Barking Town Square, designed by muf architecture/art has been declared winner of the 5th European Prize for Urban Public Space, making it the first project in Britain to receive the prestigious prize.

The European Prize for Urban Public Space is a biennial prize awarded to projects which foster the process of recovering the public dimension of urban spaces in Europe, as well as their capacity for social inclusion and democracy-building. Barking Town Square was selected by the prize's jury from 176 entries from locations in 26 European countries.

The jury applauded the collaboration between muf architecture/art, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, Redrow Regeneration and Allford Hall Monaghan and Morris, commending muf's scheme for incorporating multiple architectural languages to enhance the new development.

"We are delighted that Barking Town Square has been awarded this accolade. The ambition is to mix mystery and utility. We are now half way through the project and the close working and collaboration continues," says Liza Fior, muf architecture/art.

Barking Town Square is a mixed ensemble of buildings and uses, including a town hall, a library, a University of East London presence, a child and primary health center, a major public art commission, approximately 500 new homes, retail, and cafes. All of these facilities come together around a 6000-sq.-m. 'T' shaped square which comprises four interlocking elements; a civic square, an arboretum, a folly wall, and an arcade.
The Town Hall Square is the centerpiece of the scheme. It is furnished with pale pink stretch benches, each 6 m. long on a floor of pink Spanish granite, providing a civic space where new and existing communities can meet.

The folly wall encloses the square by introducing a fourth elevation onto the square, completing the urban composition of town hall and new library and learning building. It recovers the texture of the lost historic fabric of the town center. Featuring 19th century architectural salvage built by master bricklayers and apprentices of Barking College and planted with indigenous species it stands as a memento-mori to this current cycle of regeneration.

The arcade runs beneath the new library and housing development on the East of the square, providing access to a café on the ground floor. It is paved in black and white tiles that refer to both grandeur of arcades and the paths of the London's Edwardian villas and illuminated by diamond light chandeliers.

The next phase of the project consists of an extensive arboretum adjacent to the arcade, which will be planted in July 2008 and opened to the public in the autumn. The arboretum will comprise 40 mature trees of 16 different species arranged to create settings of different scales and character, which invite exploration, performance and play.

The arboretum will be illuminated by suspended chandeliers; the intensity of the light will adjust with the seasons and respond to the changing color of the leaves.