Gustafson Porter + Bowman

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Jason Hawkes

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN

Gustafson Porter + Bowman

LOCATION
London, United Kingdom

CATEGORY
Memorial Center

AREA
5600.0 m2

PROJECT YEAR
2004

PHOTOGRAPHS
Jason Hawkes, Peter Guenzel, Helene Binet

STONE LAYERS
Cathedral Works Organisation

ENGINEER
Arup

PROJECT MANAGER
Bucknall Austin

MAIN CONTRACTOR
Geoffrey Osborne Ltd

FOUNTAIN SUBCONTRACTOR
Ocmis

LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR
Willerby Landscapes

STONE MASONS
S Mcconnell And Sons

STONE TEXTURING SPECIALISTS
Barron Gould (Texxus)

SOIL SCIENTIST
Soil And Land Consultants

HYDRAULIC MODELLING
David Hardwick

SURFACE MODELLING
Surface Development Engineering Ltd

HYDRAULIC TESTING
Imperial College London

Text description provided by architect.

Opened by HM The Queen in 2004, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain was one of the most high-profile publicly-funded projects in the UK and has since attracted millions of visitors, won a series of international awards and become one of London’s most popular attractions.

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Hélène Binet
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Peter Guenzel

The design expresses the concept of ‘Reaching out – letting in’, taken from the qualities of the Princess of Wales that were most loved; her inclusiveness and accessibility.

The fountain’s sculptural form is integrated into the natural slope of land in London’s Hyde Park and is designed to radiate energy as well as draw people inwards.

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Hélène Binet
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Hélène Binet

A popular place for visitors to engage with the water, the fountain has detailed grooves and channels which combine with air jets to animate the water and create different effects such as a 'Chadar Cascade', a 'Swoosh', 'Stepped Cascade', 'Rock and Roll' and a still basin at the bottom.

The water source is located at the highest point where water bubbles come up from the base of the fountain. Approximately 100 litres per second of water is pumped up hill from a storage tank in front of the refurbished plant room beside the Serpentine.

Dividing at the top, the fountain uses the topography to divert the water downhill in two streams to form a still, reflective basin. Designed and cut using ground-breaking digital technology, the fountain is made from 545 pieces of Cornish granite. The design appears as a light-coloured ring which contrasts with the surrounding meadow area and planting.

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Hélène Binet
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Hélène Binet
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Peter Guenzel

Gustafson Porter + Bowman led the design of the project from competition through to completion, and collaborated with a highly-experienced team.

This included: Barron Gould / Texxus (Surface texture), Bucknall Austin (Project Management), Geoffrey Osborne Ltd, Ocmis, Willerby Landscapes, Cathedral Works Organisation, S McConnell and Sons, Surface Development Engineering Ltd (surface design), Soil and Land Consultants, Professor David Hardwick, and Shelagh Wakely (As collaborating artist)

The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain pushed the boundaries of landscape design in the United Kingdom and received overwhelming public acclaim since completion.

Gustafson Porter + Bowman are proud of the incredible collaborative effort required to deliver one of the most high-profile landscape projects in the world.

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Hélène Binet
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
© Peter Guenzel

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Designed and cut using ground-breaking digital technology, the fountain is made from 545 pieces of Cornish granite.

The design uses the natural slope of the land to make a contrasting light-coloured ring which contrasts with the surrounding meadow area and planting.


Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
Plan
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
Plan
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
Detail

Gustafson Porter + Bowman
T +44 20 72848950
Gustafson Porter + Bowman
1 Cobham Mews, London NW1 9SB, United Kingdom