Rushden Lakes

Client: lxb / The Crown Estate
Location: Northampton, UK
Design Team:  Savills, HPW architects, landscape architects UBU
Size:  34 acres of a 244 acre Site of Special Scientific Interest
Status:  Ongoing

Rushden Lakes is a new type of retail park offering shoppers the brands they love with ample F&B, leisure and a very unique amenity: access to nature. The 34 acres site boards a chain of lakes in Nene Valley giving visitors access to nature trails, bike routes and a children’s splash park.

f.r.a. was commissioned to provide wayfinding and branding for the project. Our wayfinding provided a sensitive balance to the needs of tenants while connecting the site to natural amenities and local towns. The sign products and cartography are effective yet stylised to align with the brand.

We’ve provided design and project management services across three phases as the site has grown and succeed. This includes a complex chain of stakeholders including multiple developers, two town councils, the Wild Life Trust and various tenants. Our collaborative approach has delivered a project everyone is proud of.