Waterfront Place  –  Urban Beach

The Changing Waterfront

Waterfront Place represents one of the final pieces of infrastructure within the Central Waterfront Masterplan. It offers the opportunity to create a powerful space that is both dynamic and playful, that consciously addresses the River Tay and Dundee’s relationship to its maritime environment.
Waterfront Place’s location between the large formal space of Slessor Gardens and the striking architecture of the V&A Dundee means that it has an important role to play in counter-balancing these two different spaces whilst being a significant space in its own right. The language and the landform of Waterfront Place help to transition between the two contrasting design languages of these neighboring
spaces and creates a distinct, legible environment inspired by its maritimal location.

Urban Beach Proposal

The proposed urban beach is one of the key spaces at Waterfront Place. Urban beaches have proven extremely successful in cities across the world including Toronto Canada and the Olympic Park in London. The proposed beach at Waterfront Place will help to animate the waterfront offering an environment that is not currently available in Dundee and creating opportunities to reinforce the city’s connection with the River Tay by providing a setting within which to play, relax and enjoy views across the river. The plan form of the beach has been designed to work dynamically with the principle lines of movement in and out of
the park. The edge detailing plays a key role in animating the circulation routes through the incorporation of seating where people can rest, socialize and dwell. These seating opportunities provide a more functional purpose with the upstand walls being designed to help the containment of the sand.