West Quay stair screen, Poole

This typographic stair screen was made to celebrate local history in Poole, Dorset, UK.

It is part of an interactive public art and wayfinding project, designed by architects Dallas–Pierce–Quintero and graphic designer Stephen Barrett, in West Quay, an evolving area in Poole. A variety of interventions take inspiration from the told and documented stories of the local area, signposting local landmarks and amplifying the area’s rich heritage.

The typographic stair balustrade marks the entrance to a Georgian graveyard, now a public park. Made locally in Poole from laser-cut COR-TEN steel, in reference to local shipyards and weathered harbour walls, the text is both decorative and informative, telling a story of the area’s past whilst offering a view to the park beyond and casting poetic shadows on the surrounding ground. The monolinear typeface Standard by Benoît Bodhuin was used as the basis for the design.

Photography by Jamie James