Covent Garden Estate
Analysis and wayfinding strategy for Covent Garden Estate (CAPCO) resulting in a proposed wayfinding strategy and recommendations for visitor experience.
Covent Garden is the ‘beating heart’ of London’s West End that draws over 44 million visitors a year. A must-see destination for shopping, theatre, restaurants, bars, history and culture. The Covent Garden Estate team were keen to encourage the public to explore the entire estate and plan to develop large parts of the site in the near future.
A critical issue was the undefined boundaries. It was unclear when you entered Covent Garden; to most the Plaza was Covent Garden and the immediate area went unnoticed. Dimly lit avenues that connected the streets were misused and had become a safety issue.
Congestion was another concern. There were high levels of pedestrian traffic in parts of the site and other areas had very little. The historic site was fraught with accessibility challenges, cobbled streets and uneven stonework meant physical limitations throughout.
Clear boundaries were identified, highlighting areas suitable for placemaking leading to a clear ‘Covent Garden’ sense of arrival. These placemaking opportunities encourage an even pedestrian flow into the site. Covent Garden is hidden behind buildings, historically it has not been clear that the site is a stone’s throw from busy tourist spots. Ahead of the Estate’s redevelopment, a strategy was designed for these areas with the same principles: creating a sense of arrival and funneling pedestrians in and around the estate.
A detailed analysis of site accessibility, included pre-arrival journey and step-free route. This led to recommendations for an accessibility strategy with mapping showing step-free routes and access information.
