Northbank brands property development on former former airfield

Developer Urban & Civic commissioned Northbank in February following a four-way pitch in which it presented credentials and two possible routes.

The site which is situated between Peterborough and Cambridge is being designed as an environment for ‘living, working and leisure’ according to Northbank which has created a ‘make/grow’ proposition for Alconbury Weald which it says ‘will become a place to make a future/home and a place to grow a business/community.’

Northbank design director Robert Shaw says, ‘This idea of duality came out of branding workshops and we worked with copywriter Mike Reed [of Reed Words] who was the person who came up with that.’

Northbank says the identity comprises an ‘A’ for Alconbury symbol – which references flight and suggests a ‘shelter or gateway’  – with a logotype in ARS Maquette.

The symbol will be used as a sculpture or as part of an installation in the landscape, a largely brownfield site which covers 5.6 km2 and has seen building work start and the planting of 500,000 trees.

Meanwhile supergraphics using the A are planned for the‘incubator building’ for start-up businesses, which has been designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris architects.

An accompanying website has been designed by Bristol-based consultancy Positive.