The Exchange, Greengate

• Location:

  Salford

• Site Area:

  2 hectares

• Client:

  Salford City Council
  Ask
  Network Rail

• Architects:

  Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios

• Engineers:

  Whitbybird

• Project value:

  £11 million

Greengate is a development of new public open spaces designed to re-establish the heart and character of Salford and to draw people into the area from Manchester and beyond.

An elegant square provides a space for people to sit, meet, relax and eat outdoors. Featuring extensive planting of mature street trees, it is a flexible space, allowing events such as exhibitions and concerts and offering an urban playspace for all ages.

Comprising a large shallow pool and waterwall, the Cove forms an innovative new gathering place and a dramatic connection between Salford and Manchester.

A broad dedicated pedestrian walkway and market place are formed by the reconfiguration of an existing viaduct. A light channel separates the walkway from a reduced vehicular route. This tunnel contains artworks, openings to the sky and new links sideways into the viaduct vaults. A strip of lighting runs the length of the viaduct, connecting the square with the Cove.