Colwyn Bay Waterfront (Phase 2), Conwy

The 10,884m2 of Promenade Enhancement Works aimed to renew the promenade following a similar design theme to that adopted for the recently completed Phase 1 of the scheme. The design approach was set in the context of ‘One Conwy’ CCBC’s vision for the future of Conwy County Borough Council. These principles are also enshrined in the Welsh Government’s Vibrant and Viable Place (VVP) national outcomes for prosperous communities, learning communities, and healthier communities.  

OUR JOURNEY

All the artwork was produced at IP Surfaces using natural stone to address the need for resilience in the harsh coastal environment and in an area of heavy foot fall. The use of various stone types also allowed the design of intricate images in the form of the ‘Postcards from Colwyn Bay’. ‘Health Markers’ were introduced to promote and encourage activity on the promenade in line with CCBC’s corporate plan to help inspire people in Conwy towards a healthier and independent lifestyle using a series of distance markers at 50m intervals in granite with waterjet artwork with imagery and text to promote sports, health and wellbeing. ‘Postcards from Conwy’ – The postcards tell the history of Colwyn Bay in a playful and imaginative way. The imagery and the bilingual text only give a snippet of the extensive research done to produce them. It is intended to inspire visitors and locals alike to go and do their own further research. QR codes placed adjacent to each postcard also provide a route to further information. A wide range of natural stones were chosen to create a palette of colours to produce the images on the postcards. The text portion was produced in Crystal Black and Mist granites as these provided the best contrast to make the text as legible as possible. The health markers (placed at 50m intervals along the Promenade) were created using Crystal Black and Mist granites for clarity and to complement the more detailed appearance of the postcards. ‘The Wave Seat’ – a simple two-tone granite block seating. The strength in the design comes from the combination of radial blocks to form a 27m long irregular curvilinear sculptural seat with shallow alcoves for social interaction. The use of the contrasting Mist granite and Kilkenny Irish Blue limestone lends strongly to the bold but simple visual composition.