Moor Walk
- Client
- NewRiver REIT, with PIMCO
- Services
- Wayfinding & Placemaking
- Sector
- Retail
- Location
- Sheffield, UK
Wayfinding and placemaking that lift Sheffield’s Moor Walk from street level up
Moor Walk is a wayfinding and placemaking scheme for the two principal entrances of The Light cinema complex on The Moor, Sheffield’s main pedestrianised shopping street. The building’s upper-level retail and food and beverage offer have suffered from a lack of visibility at street level. Benoy was appointed by building landlord NewRiver REIT, with investor support from PIMCO, to address this through a combined wayfinding and placemaking strategy. Planning permission was granted in January 2024.
Naming the walkway as an address in its own right
The first design move is naming. The elevated walkway is rebranded Moor Walk, drawing on the existing identity of The Moor and establishing the upper level as an address rather than a piece of through-circulation. The new name underpins a coordinated set of signage, tenant boards and graphic components that orient visitors from street level upward.
A collaboration with artist Dave Towers
The placemaking response is built around a commissioned collaboration with artist Dave Towers, selected for the playful, industrial character of his work. Towers large-format pieces by dragging wide brushes across surfaces to produce pull-marks and gestural lines, provide a distinct visual character against The Moor’s industrial heritage. Combined with the wayfinding graphics and tenant boards, the artworks reframe the entrances as defined, attractive arrival points for the walkway above.
