Evaluation
In terms of conventional wisdom, the Peace Gardens
should not be the success that they clearly are. The
designers had to contend with most of the condi-
tions that are usually thought to militate against
good design, a high-profile scheme project with
much political and media attention, a convoluted
process, a tight deadline, and a huge multi-discipli-
nary team. Some designers find it difficult to work
alongside artists and many are ambivalent about
public consultation. It is clear, talking to some of
those involved, that the process was not an easy
one, yet out of this cauldron of ideas an award-win-
ning scheme has emerged which has also been
taken to heart by the people of Sheffield. On a
sunny day the benches and lawns are full of peo-
ple relaxing. Whether people enjoy a place or not
is surely the acid test for any public realm project
such as this.
In aesthetic terms, the scheme is a curiosity.
There is something retrospective, almost old-
fashioned, about its formal layout, yet the bizarre
forms of the urns and the pumped-up balustrade,
which might have come from some Hollywood
fantasy, mark the place as contemporary and
different. Most of the credit for this must go to
the artists who have developed a distinctive lan-
guage of forms for the place. The detailed design
represents a fusion of contemporary design with
traditional materials. This is exemplified by the
granite and bronze benches developed by the
Asquith Design Partnership. Despite the physical
and symbolic weightiness of the materials, they
have produced elegant seats which convey a
sense of lightness and modernity, yet harmonise
with other aspects of the scheme, such as the
rounded copings.Of course, in a project of such complexity, one
cannot expect everything to proceed without a
hitch. Difficulties had to be overcome. The teething
problems associated with the fountain are a good
example. Initially the air-entrained jets, which were
designed to create frothy spouts of water, pumped
out too much and the drains could not clear it fast
enough. The jets were becoming submerged which
stopped them from working. The next solution was
to have pop-up jets, but these suffered from the
ingress of dirt and would not go back down again.
Also children would kick them and bend them.
After further technical adjustments, the jets were
returned to paving level. The fountain was supposed
to have been programmed to produce many swiftly
changing patterns but they were found to be insuf-
ficiently responsive. According to Derek Statham,
an architect with Design and Property, ‘The thing
moved like a snail. The jets lumbered up and down
... people are actually just glad that it is working
most of the time.’^139.22
Relief carving on a fat baluster
9.23
Carved details by Richard Perry