Current Access Point

At the current moment there is a lack of outdoor activities within the city centre. By implementing onsite activities within the new development, Derry can build towards a larger outdoor activity scheme. Washington D.C is a prime example of utilising its natural environment to provide outdoor activities. The American city has a wide range of activities that appeal to its populous; these include cycling, kayaking and sailing.

The River Foyle poses a great opportunity to create an active waterfront environment, which includes the entire population of the city. Fort George is a perfect location to set up a base for such activities. The new marina inlet provides a space for water sport activities and can be used to attract inter-national gala events, such as the Clipper Yacht Race that visited Derry in 2012. Implementing a regeneration scheme that has emphasis on community development can help further improve Derry’s recent waterfront redevelopment efforts.

Marina

Design Proposals

Community & Leisure

Pedestrian Flow

Foyleview Community Centre

Waterfront Activity

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A maritime museum has been implemented into the site to offer visi-tors and tourists an insight into Northern Ireland’s maritime history and heritage. The museum offers various activities for school children visiting the site, to help make their learning experience a lot more exciting.

This page is dedicated to the designs for the new landmark square and building proposed along the centre of the waterfront. The concept behind this square is to attract large numbers of tourists into a new iconic landmark space. This space is attractively decorated with trees, lighting and sculptures whilst providing optimal views out over the River Foyle. Dry Dock Square boasts an enhanced jetty that allows visitors to walk further out onto the shoreline to gain inward views along the riverbank.

The new landmark building (right) offers a various amount of uses, ranging from office use to leisure. This public building extends over the shoreline, where it offers a viewing gal-lery from the buildings all glass façade. The glass façade incorporates a sustainable frame design, which has solar panels attached to help provide energy for the building.

The new riverfront jetty also has implemented a sea turbine that helps provide energy for the residents living on the site. As the River Foyle is a tidal river, the aim is to utilise its current to help provide sustainable energy for the entire site. This along with other sus-tainable plans will help make the site as environmentally friendly as possible.

This section of the site will be a major focal point, as it is lo-cated at the end of Mara Avenue Plaza. A continuous vista of the space is obtained whilst travelling through the Plaza. The landmark space has been designed to receive large amounts of sunlight all year long. The new building footprint also shelters the space from prevailing winds coming from the north.

Dry Dock Square is dedicated to city’s shipbuilding industry during the 19th and 20th Century. Like Ebrington Square (Wa-terside) a large statue will centre the space. The city’s maritime heritage has been overshadowed by the Troubles, which oc-curred in during the late 21st Century. The vision is to create a space dedicated to a city that played a major role in both of the World Wars.

During the summer months, the Buncrana Road is famous for blinding drivers whilst the sun is setting. However a vision for this proposal is to utilise the sunset and create a corridor of sun-light leading down towards Dry Dock Square.

Design Proposals

Dry Dock Square Summer Corridor

Maritime Museum & Outdoor Gallery

Landmark Building

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This section of the development proposal displays two large mixed-use buildings. The ground floors of both these structures are dedicated to providing com-mercial units for local business, such as boutiques and grocery shops. The upper floors of the buildings will provide residential space for private and afford-able housing.

Mara Avenue Apartments offer 148 residential units, with the majority of these being 2 bedroom apartments. The concept is to create a lively 24 hour en-vironment, in which residents feel at home and safe. Balconies from the apartments overlook Mara Avenue Plaza and onto Dry Dock Square. Shared access points are offered within the complex which is also patrolled by onsite security.

The complex incorporates a sustainable bathroom system, where rainwater is collected and used in each apartment’s toilets. Glass solar panels have also been placed within the window frames of every window in the complex, to help reduce the environmental impact of the site.

For those residents who drive, there is the option of using the underground parking garage. However, cycle schemes and public transport are encouraged to all those choosing to live within the development.

This final section of the site looks at the design proposals for the buildings around the edge of the proposed development. These buildings range be-tween 3-7 storeys in height and vary in uses. The vision is to create a building structure that has a slightly declining gradient towards the river, as the cross section shows below.

The design to the right shows the new extension for the University of Ulster. It consists of two buildings that are connected by a overhead walkway. The new university campus will help bring in a larger footfall into the site, which will help support local businesses set up along Mara Avenue Plaza.

This new campus overlooks the Pennyburn Road junction and will be one of the first structures drivers will see travelling northwards up the Strand Road. The building is easily accessible for those travelling from the Magee Campus and Duncreggan Student Village by foot.

Office units are situated to the back edge of the site and surround the road access point. These office blocks will help attract international investors into the site, which will help increase employment levels and boost the city’s economy. The sites water-front setting and mix of uses will help further attract global businesses into the area.

The long term vision is to create ‘spin-out’ businesses connected to the university. These businesses will help new graduates gain experience within a real life working environment, without having to travel to Belfast or further abroad. They will also help develop a new digital hub within Northern Ireland, especially with the on coming ar-rival of Project Kelvin.

The final building within this section of the site is the Health and Respite Centre. Building such a centre within this area of Northern Ireland, will help ease pressure on parents travelling long distances for this kind of respite service.

The health centre also provides an extra service for elderly residents who are living within the site. Foyleview Apart-ments is located beside the Health Centre and along the waterfront, which offers a peaceful setting for pensioners who choose to live within the site.

Design Proposals

Mara Avenue Apartments

University Expansion

North Facing Cross Section

Digital City

Pennyburn Health & Respite Centre

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Throughout this project a clear understanding has been provided in reference to the aims and objectives of the masterplan. Development within the Fort George site needs to be sympathetic to its natural setting and its surrounding built environ-ment. The introduction of new walkways and civic spaces will help to increase activity within this part of the city centre. This masterplan seeks to provide a destination at the end of the waterfront walkway for people to visit and use. Regen-eration has already shown signs of a significant positive impact along the city’s waterfront, where Ebrington Square has already accommodated major music events since its opening in the summer of 2012. Redeveloping Fort George is seen as the last piece of the puzzle for the completion of Derry’s waterfront image.

The proposed masterplan aims to introduce good urban design into a maritime city that has until recently neglected its wonderful river location. The designs within the proposal aim to provide a new vibrant, open and diverse waterfront de-velopment. Wide walkways along with the introduction of trees, plants and open green spaces will help improve the public realm of Derry’s waterfront. The introduction of a new university campus along with mixed-use apartment buildings helps bring life into an area which is currently lifeless.

The aim of the project was to create a space with a multitude of various uses that appeal to a wide number of groups. The former army barracks site has a significant appeal to urban design proposals, due to the sites extremely accessible location, flat terrain and waterfront setting. The city was once a highly contested space which was considered a ‘no-go zone’ for in-ternational investors. However Derry has proved to be an iconic place that receives increasing numbers of tourists per year despite limited government and private investment in road and rail infrastructure.

£63 million seems to be a lot of money to invest within this space of Northern Ireland, during what seems to be a period of economic difficulty worldwide but the city proves to be one of the most attractive places for people to visit. There is belief that in years to come Derry City can become as successful as Belfast in attracting people to live within the city centre.

The analysis section of the project revealed issues relating to future design proposals. Through design concepts and constant reassessment, a final design strategy was achieved. This strategy aimed to create a diverse, permeable, open, vibrant and mixed-use environment that also compliments the sites waterfront setting. It was vital to design a space that had clear vistas onto the river and in towards the city centre skyline, whilst also maintaining maximum sunlight intake levels throughout the year.Implementing sustainable environmental designs such as sea turbines was important to the proposal as it helps to lower the city’s electrical consumption and reduce its carbon footprint.

The overall aim for the project was to vastly improve the public realm of the Pennyburn area, whilst helping to increase the population of the city centre. It is hoped that over time and with the introduction of new residents, the new proposed development will become a space of indus-trious activity and an iconic spot within the British Isles.

Phasing Strategy

The first part of the phasing strategy will include the clearance and the decontamination of the land. As the site has laid derelict for over a decade, it is very important to make sure the land is level and is safe to build upon. The site will incorporate underground parking facilities; therefore it is vital that there are no issues with the physical state of the land. One of the major focal points of the proposal is the inlet marina. This stage of the strategy will follow directly after the first phase, as it will require engineers and surveyors to access the river-front without having to meander through a cluttered construction site.

The next stage of the strategy requires a housing corporation for the development of residential vacancies. This is important at this stage, as management needs to be set up to identify the range of tenants from different social backgrounds. With local authorities and community bodies, a corporation group could be formed to help with the residential development.

Following on from the previous stage, the physical construction of the site can commence. This stage would in-clude the formation of the new university building, as well as a one-way road system within the site. This stage will take a lot of time to complete and will be very costly in price. Therefore funding towards the project will be sought after from various organisations, as the city has received past awards from the European Unions Peace Programme. This development will look towards the Laganside Corporation for inspiration, as that corporation managed to receive over £1billion in funding from various sources over its time in charge.

During the construction phase of the development potential international businesses will be sought to occupy the office space available. As Derry does not have a financial or an IT district, this space will be ideal for these types of businesses to cluster within a new vibrant waterfront space.

One of the final stages in the strategy will require local commercial businesses to set up within the site. Due to the lack of local commerce within urban UK cities, the vision is to help small local business owners to set up within a high percentage residential zone. This could be assisted by reduced or deferred commercial rates. To finalise the strategy, the completion of the landmark space and the riverside jetty will occur.

Levelling and Decontamination 2014

Road Surfacing & Implementation of Inlet Marina 2015

Development of Onsite Buildings 2016-2019

Introduction of New Housing Corporation 2016

Development of Marketing Strategy 2016

Landmark Space Riverfront Jetty 2020

Conclusion Conclusion

Phase Plan Costings

Critical Reflection

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