The Hepworth Wakefield

The Hepworth Wakefield competition was run in 2017 to design a play area with the desired end use as an area of fun and engaging outdoor play for members of the public.  This project was developed alongside The Hepworth Riverside Gallery Garden project, so we had to ensure our design complemented the garden design.

Ubu’s design was named ‘Barbara Island’, a self-contained world that fitted within Tom Stuart- Smiths more formal Garden referencing both forms, colour and planting yet more childlike.  Entered by gang planks over a moat planted with grasses that gave a watery feel and tied in with the other planting.  Barbara Island contained an opportunity for a mixture of physical and imaginative play inspired throughout by the art of Barbara Hepworth.  An overall palette of greys tied in with the Hepworth Wakefield’s architecture but with bright punches of colour to tie in with the planting and give an overall look that was sophisticated but playful. The floor plan was based on the sculpture ‘Tree’ and we used these shapes to add levels throughout the space to delineate the different zones and create informal seating and varying sight lines. The same shape was repeated in metal screens placed throughout the site to help define the zones further.

The different zones within the play area included an outdoor gallery, activity and picnic area, performance space, play equipment and an activity trail.