One of the world’s leading architects was in Aberdeen last night to launch an exhibition which aims to save the city’s historic Union Terrace Gardens.
Edgar Gonzalez said he wanted to find a compromise between supporters of Sir Ian Wood’s plan to build a city square on the site and those behind the proposed Peacock Visual Arts centre.
The two sides have been split since Sir Ian revealed his £140million vision, just as Peacock was about to begin work on its contemporary arts centre, built into the slope of the gardens.
The Aberdeen public are being asked for their views on Sir Ian’s proposal in a major consultation led by Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future (ACSEF).
Critics have complained it is too narrow and people are being asked only if they support the city square or the retention of the gardens in their current form, with no mention of the stalled Peacock scheme.
The new exhibition, taking place at the art organisation’s existing base in the Castlegate until February 20, asks: “What if ACSEF’s idea for a civic square and Peacock’s design for a new cultural centre could co-exist?”
It features a series of designs drawn up by Mr Gonzalez after he was invited by Scottish Enterprise Grampian to attend a meeting with the architects behind the city square plan in an effort to end the stalemate between ACSEF and Peacock at the end of 2008.
Mr Gonzalez’s practice, Brisac Gonzalez, came up with the original design for the Peacock centre, which had secured planning permission and 75% of its £13million cost when the alternative proposal was aired. His challenge was to explore options which might satisfy both sides, fulfilling ACSEF’s aim of creating a safer, more connected vibrant city, while preserving the Victorian gardens.
He came up with a number of options which cover over the Denburn dual-carriageway and the railway with a mix of green space and hardscaping, opening up the rear of Belmont Street to the public, but allowing the Peacock centre to go ahead as planned on the opposite slope.
Mr Gonzalez also looked at the wider picture and suggested Aberdeen should do more to enhance its existing civic spaces, such as the Castlegate, the Green, and Golden Square.
He also questioned the need for a five-acre city square, saying it would be of a similar scale to Red Square in Moscow, a city of 8million people, compared to Aberdeen’s population of about 200,000.
Last night, he said he was struck by the dramatic beauty of Union Terrace Gardens the first time he visited the city and wanted to do everything possible to persuade Aberdonians they should preserve the special attraction.
“We all want to see Aberdeen going forward as a better, more vibrant city, but we’re not convinced that erasing the Denburn valley is the best or most deliverable solution,” he added.
ACSEF chairman Tom Smith insisted yesterday his group was also keen to reach a compromise, but said the Peacock design could not be integrated within the parameters of its vision.
He said: “A positive outcome of today’s ‘What If?’ event would be that the arts community is prepared to work with ACSEF so that together we can develop proposals that would radically transform our city centre and provide the economic benefits we need, but also create a cultural arts hub that would enable a cultural revolution in Aberdeen city and shire.”