Westport
business & technology park is a new business park for
Westport. The park occupies a sloping site to the north
of the existing Allergan facility.
The brief for the project called for an informal campus
style of entrance. As the site is sloping, there was a
requirement to develop a concept for the grading of the
site and the creation of viable building areas.
The design concept which was developed was based on the
precedent of the existing demesne wall which runs around
the perimeter of Westport House. The walls form terraces
and define landscape spaces. A number of different configurations
have been introduced into the wall in terms of water,
steps, terraces and secret garden areas. The concept of
these interventions is a modern interpretation of the
demesne wall; open and punctuated, i.e plural, in contrast
with the historical demesne wall which was closed and
exclusive.
The detailed design and development of the entrance area,
roadways and services was developed in conjunction with
the project engineers. The initial infrastructural works
entailed the development of an attenuation feature, walls,
distinctive planting on the main roundabout, signage and
the detailing of all roadside pavements and street furniture.
The completion of the first phase also involved the establishment
of a 10 metre wide woodland copse around the perimeter
of the site area. The Practice has been retained to complete
landscape schemes for each of the buildings as they are
constructed, thus retaining an overall landscape consistency
within the constructed park.
