ONE of Mayfair’s grand squares is to be redesigned ahead of its 300 anniversary.
Grosvenor Estates has tasked architects Tonkin Liu with the job of revamping Grade II-listed Grosvenor Square which dates back to 1726.
The square was famously home to the imposing US Embassy building from the 1960s until very recently when it moved to Nine Elms at Battersea.
Research carried out by Grosvenor found that only nine per cent of Londoners were familiar with the square which is the second largest in the capital.
Having been successful in an international competition, Tonkin Liu will now have to come up with plans which make the square: welcoming and engaging; more sustainable; London’s most outstanding green space.
James Raynor, CEO of Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, said: “Grosvenor Square’s original purpose was to bring the countryside to the city, it was the first of its kind and caused a sensation. However, today it provides limited benefit to Londoners, their well-being or the environment. Now it can once again become the capital’s outstanding green space.
“Tonkin Liu has an impressive track record as a sustainable design studio, and as a champion of the garden square and public participation. We are excited to work with them on this project.”
Anna Liu, Director, Tonkin and Liu added: “As Londoners and as architects, we are thrilled to be part of this important moment in time, for the transformation of Grosvenor Square through an ecological and community agenda. Having responded to the shared vision put together by Grosvenor, local residents and Londoners, we will use nature and collective storytelling to deliver a vision of local and universal resonance.”
Grosvenor Square is home to London’s 9/11 memorial gardens and statues of US Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Reagan.
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