The 2000 Paviors’ Award was made to the Town Centre Pedestrianisation in Bournemouth

The Square in Bournemouth is a significant civic open space that provides a meeting place for residents and tourists. Seating areas and an informal gathering place for street entertainers were created off the main desire line, and a new building, designed by Trinity Architects, houses a camera obscura and café with an outdoor seating area. Flowing beneath The Square is the Bourne stream, which inspired the mosaic designed by Maggie Howarth of Cobblestone Design of Lancaster. The tail of the mosaic rises out of The Square and flows to the sea. The theme includes mermaids, fishes, and Neptune. The project started in 1997 with the replacement of the culvert. Hard and soft landscaping followed in the autumn of 1998 and construction of the building was carried out in 1999. The Mayor of Bournemouth opened the scheme in February 2000. Research into various natural stones resulted in the choice of French limestone. This suits the cosmopolitan seaside location, as it is light, bright, strong, and of low permeability, making it less absorbent and more accessible to clean than other stones. It was so hard that it was used as a thinner slab, making it a cost-effective solution. Colour and texture accents were created using red limestone and granite setts. Brockley’s brick was chosen as a secondary material due to its warm natural colour and unusual dimensions. Street furniture was chosen for simplicity and elegance of design. Edwardian-style seats from an earlier scheme were re-installed.