Waterloo City Square

Waterloo City Square

In January 2009, DSDHA won first prize in a international competition to redesign the public realm around the nationally-significant area of Waterloo Station, an area defined by the 'Bull Ring', the result of post war planning that prioritised the car, which has subsequently become a gathering space for the homeless since the late 1980s.

Our proposal will reconnect the station with the Southbank Cultural Quarters, create an identifiable entrance to the area for local residents, tourists and commuters and a new fully-accessible route to replace the existing labyrinth of subterranean routes. There will be a continuous line of cultural and commercial activity from The Cut, through Waterloo Circus to the Thames at National Theatre Square.

The IMAX is given a new street level entrance and visible connections are carved through the site to give presence and identity to each of the buildings addressing Waterloo Circus. Existing streetscapes have been decluttered, with new crossings and a unified surface creating unhindered safe access to all transport modes and destinations from the river to the Old Vic Theatre.