Margate Coast and Flood Protection Scheme aka Margate steps
Project: Margate Coast and Flood Protection Scheme
Client: Thanet District Council and the Environment Agency
Creative Consultants + Commissioning Agency: MACH Margate Arts & Cultural Heritage
Engineers: Margate Coastal Scheme
Landscape Designer & Creative Collaborator: Thomas Darcy + Jacobs
Main Contractor: Breheney
Pre-Cast Concrete: Cornish Concrete Products
Photography: Simon Moores + Dean Barkley
From the outset I focussed on interpretive & contextual ideas development, carried out to influence the design process & inform the final structure & detailing in collaboration with the Integrated Design Team.
It was of vital importance that the project recognised the significance of the local vernacular & influencing historic context to inform the eventual shape, mass, detail & use of the flood defence works and most particularly the proposed stepped revetment.
There was no question that the defence works were necessary & from the outset a response has been developed that quietly responds to & enhances the mantra of form following function. However, this site dictates that the defence works respond directly to a wider context & site specificity as opposed to creating a context of its own. The position of the revetment is of great importance. This site has seen the worst storm damage in the town over the centuries and the impact of this has been a constant catalyst for change & renewal, which is a concept to conjure with.
The new revetment does not only have a singular role in sea defence but could also be seen alongside other major projects such as Turner Contemporary & Dreamland as a catalyst in the potentially more pivotal role of determining, via its new connectivity & waterfront hub, notably the future life of Margate as a revived & vibrant seaside town & destination.
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This landmark flood defence scheme and public space for Margate was conceived by a multi-disciplinary design team. The £6m project, now affectionately known as Margate Steps, was funded exclusively by the Environment Agency.
The revetment structure has 25 steps and is finished with more than 400 pre-cast blocks. Each block weighing up to 12 tonnes. The fill material that forms the heart of the structure beneath the blocks consists largely of recycled concrete from Dover Port. There are more than 30 different block types which make up the huge revetment structure.
A short flight of nine 'Town Steps', known as The King’s Stairs, at the western end of the revetment structure lead onto a series of wider and shallower revetment steps, extended landings & dockside mooring bollards. This arrangement symbolizes the engagement of the Town with the sea, bringing its urban fabric and form 'to the threshold'. More significantly perhaps, the new steps maintain access at all but the highest tides to & from the beach & Old Town improving connectivity and pedestrian movement
The eastern end of the revetment has been called 'Turnstone Quay'. This represents the historic ‘working end’ of the harbour, its wharf, stone pier, and lighthouse. The context is reflected in the robust modelling of its quayside features. The setting of the elements here allow for views of Turner Contemporary and provide a quieter, more secluded area for use.
The twenty-five new revetment steps are shallow & long absorbing the energy and dissipating oncoming waves. They also provide a wonderful opportunity to sit or walk and take in the magnificent view. At high tide, the steps may provide a secure landing from which to swim. The feature wall at the western end of the revetment curves gently down to the beach reflecting both the curve of the stone Harbour wall & the marine wave modelling executed to inform the sea defence structures.
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2020 Winner: WINNERS Housing Design Awards
2015 Winner: Civic Voice Award for Public Realm.
2014 Winner: Margate Civic Society ‘Town Pride Award’.
2013 Winner: The project was awarded the ‘Community Award’ at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) South East England Engineering Excellence Awards 2013. This award is for schemes, which deliver their engineering objectives whilst achieving secondary benefits for the surrounding community.
Film & Audio
Video ©Dean Barkley