Project: Fish Island Hackney Wick
Client: Olympic Park Legacy Company
Contractor: Volkerhighways
Landscape Architect: MUF Architecture
Start Date: October 2011
Completion Date: July 2012

Hackney Wick and Fish Island plays a key role in successfully connecting the communities of Tower Hamlets and Hackney with the legacy development within the Olympic zone.

The area is part of the Olympic Fringe Programme, and the London’s Olympic Legacy team have designed and developed a series of projects to ensure that visitors and local communities gain the maximum benefit from the opportunities the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games provide.

MUF architecture and J+L Gibbons were commissioned to develop and carry out the design and delivery of a series of projects across Hackney Wick and Fish Island, working with the local community to transform the public realm. Wick Green, a park and play area in Fish Island, was redeveloped as part of the Olympic Legacy.

Seating was one the requirements for works to Wick Green. MUF Architecture approached Furnitubes with ideas for a modified version of the Metropolitan steel & timber seat. Their aim was to modify the design to provide seating that was comfortable for families, children & the elderly. It was imperative that the seats were DDA conscious.

Three types of the Metropolitan seat were designed for Wick Green:
Type 1: Double-sided seat with armrests and child’s seat
Type 2: Double-sided seat with armrests
Type 3: Single-sided seat with armrests

The addition of armrests to the Metropolitan seat makes it easier for elderly and disabled users to manoeuvre in and out of the seats. The seat height ranges from 450 to 460, within the optimum range for ease of use. The double-sided child’s seat provides comfortable seating for young children without parents having to lift the child in and out of the seat.

Some seats supplied were double-sided, providing additional seating with a reduced impact on space and required groundwork. The seat standards were plastic coated PPA571 to co-ordinate with other elements in the scheme.

This is just the start of the Olympic Legacy in Hackney; more parks and neighbourhoods are due to benefit from development in the coming years.