Delivering Innovation

For Westminster City Council and Grosvenor, it was vital that the new streetscape was completed to a high standard, requiring expert workmanship and the use of select materials.  

The project incorporated new high-quality footways and carriageways, new tree planting, feature seating and lighting, all designed to bring continuity with other public realm improvements within Grosvenor’s London estate. FM Conway’s team replaced just under half of the existing carriageway with new multi-coloured granite setts laid in a linear pattern arrangement to balance use of the space between pedestrians and vehicles.  

A new asphalt carriageway was laid along the rest of the street and the existing mastic asphalt footways were replaced with Yorkstone paving to create a visually appealing surface.  To ensure longevity, all of the paving and granite setts were laid on a high strength mortar which reaches the desired strength quicker than standard cement bound materials.

As part of FM Conway’s commitment to sustainable construction, arisings from the carriageway were transported back to its state-of-the-art asphalt plant to be recycled for use on other projects.

Using quality urban design features, FM Conway installed decorative granite channels with bespoke feature uplighters in the alleyways to direct people towards the new enhanced public space.  The site team also prepared the area for the planting of nine new trees by specialist landscaper Willerby Landscapes, fitting steel plates to ensure it retained the required loading capacity.  Uplighters were also carefully installed to illuminate the trees. 

High-end street furniture was fitted including a set of bespoke benches manufactured by Italian company LAB23 – the first of their kind in the City of Westminster.  FM Conway’s street lighting team installed new, highly decorated Mackenzie and Moncur lighting columns in the style of the more traditional lighting that is found in the City of Westminster. 

Lawrence Upton, Operations Manager at FM Conway, said:
“This was an exciting project to be involved in.  It had to be completed to a very high standard and also required close collaboration with the different stakeholders along the street to ensure it was completed in a timely fashion."
 

Challenges and Solutions 

Lawrence continues: “Alongside the public realm improvement project, fit out works were occurring for the opening of the nearby Gagosian Gallery.  We liaised with the Gallery and its contractor to sequence our programme of works and minimise the disruption for both schemes.  

“Thanks to the teamwork between the different partners on the street, we completed the majority of the public realm works in time for the Gagosian Gallery’s red carpet opening.  The streetscape at Grosvenor Hill now offers a beautiful space for residents and visitors to the area.”