Walworth, London
An Oasis of Serenity and a peaceful haven for meditation
The design is developed at a site located south of the River Thames on the edge of Walworth and Camberwell. This area has seen major transformation overtime, from pleasant country side, to Georgian and Victorian tree lined suburbs, to a fragmented and disconnected post war housing estate.
The study area is defined by distinctive but challenging site conditions, including the Walworth Road High Street, Railway viaduct, the redundant Walworth Road railway Station, allotments and local parks, high and low-rise housing estates and various historical features and buildings. The Walworth railway station is centrally positioned in the study area. The railway services closed down in 1916 and the station building was demolished in 1924. However, there are still some remains of distinctive elements referring to its past heritage, such as the three underpasses, under Croft entrances, street names, position of the platforms and undefined surrounding public spaces.
To rebalance the lack of public transport in south London, the central government initiated a program to turn “south London Orange”. The longer term ambition is to incorporate the London local and main line services within the Overground suburban transport network. This Initiative will form an important driver for urban change and will provide the opportunity to re-open Walworth Road Railway Station and re-connect to its surrounding communities.
My project consists of reopening the Walworth train station and of redesigning its surroundings. New gardens, commercial and recreational areas are proposed with an emphasis on the need for an area than encourages meditation and relaxation.
This project involved extensive research into the history of Walworth and similar regeneration projects from various locations around the world. In addition to documenting the location with photographs and hand-drawn sketches, the project offers a plethora of 2D and 3D visulations to illustrate the design inlcluding a 3D-printed physical model.