Morden Moments
Competition-winning entry to the Morden Moments design competition for Merton Council and the London Festival of Architecture, in collaboration with delivery partners RASKL.
Our proposal creates a new micro-market square, forming a focal point for Morden High Street — a contemporary public space designed to support and enhance the existing under-supported needs of this area.
The project builds on the existing character and uses of the site, introducing a more defined and cohesive setting for seating, planting, food stalls and social activity. A robust new edge frames the square and creates a greater sense of enclosure from the road, while a central seating element replaces the existing derelict planter wall around the mature tree at the heart of the site. The seating provides space for people to spend time on the high street, while also supporting local businesses and accommodating occasional market trading and events.
The cladding panels for the seating were developed during craft workshops with local residents, using clay relief casts of textures and patterns found around the town centre that were then translated into the decorative panels.
Collaborators:
Clients: Merton Council and the London Festival of Architecture.
Collaborator: Cultivate London
Sculptor: Edgar Ward
Fabricators: RASKL
“This project is a testament to how communities can shape their surroundings… Studio Folk Architects and Raskl have transformed a piece of public realm into a visual and spiritual celebration of the neighbourhood, influenced by the people who know it best.”
Lucy Millichamp, Head of Place, NLA
Collaboration and Fabrication
Morden Moments was delivered in partnership with our fabrication partners Raskl.
The corner site presented a number of constraints, including weight limits and utilities running beneath the pavement. With Raskl, we developed the seating and signage as modular sections, with the benches resting on adjustable feet. This resulted in no fixings into the ground or into the existing planter. Each Equitone panel was individually CNC-engraved and then scribed on site to exactly fit the streetscape.
“The finished pieces combine practicality, texture and local character, shaped by community engagement.”
Jack Storey, Senior Designer, Raskl
