Partial Eclipse

Skene Catling de la Peña were asked to address the arrival point at Fort Belvedere. There exists a circular, grassed area which acts as a roundabout for cars entering and leaving the estate. Al­though once the favourite spot for the family’s Great Dane, it now feels somewhat incomplete, and the scale a little overbearing for the Fort buildings. Various options have been considered, including removing the turning circle altogether, but it was felt that this would be problematic logistically. The challenge was to create access for cars, allowing them to move in and out easily without having to reverse, while keeping the paved surface to a minimum.

With all this in mind, the turning circle was retained, and the centrepiece slightly enlarged to re­duce the road surface. By tilting the ground plane of the centrepiece, the foreground is merged with the landscape beyond making the far-side of the driveway disappear from view; the ‘partial eclipse’.