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.
