Centenary Square is a memorial and civic space to celebrate the city of Birmingham and its people. It is both a destination and a route and has to have its own identity, whilst ensuring that people can move around freely. The square, however, has become disjointed and the original scheme lost.  

The new scheme proposals look to unify the space and respond to the newly built surroundings. The aim is to re-focus the square on the 'celebration and memorial' theme.  

The celebration and memorial link comes from the inclusion of 12,320 lights within the scheme, which represents the number of Birmingham citizens lost in World War 1. These then relate to a carpet of fountains that create a playful environment on a civic scale – it will become one of Europe's largest fountain displays (the Birmingham family sculpture is located in the carpet of fountains). The central sculptural water feature integrates the Library void by creating a circular ‘floating‘ viewing platform with a waterfall. The Hall of Memory is set within its own garden – an intimate space in contrast to the civic grandeur of the fountain plaza.