Crewe Play Platform
Crewe Play Platform reimagines Crewe’s existing heritage centre and surrounding rail brownfield site as a new civic museum and public platform. The proposal is rooted in the town’s industrial legacy as a railway hub and responds to contemporary needs for accessible cultural spaces, youth engagement, and urban connectivity. At its core is a children’s museum that blends play with learning, offering interactive exhibits, classroom spaces, and a central atrium designed to foster community interaction and intergenerational learning.
The scheme is shaped by themes of discovery, connection, and play. A new pedestrian bridge and green infrastructure reconnect the disused railway corridor with the wider town and train station, transforming fragmented edges into a continuous, walkable public realm. A rooftop observation deck offers a moment of pause, providing elevated views over the tracks and reconnecting visitors with Crewe’s landscape.
The project was developed through research into site history, user needs, and spatial sequencing. By layering formal moves with narrative gestures, the design aims to create an environment that feels open and exploratory. The museum’s material palette of timber, steel, and glazing draws on local heritage, telling a story of the past, present, and future while setting a framework for a more inclusive civic identity.
