Ecobuild 2010

Earls court.

The usual products were on display this year, and I didn't spend long in the main hall, looking around. I did attend several interesting seminars though, including a series on  Urban planning and the public Realm. This included a series on the following: 'Making space for food', 'Incorporating trees' and 'Can healthier environments be designed?'

 Martin Kelly, managing director of  Capita Lovejoy chaired the series called 'Incorporating trees' which was interesting as he came to give talks on the same subject during a focus week at university, which I found really compelling. I am finding more and more that trees are a major consideration I have whilst designing a Landscape, and that there importance is becoming something that I am quite passionate about. 

"Trees are widely understood to be central to a better environment, and this seminar explores concerns and practicalways to include more trees in urban and peripheral environments, how they can mitigate urban heating, and how to manage their ongoing maintenance."  

The other Lectures which really had an impact where the series called 'Can healthier environments be designed?' in particular a seminar given by Rachel Hine, who is the Assistant Director, Interdisciplinary Centre for Environment and Society, University of Essex. She spoke about The therapeutic effect of nature, and the impacts on mental health, which is very relevant for me, as the title of the CS Essay (dissertation) I am writing at the moment is: Ecopsychology; The effect of nature and Landscape architecture on the human psyche. The research that has been done at the University of Essex by Rachel Hine is really interesting. What really interests me is the suprisingly strong correlation between the decrease in mental health in the UK and the rate of Urbanisation, indicating that people are healthier if they have easy access to green space.

http://www.cabe.org.uk/files/the-value-of-public-space.pdf

CABE document on the values of of public space. V interesting. Touches on economical issues, values of public space in terms of health and mental well being, values from biodiversity and nature, moving between public space etc etc. . . 

Burgess Park

05/02/10

I went to Burgess park to pick up a management report in order to inform a written part to my course in which you have to choose a medium scale landscape and write an in depth study of it's management. I thought Burgess park would be an interesting site to look at due to the amount of redevelopment planned in the area. The Aylesbury Estate, (opposite the park, on the Northern perimeter) has been due for redevelopment for some time and is due to be taken down in stages and rebuilt over the next fifteen years. What is proposed to be the new main entrance to the park which is located along the northern perimeter, linking the estate and the park, is nearing completion in it's new design as a very playful landscape (see previous blog). And of course the park itself has been awarded £6 million pounds of government funding for a redevelopment which LDA Design won the bidding for in November last year. The park is a strange mixture of modern (new sports pitches and community sports centre designed by Studio E Architects, which was awarded as a finalist LGC & HSJ sustainable communities award) and old ( Eg. Chumleigh Gardens, a group of  female almshouses built in 1921, now grade II listed buildings), the mix match feel of the park is consolidated by a hitch hatch almost grid of dis-used and still used roads. The majority of these roads lead into the park and stop abruptly, the condition of them is very bad and they give the park a vaguely derelict asthetic. There are problems in the park relating to dog fighting and training fighting dogs, which mean a lot of the trees are damaged. other than that the park is mainly open green space which provides enough room to hold events and festivals in the summer. The main path leading through the park follows the route of the Grand Surrey Canal, with reminders along the way such as a remaining bridge and an old lime kiln used when the area was at it's industrial peak and the canal was in working order. The canal was finally closed in 1970. The park was created under the Abercrombie plan, for the creation of green spaces after the war, the plan to create burgess park was conceived in 1943, many houses destroyed by the air raids in the war were torn down along with many untouched houses, which is why today we can still see the scars of that infrastructure left on the landscape of the park. I Can't say I found the park very pleasent to walk around, however green space is always better than no green space and I look forward to the new Burgess park by LDA Design.

Panoramic view of Burgess park from the new entrance.

David Adjaye

In march the design museum are hosting an exhibition based on David Adjaye's study of urbanism in Africa. I'm really excited about it, having previously traveled in Africa, and I also find his work and his design ethic interesting. 

"This detailed survey will reveal a unique snapshot of life in Africa today, documenting the nature of urban life in a developing country, a unique geo-cultural survey profiling the African city in a global context."

(http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2010/urban-africa-a-photographic-journey-by-david-adjaye)

His design for a bus shelter featured in a previous exhibition at the design museum last summer (video below)

Site tour of the new entrance to Burgess Park 

14th january 2010

The new entrance for Burgess park is intended to link up the soon to be redeveloped park and the also soon to be redeveloped Aylesbury Estate. The entrance is along the northern edge of the park and is in line with Chumleigh Gardens, the only remaining buildings in Burgess Park which was once a hub of industrial and residential infrastructure with important transport links. The design of the area was based on being a playful landscape and involves triangular segments of land with the pathways running through them, which are shaped as mounds or troughs alternatively. There is a playground in the area which fits into the undulating landscape. I went with a small group of students to visit the site, which is in its final stages of construction. Richard Peckam, from Shape Landscape Architects, gave us a tour of the site focusing especially on the detailing and what has to be specified where. It was fascinating to see the site at this point and to realise the exact amount of detail which is required in drawing for construction. There were a few aspects around the site which Richard pointed out as being things which weren't quite to his liking, or not what he'd imagined, which he then went on to explain that the detailing for that piece was not detailed enough or slightly wrong etc. 

  Walking around the site also made me realise how much the client or the brief dictates some of the design, for example, there was a need for vehicular access through the site, which had to be accommodated for. Another example of this would be the fact that the playground had to be dog-proof, so fenced off, therefore creating a harsh boundary, which was delt with is an interesting and asthetically pleasing way in this case. Part of the boundary was taken up by a custom built high backed bench, which was shaped in such a way that you could site on both sides of the boundary.

 I was suprised by the amount of work and detailing which has to go into absolutely everything on the site, and it was very interesting to hear from someone who was working on the project what he thought had gone well and vice versa.

Photos of the site, showing how the newley created contours provide an area for play. Also showing the double sided dog proof bench.  

LINK to Shape Landscape Architects website

14/01/10

"The Co-op, UK

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BrightFarm Systems is part of the winning team chosen to develop a master plan for the redevelopment of an eight-hectare site in central Manchester, United Kingdom. Our design team was chosen by global engineering firm Arup to develop carbon neutral, local food production systems."

http://brightfarmsystems.com/projects/the-co-op-uk

Brightfarm systems are involved in several interesting projects based around urban agriculture and other design solutions to environmental and sustainability issues. One project that they have built, which interests me particularly is The  Science Barge, located on the Hudson river New York. It is a barge which demonstrates systems which can be used to create an entirely sustainable food production using renewable energy, to the public. The designer of the barge itself was Ted Caplow, who is the executive director of New York Sun Works Centre for Sustainable Engineering.

http://brightfarmsystems.com/projects/nysw-usa

Video prepared by Arup (global engineering company). Showing the transformation of a city (Manchester) into a system using rooftop food production, smart bus systems and turning buildings into photovoltaic and algae generators.

Richmond Park

3 November 2009

We visited Richmond park with Micheal Hermann, in order to have talks with park ranger Adam Curtis, Adams job is crucial to the management of Richmond park. The talk with him was very beneficial to us for part of our university course, (a writing project based on investigating the management of a meduim scale site; I am looking into the management of Burgess Park, for example). We also had a small talk from part of the police force which patrols richmond park. The park has its own police force, which is unusual for a park, but a couple of the royal parks employ this management strategy, we were told that the park had a very low crime rate and one of the major problems it encountered was people picking mushrooms and chestnuts, to take home. This causes problems for the deer, as this is a crucial part to their diet in the winter. Speaking to the police officer was really interesting, as he pointed out things like this which i hadn't really considered before. I come from the countryside which if managed at all, is managed by farmers, so to be somewhere which felt like the countryside, but was so intensely managed was interesting to me. Things that I would just take for granted were thought through and had some sort of system. I found the experience very useful; I now understand the full scope that Landscape management can have, and exactly how much work goes into managing such a huge area as Richmond park.

Adam mainly spoke to us about a new gate which is being put into the park to commemorate the building of st pauls cathedral. The gate is close to King Henry VIII's Mound, which is the highest point in the park, and has a view to st pauls cathedral, 10 miles away. The view from the mound to the dome is protected for a dome and a half 's width either side of the cathedral. The gate is positioned at the start of this view before a slice is cut through the woodland framing the site. We were asked our opinions on several designs for the new gate, some referring to the nature in the park some referring to royalty, or echoeing small features found on the cathdral itself. The designs were interesting and things which were taken into account were interesting, such as health and safety, wether or not the gate would fit into the park and wether or not it was making enough of a statement to commemorate. We were told that whichever way you chose one group of people will be unhappy with it, so the best option is to aim to compromise on all aspects of anything. nightmare. Some of the more beautiful and original designs were just not considered for this reason. One design was of two deer fighting with their antlers entwined when the gate was closed; to open the gate the deer raise their heads, and the antlers unlock. It was a fantastic design challenging the conventional way in which a gate is opened, but for health and safety reasons the design would have to be altered to open in the conventional way, if it were to be considered. I found looking at the designs really interesting and the way in which they are considered for use interesting, but a little depressing as a designer. on the way out of the park we came across a herd of deer, with huge antlers, very beautiful.  

  

Knollmead Permaculture Centre, Surbiton.

27/10/2009

"Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agriculturalsystems that mimics the relationships found in natural ecologies. It was first developed by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and their associates during the 1970s in a series of publications. The word permaculture is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture, as well aspermanent culture."

The site was designed about 18 years ago using the Permaculture philosophy of combining gardening and nature conservation. The site is next to Knollmead primary school and the area is shared with allotment owners to one side. There are several aspects of the site which are brought by members who contribute to the upkeep of it, eg. a bee hive which is positioned near the small shed and seating area. above is where a pond is being dug and ditches to improve the drainage to the site. I found the whole idea of permaculture interesting, and aspects of it very sensible and useful, however the idea that nothing should be distrurbed at all is in a few senses impractical, and even on this site things were being changed adverse to the concept behind permaculture. For example I found the outside toilet and the the idea behind it a very sensible and actually would be useful to improve the impact we have on the environment, the example on the site didn't make the idea seem appealing, however once the practicalities of it were explained I could see how this idea could successfully be used in peoples homes even. i liked also the community the site created, it seemed to bring together people from the community that would maybe not get together otherwise.

Camley Street Natural Park

October 2009

Camley Street Natural Park lies between the Eurostar rail tracks between paris and st. Pancras and Regents canal, it is on the edge of the new Kings Cross redevelopement, and is the site for our landscape architeture project, this term at university. As a start to the project we were asked to visit the site and record our initial emotional response to it. The site consists of several areas based around a pond, including young, light woodland, marshland and meadowland, the site is largely left to develop as nature intends, excluding a small mown area at the northern end of the site where there are two large cages housing rabbits. There is an advanced composting system used on the site and there are also alot of community based initiatives run from the site. The only buildings on the site are used to run these community endevours from and also as a classroom for schools in the Camden area, there are also tables outside the buildings where small plants grown on the site are sold to the general public. The photo below shows my emotional response to the site; the view over the river shoes the old warehouses the other side, so it is a view of industrialism framed by nature, i felt the site was a haven of calm and natural serenity in comparison to directly outside the site which is an extremely busy city transport hub, cold and grey and busy. The ripples in the water also reflect this feeling; there is some sort of change in the water surface at a point close to Camley Street, the ripples stop (reflecting the rush and movement of a busy city), and a calm pool starts (relecting the shelter and calm Camley Street provides).

16th July - 6th August 2009

Osaka: JAPAN

http://www.scribd.com/doc/23744682/Sozoscha-College-International-workshop-OSAKA

(Link to PDF for the Sozoscha College of Design International Workshop 2009.) 

I attended the workshop for three weeks, staying with the Koyjiya family in Kumatori, and travelling in to Osaka daily to attend the course at Sozoscha College. The opportunity to experience the Japanese lifestyle first hand, and to work with people of different nationalities with different design views was amazing. I am so grateful to Naoto and his family for looking after me!

With the family who I stayed with in Kumatori. From left; Mr Kojiya, Peg (who travelled from California USA to attend the course and also stayed in Kumatori during the three weeks), Me and Mrs Kojiya.

Sakura Jima, Kyushu. JAPAN

13th July 2009

Sakura Jima is the shouthern most place that we travelled to. In Kyushu, the southern most prefect excluding Okinawa and the southwest Islands. The weather was a lot hotter and dryer than everywhere else we travelled to. We stayed on Sakura Jima, a volcanic island very close to Kagoshima. The landscape was unbeleivable, very different to that which I have experienced before. The Island consists of three peaks; only one of which is still active - Miname-dake. Since 1955 there has been an almost continuous stream of smoke and ash. There was a huge eruption in 1914 in which the Island became a peninsula, three billion tonnes of lava erupted from the volcanoe. Half of the island is covered in ash, and has a constant haze in the air; the bus we travelled around the Island in left track marks in the ash on the road and everything had a thin white coat of ash. It was incredible to me that people live with the ash, and so close to an intimidating and huge volcanoe. The photos below show an eruption of ash, which happened when we were walking over the old lava flows of previous eruptions, it really made me think- at which point should you start panicking?!

13th April 2009

Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk

I went to Aldeburgh over the Easter weekend and saw the 'Scallop' sculpture on the beach conceived by Maggie Hambling and built by local craftsmen Sam and Dennis Pegg. The sculpture was unveiled there on the 8th November 2003 and has caused controversy since. The sculpture was rejected by the people of Aldburgh where 800 people signed a petition for the sculpture to be moved from the beach, when it was first unveiled. It is still there now though which suggests the supporters are equally as passionate about it. Opposers say the sculpture is an eyesore that will attract vandalism and anti social behaviour. However it was hoped that the scallop would be East Anglias answer to the Angel of the North.

The sculpture was commissioned to celebrate the life of composer Benjamin Britton who lived in Aldburgh. He drew inspiration from the area, which is most apparent in his opera Peter Grimes- the "four seas interlude". The Quotation along the top of the scallop cut from the steel reads- 

"I hear those vioces that will not be drowned"

(From the Peter Grimes opera) It seems an appropriate and beautiful tribute to the composer in my opinion. I love the colour of the steel and the way it reflects the colour of the sea. The quote along the top is beautiful and thought provoking and the way the shell is disassembled and broken and yet such a strong shape standing out on the beach, is interesting.

Link to Maggie Hamblings website.

Sutcliffe Park - The River Quaggy

02.03.2009

After visiting the Nature reserve in Camden, i visited Sutcliffe Park, which has the Quaggy running through it. It flows from south london through to join the Thames at Greenwich, and sutcliffe park is in Kidbrooke. 

Before 2004 the river ran underneath the park in a concrete culvert, but in 2004 QWAG (QWAG is an action group which was set up in 1990, which is responsible for the regeneration and naturalistaion of sections of the river. The group was set up in response to plans to destroy the only natural remaining sections of the Quaggy for a flood alleviation plan.) and the Environment Agency came up with plans to restore the Quaggy to its natural flow above ground as part of a flood alleviation strategy. The ground was lowered to allow for extra water storage at times of heavy rainfall as part of the scheme. The river now meanders through the park with marshy banks creating a new habitat and therefore a thriving ecosystem.

I thought the park was beautiful, and the river made it so. It was unusual and surprising to see what resembled country water meadows in an built up urban suburb.

Camley Street Nature Reserve

2nd March 2009

I went to Camley Street Nature Reserve, which is just past Kings cross station, North London. It's a fairly small place but you really feel like you've left the city when you're in the nature reserve. There seems to be a lot to do there, especially for children, there's pond dipping, labels on trees showing where particular insects are likely to live and a nature trail game as you walk around, there is also a classroom near the entrance of the reserve, which is used by camden schools, as the reserve offers a full time education programme to them. There are alot of community projects set up from the nature reserve- when i was there, there was a notice encouraging locals to come and take a tree to plant in their garden, in the local area. 

The area was originally an old coal yard and was made into a nature reserve in 1984, from then onwards, managed by London wildlife trust, the reserve has grown and now offers a diverse range of habitats- meadow, marsh woodland, and open water (being located alongside Regents Canal).

I thought it was a lovely place, an escape from the city in the centre of the city. It seems to genuinely help the community, especially children, and looks like such a fun place for children to be educated about the environment and nature.