Landscape.IS.Hankin

Personal Trajectory

2011-04-26T18:53:00.003+01:00

LEA VALLEY MASTERPLAN (3RD YEAR, SEMESTER I)

MILLENNIUM MILLS PARK (3RD YEAR, SEMESTER II)

Curriculum Vitae

2011-04-26T17:05:00.002+01:00

IZOLYATSIA Regeneration Project

2011-04-25T23:51:00.004+01:00

Project: Izolyatsia Landscape Park Masterplan
Landscape Architect: FoRM Associates
Location: Donetsk, Ukraine
Area: Unspecified
Dates: 2010 - 2011 completion

The Izolyatsia project site was formerly an industrial site in Donetsk, transformed into a Landscape Masterplan by FoRM Associates & AID architects. The area was an important industrial centre for steel & coal throughout Ukraine. The project has been split into phases; the first phase is for a new circular park that incorporates a 45m high slag heap, & an experimental Arts centre.

The main aim of this project is to create a "hub of cultural excellence" (FoRM Associates), as well as creating a social, ecological & economic transformation of the post industrial landscape. "The Izolyatsia project aims to foster a dynamic environment emphasising the creative process, investigation & cultural production" (World Landscape Architecture).

The phased regeneration of the industrial complex will reclaim a lot of the 'grey' & abandoned site & transform it to make it 'green'; having the implications of literal environmental improvement & metaphorically as a place for new growth & positive change.

The slag heap, in phase one of the project, will be adopted for two purposes; a platform for large scale art installations & the centre of a new green public realm. The slag heap - the Terrikon - is completely man-made & has become a defining feature of the city, the transformation into a green space will continue its prominance, creating more of a sense of definition, boundary & community connections.

The project will deliver a bio diverse landscape in the centre of the city, contrasting to the current landscape of Donetsk, which was based on Soviet style "mass greening". The new public realm will incorporate open spaces with natural enclosed spaces, creating the ability for nature & art to coexist & interact. The transformation will form the basis for future developments of other aspects of the industrial site.

Images courtesy of World Landscape Architecture

Masterplanning

2011-04-25T21:57:00.011+01:00

Whilst working on my 3rd year final project I have been experimenting with a variety of graphic communication styles. There are many ways to represent a masterplan, every practice has their own style, but there tend to be similarities between some of them. Masterplan styles range from very diagrammatic to photo realistic. Below I have chosen some masterplans, at a variety of scales, that I have come across whilst trying to set my own style, all of these have been represented in an interesting or individual way.

Project: BGU University Entrance Square, Israel
Landscape Architects: Chyutin Architects
Area: 0.5 ha

This masterplan is for quite a small area, an entrance square to a University. The plan is simple & easy to read, the lack of textures makes this even more so (even though I tend to avoid using flat colours myself). Chyutin Architects have managed to use colours from similar colour palettes, creating a very tonal look, where all the colours compliment each other & are distinguishable, but do not contrast to much. I think you can tell this drawing was done by Architects as opposed to Landscape Architects due to the choice in style, however it has worked very well for them in my opinion. Surprisingly it is hard to keep things simple & make them look good.

Project: Valencia Parque Central, Spain
Landscape Architects: Gustafson Porter
Area: 23 ha

This Gustafson Porter Masterplan is more realistic, in a sense that the trees, grass, water & other elements have a texture to them, making them less diagrammatic. Despite this the colours are very vibrant, more so than they naturally would be, reducing the photo-realism of the plan, but distinguishing it as a design proposal not aerial photograph. I like this style of masterplan, it is very informative & all aspects of the project are clearly visible.

Project: Tianjin Qiaoyuan Park, China
Landscape Architect: Turenscape (Beijing Turen Design Institute)
Area: 22 ha

Turenscape have used a very diagrammatic method of drawing their masterplan. The colours used are an exaggerated representation of the elements they are displaying, as opposed to being a true representation of the colour. The context map surrounding the plan has been greatly darkened to draw all attention to the main design, although this is effective, the dark grey is also slightly distracting, perhaps just too dark.

Project: Madrid RIO, Madrid, Spain
Landscape Architect: West 8
Area: 80 ha

This masterplan is on a larger scale, spread along a long linear site. The detail at this scale is minimal (or not clearly visible), but zoomed in plans would be shown to compliment the overall plan. The faded colours & very faint surrounding context make this masterplan very appealing to look at. It intrigues me & encourages me to want to look closer into the project & see the finer details of the design.

Project: Sa Riera Park, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Landscape Architect: Ravetllat Ribas
Area: 11.6 ha

The images below show a masterplan of the same site & design but at two different scales, illustrating the differences between plans at differing scales. The top image is a closer look at the plan without a surrounding context, & is purely for purposes of showing the proposed planting scheme. Each tree has been represented by a coloured dot, & each tree species is shown in a different colour. This way of showing a planting scheme is very effective.

The second masterplan is at a smaller scale but with its surrounding context & other phases of the project in darker grey tones. The plan, like above, shows trees as coloured dots, but because of the scale they are harder to distinguish between. The colours used are an exaggerated representation of the features/plants they are illustrating. This is not my favourite style of masterplan as I find it harder to read the information; there is too much colour in a small space, & all of it quite contrasting. Tonal colour schemes are far more appealing & easier on the eye.

Images courtesy of World Landscape Architect & Landezine

Landscape Restoration

2011-04-19T22:27:00.008+01:00

Project: Landscape Restoration of Landfill - La Vall d'en Joan
Landscape Architect: Batlle i Roig (Architects)
Location: El Garraf Natural Park, Barcelona, Spain
Area: 150 ha
Completion: 2008
Cost: 26,000,000 Euros

A 150 hectare land fill site, south-west of Barcelona, has been transformed into a green terraced agricultural landscape by Spanish architects Batlle i Roig. The project named La Vall D'en Joan (Valley of Joan) was started in 2000 & completed in 2008, in which year it won the Energy, Waste & Recycling category at the World Architecture Festival, which was held in Barcelona.

Joan Roig of Batlle i Roig Architects has said: "The idea was to create a system of hills and banks in a way that would avoid erosion from water and to give the rubbish dump back to nature with a natural design." (CNN)

The landfill site had been used by the whole of Barcelona's metropolitan area for the last 30 years, with over 20 million tonnes of waste spread across the site. In some areas they had to dig down over 100 metres before they reached soil. The whole site has now been made very sustainable; there is an underground drainage system used to remove contaminated waste fluids from the rubbish & filter it so that the water can be used to irrigate the park. Bio gas emitted from the rubbish is also used on site to create energy.

Part of the design was to keep some of the rubbish above ground, contained in steel cages, marking the entrance to the park. These act as a constant reminder to visitors of the history of the site. The project was described by the World Architecture Festival judges as being: "a perfect example of bringing dead nature back to life by converting rubbish into a beautiful piece of landscape architecture...using few and humble means". (CNN)

Images courtesy of Landezine.com

HBO+EMTB - Practice Profile

2011-04-14T15:46:00.006+01:00

HBO+EMTB is a multidisciplinary practice with studios in Australia, New Zealand & Asia. Their disciplines include; interior design, architecture, workspace solutions, heritage architecture, planning & landscape architecture.

Below is an extract from HBO+EMTB's Landscape Architecture section of their website.

"HBO+EMTB create quality environments informed by place, culture and ecology. Our projects emphasise and incorporate sustainability and water sensitive design principles.

As cities expand, available greenspace within the public, corporate and private domain takes on greater significance. Our interventions benefit the community, enhancing the experience of landscape through robust, functional designs that delight the senses and increase biodiversity.

HBO+EMTB’s landscape design expertise covers the design and construction of constructed ecologies, parks, large scale rural and recreational landscapes, schemes for private gardens, boutique resorts, new residential estates, commercial developments, streetscapes, public domain and infrastructure projects" (HBO+EMTB)

HASSELL - Practice Profile

2011-04-14T12:47:00.011+01:00

HASSELL is a multidisciplinary design practice with studios in Asia & Australia, working with disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, planning & urban design, all integrated with the idea of sustainability. Design work is informed by all areas of the practices' disciplines, creating well rounded & effect designs.

HASSELL have won many awards across the design field, "Recognition of our sustained and diverse output is illustrated by the more than 450 design awards HASSELL has received from peer groups and industry bodies." (HASSELL - Practice Profile)

The practice aim to create exciting, diverse places & spaces whilst also considering environmental & sustainable issues. Informing their designs with knowledge of environmental conditions, shapes, forms & function.

Landscape Architecture is not their most developed discipline, projects mainly consist of small spaces, outside buildings (offices, universities), there is no large scale public spaces or parks in their design portfolio.

The Harrington Grove Country Club: this project focus was on the building & interior, the landscape surrounding completed the design. The landscaped grass terraces "wrap around" the building, each terrace creating opportunity for multi-use spaces, including an amphitheatre.

Darwin Waterfront (work in progress): this project is a masterplan redesign of an old industrial port into a public, mixed-use urban community. A new extensive park area has been proposed, which is to include an all year round public swimming beach, public promenades, picnic areas, art & cultural facilities.

Cairnlea: 460 hectare new residential suburb in the north-west of Melbourne. The site was previously an explosives plant, & so was heavily contaminated. The redevelopment of the area used existing natural features, including large areas of remnant grassland, two creeks & an array of native trees; all situated on an active floodplain. The project was also aimed at creating a community hub, with schools, community facilities & a commercial zone.

HASSELL addressed the importance of sustainability & environmental land management; due to the nature of the site, being a floodplain & having two major waterways traversing it, they created an extensive storm water re-use system (potentially saving upto 160,000 kilolitres of water per year). Some of the water is treated & used in irrigation, other water is used to create habitats & wetland areas.

Deck walkways cross the wetland zones, creating paths & circulation within the site.

A pavilion besides the wetland creates a public space element to the project, inviting people to enjoy the wildlife & habitats that surround them.

All images courtesy of HASSELL

Newham

2011-03-28T14:49:00.004+01:00

After another day attempting to gain access to the Millenium Mills site for my studio project (another failed attempt) I decided to see what else was in the local area. I came across a few interesting places, including a community run allotment, Newham City Farm & Beckton District Park

On the north side of the Royal Victoria Dock yet another large office or hotel complex is quickly being erected. The curving shape of the building (I can assume to mimic the surrounding water) is becoming a bit of a cliche, you see it now with a large amount of new builds near to water. The whole area is under constant redevelopment, which will continue for several years, it is not surprising most of it is very corporate due to its proximity to London City Airport & Canary Wharf. Hopefully once the buildings are up then someone will do something about the landscape, which at the moment is very dull & uninspiring.

On the way to Beckton District Park, I stumbled upon this small community allotment. The area was enclosed by a steel fence & locked gate, but there were a couple of men in there who let me in. Originally a bare plot of land, one of the locals took it upon themselves to turn the wasted land into an allotment available for people in the local area.

Dotted around the allotment were these old mannequins, which added a very individual, perhaps slightly spooky element. I did not ask, but assumed these were partly decorative & partly as a deterent to birds & other animals.

Home-made bird deterents made out of household waste items such as tins, plastic bottles, transformed into shapes that allows wind to blow through them & cause movement.

Newham City Farm is one of London's longest running city farms, opening in 1977. The farm offers educational & leisure activities for the whole community, & visitors to the area. Over the years the farm has expanded, gaining many species of animals, including a shire horse, goats, pigs, cows, ducks & many more. Another expansion was the addition of a Visitors Centre; an existing park building that was no longer used has now been converted into the centre which provides classroom facilities & a display room. The farm continues to grow, with developments of new paddocks taking place when I visited.

An interesting steel bull is in the middle of the central paddock

This City Farm is the best I have visited. The whole concept of city farms is a reasonably new one to me, having only visited them this year, however I think they are a great way for children & adults to enjoy aspects of nature & wildlife that typically they cannot in the city environment. All of the ones I have visited, including; Vauxhall, Spitalfields, Newham & Hackney, have all been busy even during the week, showing that they are a very utilised & enjoyed feature within their areas, attracting more than just nearby residents.

This photo (above) shows the lake in Beckton District Park; the third year studio project site of another landscape architect on my course.

Tudela (Club Med) Restoration - Spain

2011-03-27T21:26:00.005+01:00

Project: Tudela (Club Med) Restoration
Landscape Architect: EMF Landscape Architects
Location: Cap de Creus, Catalunya, Spain
Area: 200 ha
Completion: 2010
Project Type: Restoration, nature

Image courtesy of Landezine

Post-Industrial Landscapes - China

2011-03-23T15:33:00.007Z

The site of Millenium Mills, London Docklands, which I chose as the site for my final third year studio project, has pushed me to look into more post-industrial designs. These types of site are very interesting as there is far more involved than just design, like with many projects, as the sites are often contaminated, covered in rubble, in difficult areas, & many other factors. The whole process is far more indepth & time consuming, involving many teams of expertise. I will be continuing to post about post-industrial landscape when I come across any that catch my eye. Here is the first one:

Project: Tianjin Bridged Gardens
Landscape Architect: Turenscape (Beijing Turen Design Institute)
Location: Tianjin City, China
Area: 22ha
Completion: 2008
Project Type: Urban regeneration/renewal

Regenerative design transformed this former derelict shooting range, used as a rubbish dump, into a low maintenance urban park. Rapid urbanisation in the area turned the former shooting range into a rubbish dump & storm water drainage basin for the city, making it a heavily polluted, deserted, littered site. The overall aim for the designers was to create a park that provided a large diversity of nature for the city & its residents; including the ability for the site to purify urban storm water, improve the saline-alkali soil, provide educational opportunities (environmental issues, native landscapes, natural systems, landscape sustainability & storm water management).

The regional landscape is typically flat & used to be rich in wetlands & marshes before it was all destroyed by large scale urban development. The design for the park was inspired by the adaptive vegetation communities that used to cover this landscape & the region. The park was designed in such a way that it is very low maintenance & it just allows nature to work. The top image shows the site at the top centre, surrounded by high density urban sprawl. The second image shows more clearly the state of the site before its regeneration.

The transformed park is unrecognisable from its former derelict, rubble strewn state. Twenty-one "pond cavities" were dug in the landscape, varying in size from ten to forty meters in diameter, & from one to five meters in depth. Depending on the weather, & the height above ground level, the cavities all take on different appearances, some becoming seasonal pools, some water ponds, some wetlands, & some remain as dry cavities. There are wooden platforms stretching out across some of the cavities, enabling visitors to see right inside them.

Storm water is collected in the water cavities, allowing vegetation to grow & creating diverse water communities. Mixed seeds of native plant species were sowed initially to get the vegetation started, but after this plant species were allowed to grow & develop wherever they naturally occured. Different seasons provide different appearances as plant species establish at different times depending on the states of the cavities, whether they are wet or dry during the seasonal changes.

Red steel walkways run through the park, allowing higher views across the landscape

All images courtesy of Turenscape.com

DIY Urban Furniture Testing

2011-03-22T23:07:00.007Z

The National Graduate School of Science & Technology in Strasbourg, France is a school for enginneers & architects. The whole university campus is undergoing rethinking of its organisation & layout, with the help of the Collectif ETC (an association of architects who aim to transform public spaces) urban street furniture designed by students was tested to experiment with different layouts in the campus car park.

The students started by entering proposals for street furniture, they were able to submit 7 basic modules. After this 33 modules were designed & built by the students, all had to be able to be carried by a fork-lift truck, so the bases are constructed with palettes. The modules offer a variety of uses, from ping-pong, football goals, chess tables, & a variety of seating types for sitting & lying on. The modules were often moved around to experiment with different layouts. With each module is a miniature model in order for for people to inagine & visualise other options quickly. The series of photographs below shows the different modules in their altering states being used:

The furniture was only supposed to be a quick experiment of space, remaining in the car park for only the week, however the furniture had been enjoyed & used so much that the university has decided to keep them there for a few months while real development plans take place.

Images courtesy of Landezine

Architect's Brother

2011-03-22T22:47:00.007Z

Some striking photography & photo editing by Robert & Shana Parke-Harrison. The style of photography really appeals to me, as well as the use of landscape in every photograph. To see more of these amazing photos click here

Images courtesy of parkeharrison.com

Carbon Footprint

2011-03-22T20:52:00.002Z

After thinking about, & researching sustainable products & methods I decided it would be interesting to see how my life affects the planet, just from my day to day living. So I searched online for a Carbon Footprint calculator, this is the first one I came across. To calculate your personal carbon footprint you are asked a series of questions under the topics of; Food, travel, home & stuff. The answers you provide are calculated in some way to determine your carbon footprint.

My results showed that my lifestyle relies on the availability of 2.53 planets to support the human race, unfortunately we only have one. The travel section was the highest percentage, increasing my footprint; this probably was due to me flying last year & the type/size of car I drive. Below is the print screen of the results page showing my carbon footprint:

FLOWLIGHT

2011-03-22T19:03:00.008Z

While researching sustainable methods of lighting for use in my studio project, a site which is on the river & has a dock in the centre of it (see Millenium Mills post for details), I came across this new tidal powered lighting system - FLOWLIGHT

Tidal power is not widely used currently, mainly because it is less powerful/takes longer to produce the same quantities of electricity as other more conventional sources. However, it is believed that in the future it will be used far more when other resources run out or provide too much damage to our planet. Water produces a lot of energy within itself, through waves & tides, Irish designer Shane Molloy has looked into this further & come up with a sustainable lighting system. Energy is generated from the flow of a tidal river, which is converted into electricity, which in turn illuminates the lights, using only renewable energy. The first Flowlights have been used to illuminate the dockside of the River Suir in Ireland.

The lights have an outer shell made from carbon fibre, within this is the bespokely designed water turbine blades. The blades of the turbine are designed so that they can operate both clockwise & counterclockwise, enabling them to generate power with the flow of the river at high & low tides. The lighting systems have been developed to react to the levels of water in the river with a 'Tidal Drop Extension Arm', which is constantly altering itself, extending & contracting to keep the turbine at an ideal depth in the water.

The mechanical energy created by the turbines is converted into electrical power, which is then stored in a battery unit within the system. They have built in light sensors which will turn the LED lighting strips on when the natural night fades.

This lighting scheme seems to be a suitable method of lighting many riverside/dockside/waterfronted public areas which are wishing to illuminate the walkways. Sustainable alternatives are obviously well researched in most designs today, due to the high awareness of the state of the planet & its resources. This lighting would definately be a system I would consider when designing the waterfront jetty in my studio design. As these images show they look reasonably attractive & are quite low key & minimal, it would be unlikely that alterations to the style & aethestics of the structure would alter the effectiveness of the energy generator, & so this could be changed to suit specific sites or design styles.

All images courtesy of The Design Blog

Sackler Crossing - Kew Gardens

2011-03-18T15:23:00.005Z

The Sackler Crossing is a bridge across the Lake at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The bridge is a beautiful piece of architecture & engineering. As part of the third year module LD3002 Fielding we have to write a Management Plan for a chosen site at either Kew Gardens or Richmond Park. The lake & Sackler Crossing is my chosen site, due to its variety of habitats & interesting features. The following text has been taken from my management plan: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | The Lake & Sackler Crossing | Management Plan, by Alice Hankin

"The Sackler Crossing was installed in 2006 & was the first ever bridge to cross the lake. The name is in honour of Theresa Sackler & Dr Mortimer, two philanthropists, whose donations made it possible for the bridge to be constructed. The designer was John Pawson, a British Architect. The bridge was designed in such a way that it reflects the precedent set by William Kent, an early visionary of Kew's, who wanted features in the landscape to be "stumbled upon" without prior planning.

The exact location of the bridge is purposeful; it forms part of the arc that Wilkinson Eyre planned in his master plan for the Gardens. The arc's central point is the Palm House, & then it sweeps around, cornered by through-views, & bisected by the Syon vista. The curve creates a new circulation route through this section of the Gardens, & the Sackler Crossing allows users to cross the water at this point.

The use of black granite & bronze to construct the bridge "reinforces the elemental character of the esign" (John Pawson -Lake Crossing). The granite lies in bands forming the deck walkway, & cast bronze has been used in vertical cantilevers to create simple balusters. If you view the bridge from either end the balusters seem to be a solid barrier, however from a side angle it is realised that there are hundreds of individual bronze bars, allowing views through to the surrounding water

The bridge has created a new route & enabled far easier access to certain areas either side of the lake, which before were neglected."

Have Pepsi Found The Way Forward??

2011-03-16T17:47:00.003Z

Pepsi have released a new bottle to replace their current plastic bottles. They are market testing the product next year, with plans for its general use the same year.
The bottles are made completely out of plant material, including; switch grass (a perennial warm season buchgrass, native to North America), corn husks, pine bark & several other materials. Future progressions in use of materials includes orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps & many other food leftovers from Pepsi's food business.
Coca-Cola are currently producing a bottle made from 30% plant material, saying it will take several more years to produce a 100% plant material bottle, so Pepsi are very proud to release their 100% plant material bottle.

The release of this product could change the industry standards, reducing the use of petroleum-based materials & in-turn reducing the negative effects these materials have on the plant.

To read the whole article click here

Spiller's Millenium Mills

2011-03-08T18:46:00.018Z

The final project of my Landscape Architecture degree was left very open, I have been given the task of creating my own brief & choosing my own site. There were only a few criteron for the project; the site should be of an appropriate size to allow us to demonstrate analysis, concept & detailed design skills at a range of scales; there should be an over-arching theme that allows us to explore ket issues in contemporary Landscape Architecture, this may be sustainable design, urban regeneration, or many others.

I had some ideas of the kind of project I wanted to develop, but was without a site. I was looking for a post-industrial, derelict site. Inspiration for this was gained from a lecture we had a few weeks ago by Will Sandy (See post "What Is Landscape - Will Sandy"), in which he showed a video of the work being done in Detroit to regenerate all of the derelict land, the Michigan Central Station site caught my eye inparticular. The following video show that footage (Michigan Central Station appears at 9 minutes). The video is the part 1 of 3 parts, all of them are worth having a watch, it shows a lot of the derelict parts of Detroit, & interviews a lot of people who are actively trying to bring life back to the city, mainly by using art.

After researching & thinking for some time, I remembered a site that I have passed by many times & always been intrigued by. On the DLR in London, heading east out of the city, you travel through the London Docklands, which historically was home to a large industrious area. The Thames Barrier Park is often the destination when I travel out this far east, however I have always been more interested in the site on the other side of the DLR track. Spiller's Millenium Mills is a large derelict flour mill, the last remaining industrial building in the docklands.

Founded in 1901 by William Vernon & Sons, the actual mill was not built until 1905, becoming Europe's largest mill of the time. Shortly after this it was bought by Spiller's & named after their "Millenium Flour"; used to make the Millenium Flour & also dog food, which Spillers were famous for. In 1917 it was partially destroyed by an explosion in a neighbouring factory, it was then hugely extended several years later in 1933. The mill has now been derelict since 1984 when it was forced to shut down when the docks were closed, due to huge industrial decline. Since then the building has suffered a lot, with parts demolished, machines ripped out leaving huge open holes, and some vandalism. There are in fact two mills on site, one being Millenium Mills (the largest mainly white building) & a smaller mill attached to the east side of MM, Rank Hovis Mill. There is also still a large white silo which still remains on the site, Silo D.

In 2007 it was announced that Spiller's Millenium Mill will be converted into luxury flats at some point in the foreseeable future, as part of the Silvertown Quays development. I expect this will be less of a conversion & more of a demolition & then rebuild. This is a terrible shame, as although the building is in bad shape & is considered a dangerous site, it is the last remaining proof of London's huge industrial past. This is why I have chosen this site as my Semester II project. I want to revitalise the site & celebrate the past industrial history by using the buildings as the focal point of a new public park.

The site is considered "dangerous" due to the fragile state of the building, & so is completely surrounded by high security fences & there is a 24 hour security car which patrols the site looking out for trespassers. Trespassers are a common thing at Millenium Mills, as the building is considered by a group of urban explorers to be the greatest building to access & explore in the UK. This group are very adverse to the plans of redevelopment as well, agreeing with my sentiment that it should be honoured as a heritage site due to its history.

View west from the Royal Victoria Dock footbridge

The site faces the London Excel, a large exhibitions & conference centre

Rank Hovis building on the west side of the Millenium Mills

The map above just simply show the site (red line border) in context with some nearby well known places/attractions; the Excel Centre, London City airport, Thames Barrier & Thames Barrier Park.

The following video shows footage of some of the site, but mainly the inside of the building, created by someone who took the risk to access this amazing building.

East is East

2011-03-03T17:21:00.011Z

The second London day out was concentrating on installations, art & design within the East of London, starting at Moorgate tube station, & ending at Gillett Square in Dalston, Hackney. The images below show the things we came across throughout the day:

This is the Fulcrum, a corten steel sculpture, designed by Richard Serra. The designer was given a task of creating a sculpture to fit into the small space which is Octagon Square, Serra decided to design upwards in order to make something striking & imposing without taking up too much space.

Broadgate circle is this circular space, mainly used for events throughout the year. The programme of events is called the Broadgate Arena, one of the most popular events being the ice rink that is set up in the circle from october through the winter months.

Finsbury Avenue Square was refurbished by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, turning it into a sophisticated public square in the heart of Broadgate. The square's most striking feature is its grid patterned, interactive lighting. The lights bring the square to life at night, & it becomes a very popular destination.

This was a casting of old London displayed in Bishop's Square. Bishop's Square is just to the west of Spitalfields Market, & is considered part of the Spitalfields area.

Water feature in Bishop's Square

Art installation in Bishop's Square; "I'm late, I'm late, I'm very, very late!!", the rabbits were designed by Paul Cox with history of the area in mind. Spitalfields was originally a grazing area for cattle, (hence 'field' in the name), the sculpture is also meant to represent the people who live & work in the East of London, who like rabbits stay in close knit communities. The rabbits are moveable, so have popped up in lots of different locations within the Spitalfields complex. They're a happy installations, which brings a smile to your face & adds a light hearted touch to what is normally quite a business orientated, busy area.

Whilst walking through Brick Lane I saw several pieces of graffiti that really stood out to me. The one above I particularly like, it is a really beautiful piece of artwork. After some research I discovered it's by a renowned Belgian street artist Roa. Roa has painted several creatures (always animals) around the Brick Lane/Spitalfields area. I particularly like this one as I think herons are amazing birds (Roa's original intention was to paint a heron, but then told it looked like a crane...so slightly altered it to look more like a crane, although I still think it looks very heron like), and the style it has been done in reminds me a lot of the works of Thomas Hooper, a world renowned tattoo artist whos work I hugely admire.

This graffiti caught my eye because it is actually very unattractive, but because of this it is very striking.

View from Spitalfields City Farm across to the city

We stopped in at Hackney City Farm. This farm has been open for 20 years, allowing children & adults the opportunity to get close to farm animals & wildlife in the heart of the city. The farm seemed very opular, even on a wednesday when we visited there was a large amount of people coming in & out.

Along the Regent's canal there was a series of these mirrored mosaics. Although many of them were old, damaged & graffited they really lit up the unattractive walls in which they were set.

The final stop was Gillett Square in Dalston. I have seen photos & read about this newly redeveloped square, & have always been interested to see it.... on arrival I was very disappointed. All it was was a grey paved area with two benches, one handrail & very little else. It was very uninspiring considering it was one of the first to be completed of the "100 Public Spaces programme" in London. The only striking & attractive feature was this old shipping container which has been covered in mirrors.

Bringing the Countryside to the City; City Farms & Community Gardens

2011-03-03T16:40:00.008Z

For the few of us that did not go to Stockholm we took a wander around some interesting sustainable/green/community led projects around the Vauxhall area of London. The first stop was Vauxhall City Farm (click to access website); within this hugely urban area you suddenly come across this city farm. The farm invites anyone to explore, and is host to an array of animals (including a paddock offering riding lessons), a community garden, duck pond & much more. The farm is totally sustainable, for example the community garden produces certain plants & vegetables that produce natural dyes, which are then used by the spinning group. The farm is 100% volunteer run & they are always looking for new people to join them.

City Farms such as this one are invaluable to the local communities, without access to the activities & experiences the farm offers some children growing up in the city would never get to experience this kind of lifestyle. The farms enable families living in the city that may not be able to afford regular visits to the countryside a place to enjoy the animals & feel like they have got away from the hard urban landscape. There are several others in London, including Hackney City Farm.

Later in the day we visited Bonnington Square. Bonnington Square is home to a community garden, the follwoing description is taken from the 'Bonnington Square Garden Association' website:

"The site in which the Pleasure Garden now stands was the result of WW2 bomb damage. In the 1970's the Council erected a couple of swings and seats but then didn't maintain them and seemed to forget the site even existed! Without maintenance the park fell into disrepair; dominated by stinging nettles and dog mess. In 1990 a builder working in the area applied to the Council to use the site as storage, which both alerted the council to the fact that they owned valuable 'idle land' and the Residents to the fact that the land could be sold for development. The Bonnington Square Garden Association was formed by Local Residents to lay claim to the "wasteland". Thus after prolonged negotiations with the powers that be money became available from a joint Government and Local Council scheme and construction began in August 1994 transforming the land into a little slice of paradise that now beholds you - 'The Pleasure Garden'. The Garden is, of course partly in homage to the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens which existed 100m to the north of here and were a major feature of London for three centuries; a place of curiosity, promenade and play. The garden, surprisingly perhaps was designed ‘by Committee’ - several local residents and an Architectural firm. The intention was to create a gentle and beautiful slice of nature that could serve all sides of the community. A delightful play space for the kids and something of a sanctuary from the big city storm for the adults. It is one of the beating ‘hearts’ of our community and a place of pilgrimage for many more."

The garden is open to anyone to enjoy, and the residents are more than happy to discuss the development & maintenance of the garden. After completing the garden the association decided to extend the gardens philosophy by leaving the confines of the garden's hedges & spreading the planting out into the streets. They have pulled up paving slabs & planted tropical trees & plants. They believe the more they can plant the better, using every available space, improving inner city life by surrounding it with nature.

Ethelburga Estate, Battersea

2011-03-03T15:59:00.005Z

The afternoon part of our London day out took us to Ethelburga Estate. This "estate" lies just to the west of Battersea Park (10metres across Albert Bridge Road), & is a housing estate comprised of both privately owned (90%) & council owned (10%) flats. The estate is considered "dangerous" & "unaproachable" by outsiders, who take much longer detours around the estate to access Battersea Bridge Road. Some of the residents have come together & created an estate action group. Their aim is to improve the aesthetics of the estate to benefit both the residents & the people who avoid the estate currently. They have been offered a £20,000 budget from the local council (Wandsworth) to do so. However, in order to get this money they have to have a certain (& very high) percentage of the residents approval & backing. This has proved much harder than expected. With a lot of residents being tenants & having no financial roots in the estate, they fear that improvements to the area will in turn increase the cost of their rent & so are dubious to support the action. Without a certain proportion of the residents support, no development will take place.

When we visited we met Peter & Peter! These two men have been residents in Ethelburga estate for some years & are very keen to see change. They do not like the stereotype that has been made of the estate, by it being called an "estate", by the old fashioned, 60's appearance, & by the general unattractive buildings & landscape. They took us for a tour around the estate (which is not very big, encircling the estate took 15 mins), there is little in the way of attractive landscaping or design, rubbish bins are a huge eye-sore, there are large areas of concrete with no purposes, & very little soft landscaping. Back in the community centre we all got together & brainstormed some ideas of how we feel the estate could be improved. There were four categories: security & community, play & creativity (art), movement (& transport), & green infrastructure. The following images show these sheets with all our ideas:

What is Landscape - Sam Johnston

2011-01-31T15:15:00.004Z

Thursday 27th January was another afternoon of lectures from guest speakers.

Sam Johnston - Gustafson Porter

Landscape is...

..." everything under the sun" Neil Porter (Gustafson Porter)

... Out there; an understanding of the other

... In here; an awareness of self

Sam talked about some of the projects he has/is working on:

Lake Balaton: Create a new public space/park by the side of the lake. Elements used in the concept; Heart, Body & Mind

Hooke Park: Human consciousness; reality vs. imagination

Milan City Life: New central park. Three architects created central tower blocks surrounded by a residential area, the new park weaves between these structures

Woolwich Squares: Two square nodes between the river & the common. The two themes for the areas are 'Ballroom' & 'Gardens'. The 'Ballroom' is a hard landscaped area where there is a market, the 'Garden' space is a soft landscaped area designed to create an inner sity garden effect

What is Landscape - Will Sandy

2011-01-31T12:31:00.000Z

Will Sandy - Three Green Dots

Focus on social theory & communities

Will talked about how the world today is changing for the bad, he used several examples to show how this is happening:

Automation: this is taking away social interaction; the use of things such as oyster cards, self service checkouts, online banking, all of these which reduce the need for human interaction. Soon it will be possible for us to go through a whole day without needing to talk to anyone.

Reduction of public trust: public spaces are no longer really "public" due to constant CCTV coverage watching everyones every move, private security companies patolling public spaces with the authority to ask people to leave without question. All of these things reduce the enjoyment & feel of trust that we have as a "public" body

Tesco vs. Denmark: Will showed a clip of a video that has been produced as a comical, but true representation of companies becoming monopolies, reducing the ability for small businesses to become successful.

How Many Stops??
This was one of the projects Three Green Dots did in London. It was a observational project to see if they could influence the way people use public transport vs. walking. They wanted to see if they could change peoples' daily routines by simply adding signs to the bottom of bus timetables. The installations were cocky & could be considered rude by some, but I think they were very clever & hopefully did encourage some people to choose to walk instead of hopping on a bus. The stickers lasted about 2 months in central London (along Oxford Street & nearby streets), & some in other areas lasted more than 6 months

Parking Tickets
Another of their small projects was "parking tickets". They produced 200 "tickets" & placed them on cars around the Kensington area. The tickets looked legit, they were contained in a plastic sleeve & had the same text & print as normal parking tickets, however when the car owners opened them, instead of being faced with a fine, they were congratulated for their good parking, & other things. The project was done to bring a surprise smile to people's faces when they would normally suspect the worst. We are constantly being condemned for doing things wrong but we are never congratulated for doing things right. Three Green Dots are trying to turn this around for the few people that have experienced their projects.

Three Green Dots encourage people to think outside the box & be creative in a way that will make people smile!!

What is Landscape by Heather Ring

2011-01-25T17:51:00.010Z

Today we were lucky enough to have an afternoon of lectures from some very interesting & inspiring people, representing their companies & giving us a look into their work. The question raised was 'What is Landscape?' All the guest speakers gave their own interpretation of what they believe Landscape Is.

Heather Ring - Wayward Plants

Plant Exchange: unwanted plants to create gardens.
Plant adoption: ability for the public to "adopt" unwanted plants
Guerilla Gardening: Planting/creating gardens without permission. Wayward Plants created a Guerilla garden on the corner of Upper Street next to the infamous Foundry.
The Union Street Urban Orchard: created using all recycled materials (ie. palettes), contained a number of interactive elements, including; cider making shed, greenhouses, outdoor cinema, plant exchange & much more. There were a number of people who actually lived on the site in "eco-pods", these people helped manage & look after the site.
Garden for medicine: another interactive garden to promote the history & information behind plants used for mecidinal use.
Algae Garden (proposed): algae is a potential bio-fuel, this garden will celebrate the beauty of algae which main people do not realise.
Little known history of Kensington Gardens - Camoflague: the use of plants & natural processes as a camoflague.

A brief rough quote from Heather on her views of What is Landscape? - "Landscape is an exploration at small scale...a way to see how people interact. Due to the economy small scale & temporary is often all you can do, are allowed to do."

I found Heather's presentation very interesting, it really opened my eyes to the way that small scale, temporary projects can really make a huge difference & attract such attention. I had seen the Union Street Urban Orchard on a website last summer & had fully planned to go....I'm now upset I let it slip my mind. I think she will offer a lot of inspiration to a lot of us, who maybe have worried about the prospect of working in an office with several layers of superiors, never feeling you are working towards what you really feel drives your enthusiam & inspirations.

Click here to find out more about Heather & Wayward Plants' work

What is Landscape - Christian Spencer Davies

2011-01-25T17:08:00.000Z

Christian Spencer Davies - AMODELS

Architectural model makers: majority of their work is for contemporary architectural companies

Unconventional model making: no realistic models, no white models, no "model railway style" models. They do not like to work as conventional model makers who create life-like representations, their work is individual, creative, imaginative & abstract

Models by AMODELS can be made from a variety of materials, including: timber, metal, embroidery, perspex, paper & many more. All of which are quite conventional model making materials, however AMODELS use the materials in ways that others do not.

They often work with big names, such as; Gustafson Porter, Zaha Hadid, Will Alsop, working with these designers to create individual & striking pieces.

Projects they have created models for include; 'Diana Princess of Wales Memorial' in Hyde Park, 'Gardens by the Bay' in Singapore, models for films, including a huge model used in the 'Landscape Architecture studio' of Jude Laws in the film "Breaking & Entering"

Below are a couple of my favourite models by AMODELS:

Christian had very interesting & inspiring views on his client relationships, which really stood out to me. He has little interest in being told what to do throughout a project, & prefers to be allowed artistic licence of his own to create a beautiful model of what he has interpretted from the architects/designers ideas.

Click here to see more of AMODELS portfolio

What is Landscape - Studio Weave

2011-01-25T14:47:00.000Z

Studio Weave - Architects

Their work includes: public spaces, shelters & cabins, landscapes, play spaces, furniture, structures, art installations.

They work in an unusual & individual way; creating stories to inform their designs

"We aim to create places through playing into and exploring the narratives of spaces. It is important to us that our projects grow from the unique aspects of a place, through its physical and geographical qualities, its use both currently and historically, as well as its myths and legends. We particularly appreciate the quirky and eccentric characteristics that make somewhere distinctive. We have used stories as a way to personify landscapes and design proposals, and have even realised designs that fictional characters have designed themselves!" Studio Weave.com

Studio Weave were the people behind the "Longest Bench" in Littehampton (see earlier post)

Another of their projects is 'Freya & Robin' at Kielder Water. This is a few extracts from the story created to inform this project; "Not so long ago, not so very far from here, there lived a beautiful lady named Freya. Freya loved flowers. She loved the Wood Aven with its little strawberry flowers that smell like Christmas and protect against evil. She loved the Red Campion with their hoof-like petals stretching from the tips of magenta pods, decorated with tiny white curls. But most of all, she loved Foxgloves, tall figures dressed in soft bells, some in pink, some in white, and some spotted with the fingerprints of elves. Freya liked to think of the foxes ringing the bells to warn each other of danger and insects sheltering from the rain under their gentle parasols...Not so very far away from her, lived Robin. Robin lived in a wooden hut in the woodlands over the water from Freya. He spent his days walking through the woods, looking after the trees and the animals that lived in them. He liked climbing trees and building little wooden houses for the birds to lay their eggs in. He dashed about the forest playing swift and intelligent games with the deer and scrambled about helping the squirrels find their buried nuts...While she was making the cabin, she noticed that Robin spent more and more time dreamily looking across the water. She was thrilled for she thought he must be looking to see what she was up to. She was so excited that she went and collected as many tall, straight flowers as she could find and proudly balanced the cabin up on a thousand of the tallest straightest stems to be sure that Robin could see it properly. But Robin couldn’t see it properly; he couldn’t see it at all...So at sunset, having loaded Robin’s boat with some more food and Freya’s flower press, they set off on their adventure.
They didn’t leave very long ago, so they are still away adventuring, but if you can find them, you can see Robin’s wooden hut and the golden cabin that Freya made for him, facing each other across the lake, awaiting their return."

Graphic communication & techniques in Landscape Architecture 'masterclass'

2011-01-24T20:47:00.006Z

Today we had a 'masterclass' by an employee of Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects. We all created our own renders of an AutoCAD courtyard plan, using photoshop. The 3 hours we had was hugely helpful, taking us through all the stages from exporting the CAD plan to PDF, to creating a finished (almost) render. A lot of the techniques I was already familiar with, but Colum either showed us better ways of creating the same effect, or faster ways to produce the same things.

The image above is my render as done in the 3 hour session, more could be added & altered, but this shows the stage I got to today.

This shows a closer section of the courtyard render I completed today. It uses a combination of images to create a complete image. The trees I created from scratch in photoshop, as a start to a new Image Library I am making to help speed up the process of drawings in the future.

TREELIFE

2011-01-04T09:56:00.002Z

The Cool Hunter website claims to be "the world's most-read culture & design site, a leading authority on all things creative & a truly global hub for what's cool, thoughtful, innovative & original."

The site has organised its first offline event called 'TREELIFE'. This event is set to take place in 2011 in London & is based around showcasing creative, innovative & sustainable architecture , proving that green can co-exist with urban city life.

Below is a list of some of the exhibitions & events that will be occuring during TREELIFE:

Life in the trees: there will be the world's first major public exhibition of tree houses from world renowned designers.

Art Life: Organic, green-themed art installations will surround the treehouses

Silent Cinema: Public, open-air movie screenings, using wireless, sound proof headphones.

Free bikes will be available at each venue to enable eco-friendly transport between sites

Hi-Tea: Green building constructed for refreshments

The Green Room: Off-site hospitality venue

Sleep overnight in a treehouse!

Illuminating Treelife at Night: LED lighting will be used to illuminate trees & there will be a nightly show

The Ecotarium: showcase of new green technologies

Graphic Art Exhibition: 100 Treelife posters, desiged by 100 of the world's best designers

VISUALISATIONS

2011-01-03T01:18:00.001Z

The two images below are both my own, created for Part I & Part III of my current Studio Project of semester 1; The Lea Valley.

The first image was a visualisation I created for Part I; Wayfinding signage project. As you can see the graphics are very crude & basic (partially intentional). This was done using a photograph as the base outline, then in Illustrator tracing the lines of objects/features that I wished to be included, & then colur was added in Photoshop. The image did not take long, although was not a hugely fast process either.

This next image was created after I had bought Digital Drawing For Landscape Architecture (listed a few posts below). The book gives clear, concise step-by-step instructions on how to create renders, visualisations, 3d models, & much more. Using this book I was able to create a far more life-like visualisation of a proposal within the Part III; Masterplan. I am now far more competent at putting together visualisations faster & at a higher standard.

POCKET BOOK

2010-12-10T01:11:00.000Z

This is my most recent purchase in a new resolution to create a mini "library" of Landscape Architecture & Design books, in order to help my progression as a designer.

This book contains all the major topics from soft & hard landscaping to planning, legislation & British Standards. As I progress it is important my professional knowledge does too. Small & handy book to keep at hand at all times!

Urban Tree Planting Scheme Launched in the UK

2010-12-08T22:49:00.005Z

The government have launched a £4.2 million project in which 1 million trees will be planted in urban environments over the next 4 years. Led by Defra, this is the first tree planting campaign from the UK government since the 1970's.

View Article

Will it work??

"Plant a tree, change the future and the future will thank you for it” Griff Rhys Jones, President of Civic Voice

Shared Space Streets

2010-12-08T22:31:00.004Z

Came across this article about the UK leading the way with joint usage streets for pedestrians & vehicles. Something the US is not ahead of us in.

View Article

(image sourced from article)

Invisible Streetlight

2010-12-08T22:10:00.003Z

Korean designer Jongoh Lee has come up with this new design concept; artificial leaves that can be wrapped around trees, branches or any other natural material, producing light at night but remaining more or less invisible during the day. The 'leaves' mingle in with the branches of a tree during the day, collecting & storing sunlight, & then at night light up using the stored sunlight, providing an alternative to traditional streetlights, which purely functional & are set to a fixed height.

The 'invisible' lights are made from a double injection of silicone & aluminium; these lightweight materials enable the lights to have flexible movement, enabling them to be wrapped around most solid things. The silicon protects the leaves from water with its high thermal conductivity property, & its semi-transparency allows the LED lights within to shine through in the dark. Inside the silicon & aluminium outer casing is a "photocapacitor", which converts the solar energy from sunlight into electricity, which is then stored in a nano-wire battery. The high technology device is able to utilize indirect sunlight even on rainy or cloudy days, allowing usage every night.

An ingenious new design concept which could be the future of streetlighting in parks & small streets. The lighting, as the design stands, could not be used for inner city roads as not enough light is produced to illuminate large areas sufficiently to provide safe driving conditions. However, it could be progressed to provide a new form lighting to replace the boring functionality of the traditional streetlight.

(images sourced from Why Design Now)

QUOTES

2010-12-08T18:43:00.002Z

Here are some possibly thought provoking or inspirational quotes from some well known architects:

“Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.” (Frank Lloyd Wright)

“Space and Light and Order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep.” (Le Corbusier)

“God is in the details.” (Mies van Der Rohe)

“More is more.” (Robert Venturi)

“When I’m working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.” (Richard Buckminster Fuller)

”When you look on one of your contemporary ‘good copies’ of historical remains, ask yourself the question: Not what style, but in what civilization is this building? And the absurdity, vulgarity, anachronism and solecism of the modern structure will be revealed to you in a most startling fashion.” (Louis H. Sullivan)

“Society needs a good image of itself. That is the job of the architect.” (Walter Gropius)

“Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.” (Eero Saarinen)

Reading Material

2010-12-08T18:29:00.003Z

I have ordered this book to help me progress my digital skills. The book contains step by step guides on how to use a variety of software, including photoshop & illustrator, to form landscape architecture digital drawings, visualisations, plans, sections, etc.

Researchers Developing A Living Skin For Buildings

2010-12-08T17:09:00.003Z

Research is being carried out at the University of Greenwich into a new carbon negative living material that will be used to protect structures & fight against climate change. The material has been made from protocells - very simple cells that only have the basic elements of life, however are still able to grow & multiply. The cells will capture carbon from the air in their membranes, causing them to grow & eventually form a hard, coral-like armour around buildings. The cells could even be used to support buildings by hardening & securing their foundations, places like Venice this come to great use & importance in the future. The researchers invisage a future where buildings are no longer static structures, but ever growing & strengthening elements, that also remove carbon from the air, helping the fight against climate change.

Read more: Researchers Developing Coral-Like Living Skin for Buildings

Jason Bruges Studio

2010-12-08T15:59:00.004Z

The Studio was founded in 2001, "We create interactive spaces and surfaces that sit between the worlds of architecture, interaction design and site-specific installation art" (JBS)

The studio comprises of architects, lighting designers, specialists in interaction & industrial design & project managers. Their work ranges from large scale; builiding facades, public art; to interactive lighting; interior environments & products.

The latest installation from JBS is the virtual wall at Sunderland Station. The piece is a 144 metre virtual platform with moving travellers within a glass block wall. The wall has been transformed into a low resolution (755x15 pixels) video matrix. Behind the wall is a disused track & platform, hidden from view for several years, the wall has now become a virtual platform opposite the fully function platform on which travellers stand & watch the ghost-like figures moving behind the glass.

(images sourced from Jason Bruges Studio)

THE FINER THINGS

2010-12-08T15:40:00.006Z

Swiss Cottage Open Space, London; this project by Gustafson Porter in 2006, comprises of a lawned public space with a large central water feature made of granite. The water feature has a sloping gradient so that water can flow from the top end to the bottom, where the water pools. At the head of the fountain there are seven water jets, set to a 30 degree angle, which emit water across the basin of the fountain. At night these jets are lit from beneath by small blue LED lights. The lights create a beautiful sight at night & give the site a new ambience.

Finsbury Avenue Square, London; the £750,000 project in the Broadgate Business area is a 20x20 mtere lighting grid, containing over 100,000 individual LED lights, set in RGB clusters to enable a wide range of colour & hue changes. The square boasts one of the most sopisticated & highly techinical lighting displays in the world. It is hugely popular & people are always interacting with the lights. (image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/grosun/2414245267/)

New Australian Gardens at The National Australian Gallery; very simple design using grass & paving, but very effective, adding more interest to what could have been a plain straight edged lawn. (image from WLA)

ARC International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition

2010-12-08T13:48:00.005Z

This is an interesting competition for Landscape Architects, Architects, Engineers & alike. ARC International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition have held the first ever international competition to solve the problem of ensuring safe travel for both humans & animals. In the North of the US there are many accidents between vehicles & animals, increasing in occurance by 50% in the last 15 years. These images show the work from the 5 finalists of the competition.

Zwarts & Jansma (Amsterdam)

The Olin Studio (Philadelphia)

Balmori Associates (New York)

Janet Rosenberg & Associates (Toronto)

HNTB Engineering with Michael Van Valkenburgh & Associates (New York)

Full submissions from the finalists are available at www.arc-competition.com/finalists.php

Images sourced from WLA

GOOGLE EARTH + 3D TREES

2010-12-08T13:37:00.003Z

Google Earth now has 3D trees as well as buildings! Available with the latest update; Google Earth 6. This feature is only available in some locations at the moment, including Chicago, Athens, Tokyo, & San Francisco. The screen copy above is from Millenium Park, Chicago.

Landscape Photographer Of The Year 2010

2010-12-02T15:39:00.007Z

MARKS & STENCILS EXHIBITION

2010-12-02T14:54:00.019Z

This little exhibition at 1 Berwick Street, Soho was held by POW, Pictures On Walls, a new groundbreaking printhouse who brought to the world's attention the likes of Banksy & Paul Insect. Marks & Stencils is their Christmas exhibition, showing street art from a variety of artists, inlcuding some work of Banksy & Dran.

Banksy is the pseudonym of a unknown British Graffiti artist from Bristol. Banksy's work is often very controversial & satirical, pointing towards current political issues & controversies. His work reflects a variety of social & political themes, including; anti-war, anti-fascism, anti-capitalism, anti-authoritarianism, & anarchism. The locations of his work are also controversial, including inside the penguin enclosure at London Zoo, on the walls of sexual health clinics, the Berlin Wall, the West Bank barrier in Israel & many more. The following three images are works on canvas of his at this exhibition.

The following images are a combination of artists, mainly by another controverisal artist, Dran. His part in the exhibition is named "My Everyday Life", mainly featuring Scribouille, a homeless puppet . The French artist, by the name Dran, is known for his cynically corrosive viewpoint, which he portrays in his artwork. His work is dark, however comical & reflects on what he thinks of the capitalist world that we live in. His work varies from taxidermy animals to delicate, intricate pencil drawings. Often the images seem harmless & show a normal scene, however if you look closer there is always a cynical twist to the art.

A lot of his pencil drawn work is canvassed on cardboard boxes; the images drawn always relate to the text already on the box

Below is an example of his taxidermy work; a badger wearing a Mexican Wrestling mask

The exhibition allowed visitors to commit their own "graffiti" acts by providing pens around the space for people to use & make their mark

The most controversial of all the pieces at this exhibition was by Mark Sinckler, a former 'tube graffiti vandal' . The artist has created a painting, titled 'The Age of Shiva', which incorporates renaissance-style angels flying out of the wreckage of the bus blown up in the London 7/7 bombings. Obviously this image has drawn a huge amount of attention, mainly negative, due to the hugely controversial issues that lie within it. Sinckler made these comments about his painting: "What I'm trying to do is to make anyone that has a faith, a belief, or an idea they hold close to their heart to think about the impact of these ideas when they leave their heads. I wanted to jolt people into seeing the results of these thoughts put into action." (BBC News article) Banksy, who is not adverse to a little controversy himself, has made comment on the painting also: "People enjoy shopping more than they enjoy art. So it makes sense to try and disguise your gallery as a home furnishings store. It is a chance for the public to see some less-refined culture after they’ve finished browsing Soho’s adult bookshops". (Sky News article)All in all this was a very interesting exhibition; set in a derelict former shop in Soho, adding further character to the already intriguing & controversial exhibition.

Here is a video of the exhibition's Private Viewing evening:

Marks & Stencils Private View from Butterfly on Vimeo.

Sand Glass LED Traffic Lights

2010-11-23T22:00:00.003Z

A redesign of a classic traffic light. These LED traffic lights, designed by Thanva Tivawong, have created a more fun & practical solution to traffic lights. The hourglass design gives drivers (& pedestrians) a more exact timing for when the lights will change between red, amber & green.

Images taken from www.demilked.com

Creative Bag Advertisements

2010-11-23T21:11:00.011Z

Bag Advertising taken to another level. Some very comical & some very meaningful, thought provoking examples of advertising using plastic carrier bags...

Panadol Extra
Unknown designer

Wheaties Shopping Bag
Unknown designer

Blush Lingerie: X Ray Bag
Agency: BBDO Berlin

Gaia: Animal Torture

Agency: Duval Guillaume, Belgium

Condomi Erotic
Advertising Agency: Draft FCB Kobza, Vienna, Austria

Olympic Shopping Bag
Advertising Agency: Tao Ma Design

Stop'n'Grow Nailbiter
Jung Vin Matt, Berlin

Give Me Your Hand, Greenpeace
Dentsu, Beijing

ASPE Crime Stories Bag
Given when you bought a book by Belgium's best crime-writer

ReVital
Antje Gerwien, University of Weimar

Tom of Finland Carrier Bag
Tom of Finland is a popular Finnish gay icon

Anne Summers
Guerrilla marketing concept; GuerrillaGuru

Volkswagen Golf GTi bag
Advertising Agency: Agence V, Paris

Shumensko Beer Crate
Advertising Agency: Noble Graphics Creative Studio, Sofia, Bulgaria

Images & reference taken from www.boredpanda.com

City Shaping II; Will Architecture Go Horizontal?

2010-11-17T11:46:00.003Z

I came across this article whilst browsing the internet. It is an article in an American newspaper, the Huffington Post, written by Charles A. Birnbaum, President of the Cultural Landscape Foundation. I found it an interesting read, especially its' views on Landscape Architects & the future within the world of design.
Follow the link below to read more...

City Shaping II; Will Architecture Go Horizontal?

Water Saving In Brooklyn, NY

2010-11-16T18:26:00.004Z

Athlete's Village Olympics 2012 - Landscaping

2010-11-09T18:08:00.009Z

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) have released artistic impressions & details of the new landscaping that will be developed within the London 2012 Olympic's Athlete's Village. Vogt Landscape have designed 10ha of new landscaped & public realm space, available for use by the existing & future local communities that will live in the area. The 10ha will include parks, wetlands, play areas, & open spaces to incorporate recreational facilities.

The public realm development will include the following features;

New Parks: a series of park areas interconnected throughout the village site, including;

a typical London square with an orchard of British fruit trees
a formal square suitable for holding markets, with seating areas & gathering spaces
a large main open public space in the centre of the village, suitable for picnics, recreation, etc
a garden area with a series of ponds connected by interconnecting pathways

New Wetland Areas: construction of a large ecological wetland area;

the wetland will contain 3 ponds & 2 marshland areas
pathways will run throughout, with many seating areas
a large wildflower lawn will create a suitable area for picnics
700 native trees will create a 'green canopy' throughout the wetland, as well as a gateway in
more than 70,000 wildflower & aquatic plants will be introduced to the site
new habitats will be created for native wildlife, including 60 bird boxes

New play areas & cycle facilities:

park areas containing children's play equipment
a cycle network throughout the village, including cycle parking spaces, connecting to the surrounding London Cycle Network

The Chairman of the ODA, John Armitt said about the development: “The Athletes’ Village will not only deliver essential new homes for Londoners, it will create new parks, trees, play areas and open spaces that can be enjoyed by new and existing communities for generations to come. The construction of the Village is firmly on track and, with landscaping works now under way, we will start to see a series of new green open spaces take shape between the new homes being built.” (http://www.london2012.com)

Boris Johnson, the Major of London said: "I am determined that London becomes the world’s best big city and that means creating fabulous places to visit and relax. We are already investing millions greening our capital, from the planting of thousands of new trees to a major programme delivering new and improved public spaces. So it is great to see new green and open space emerging from this long neglected part of London and helping to transform the look and feel of this great city."(http://www.london2012.com)

The Longest Bench

2010-11-08T17:25:00.007Z

Studio Weave is a London based company who created this bench in Littlehampton on the South coast. The bench is the longest in Britain, seating 300 people along the sea front promenade. The bench is made out of thousands of wooden slats/bars reclaimed from old groynes or found in landfill sites. At bends or curves in the bench there are brightly coloured wooden bars, adding a playful feel to the project.

The old shelters that used to line the promenade have been replaced with new shelters that incorporate the bench. Within the shelters the bench loops & twists, forming a playable feature as well as seating & openings. The bench is also engraved with names & messages of people who supported the design, this is ongoing & people can email the company requesting their message to be added along the bench.

Images courtesy of http://www.studioweave.com/projects/the-longest-bench-littlehampton/

The Future Of Cars??

2010-11-08T16:55:00.005Z

BMW released their latest concept car at the 2010 Leipzig Trade Fair. The car runs using a three-cylinder turbodiesel engine, with electric motors on the front & rear axles, powered by a lithium-polymer battery which can be charged using a normal convention power supply in only 2.5 hours. The car is still very much a sports car, going from 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds!

The company has said that the hybrid car will be on the market, available to the public, in 2013. This is still 3 years away so there is no price on the vehicle yet, what is for certain is it won't be for the faint hearted. Best looking BMW, let alone hybrid vehicle produced so far.

Bikeway Belém

2010-11-08T11:06:00.010Z

A new 7362-meter bikeway was constructed along the River Tagus in the centre of Lisbon. The project, by P-06 Atelier & Global Landscape Architecture, was designed to provide a wayfinding system to guide users along the waterfront, as well as increase usage & awareness of the wide variety of urban landscapes that it traverses.

Bold, white text has been painted directly onto the new cycle path surface. The text provides cyclists with directions, distances & defines the cycle paths themselves.

Cyclists are drawn further along the waterfront by intervals of graphic & narrative interventions. The image above shows a pier with words from the Portuguese poet Alberto Caeiro's poem about the River Tagus.

The overall idea of the continuing installations along the path is to create a story along the waterfront that people want to follow. This draws them further & further along the waterfront, experiencing new sights & areas of the city that they would otherwise never experience. The project budget was 600,000 Euros for installation & fabrication.

The project won the Merit award in SEGD's (Society For Environmental Graphic Design) Design Awards 2010

Images courtesy of SEGD.org

Sustainable Landscapes illustrated with Sketchup

2010-11-08T11:00:00.003Z

Leveraging the Landscape to Manage Water from ASLA on Vimeo.

Rain Gardens are a way of reducing flooding & allowing rainwater run off to be more easily absorbed. Storm drains can get blocked, overflowing & causing flooding of an area, leading to erosion, water pollution, etc. A rain garden is made up of layers which allow the best possible drainage. The plants chosen for a rain garden are also very specific; generally native plants due to their ability to survive with minimal fertilisers, which clog up the soil, reducing drainage.

From Industrial Wasteland to Community Park from ASLA on Vimeo.

Burning Man Project

2010-05-19T23:55:00.008+01:00

Aerial view of the "temporary city" of Black Rock (the city is arranged in a series of concentric streets in an arc formation, using 2/3 of a circle, with the Burning Man exactly in the centre)

The Burning Man Project is an annual event (festival) held in the Black Rock Desert, North Nevada, USA. It starts on the monday before & finishes on the American Labour Day holiday (end of August). The name is taken from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on the saturday night. It is a hard event to describe (even the organisers says this), it is a very free, liberal art festival I would say, others have described it as an experiment in community, radical self expression and radical self-reliance.... I think this sounds a little over the top hippy-ish....I think it is a festival in which you can be however you wish to be (even clothing is optional!). The only criteria is that you contribute in some way to the event, whether it be in a radical way of dressing, an art installation, you must create a world for yourself in that week that you are stranded in the blood boiling heats of the desert. In as much of the event as possible sustainable resources, materials & power is used; there is a no car policy (except for "mutant cars"), no cash transactions are allowed (rely on gift economy), reclaimed cooking oil is used to power many of the generators, participants are commited to a 'leave no trace' event, meaning they should strive to leave the place in a better condition than it was previous to their arrival. It started on a beach in San Francisco with 20 people buring a wooden man on the summer solstice in 1986, now it attracts over 40,000 people & is in a way on one of the largest beaches in the US (if you compare sand with sand...!) I find it really fascinating, however very daunting, & would like to try to go one year, maybe it is something you have to experience one time, it is a one of a kind event.

Here are some of the art installations people have taken with them as their contributions to this pretty unique & unusual event.

The Babylon Art Installation in 2008 was a 100 ft tall steel tower, with a photo booth at the bottom, that projected images taken during the day onto the tower during the night (reusable, recyclable & multi-purpose)

Foraging alien-like creature

Conexus Cathedral, over 200 ft long & 50 ft high, in 2006

Floating astronaut for 2008 American Dream theme

Participants dressed as Pan-like creatures on stilts

Installation constructed from 2 large trucks

Rotating installation that projected fire into the night sky from 4 jets

The Temple of Honour created by sculptor David Best in 2003

Ironside Farrar Environmental Consultants

2010-05-18T17:37:00.009+01:00

I was first introduced to the idea of Landscape Architecture by my uncle. He runs a multi-discipline Environmental Consultancy practice in Edinburgh, offering services including Landscape architecture & planning, civil engineering, contamination & remediation, development & environmental planning. They have three offices, the main one in Edinburgh, smaller offices in Manchester & Bellshill. I worked there for my GCSE work experience for one week, enjoyed it so much that I went back to do three months in my gap year as an assistant Landscape Architect. I have posted earlier some of the work that I did whilst I was working there, however wanted to show some of the companies better work! Their work is mainly in Scotland, including projects like; the Edinburgh Zoo Masterplan, Potterrow Campus design, Edinburgh University Masterplan, Bootle Town Square redesign, & many more smaller public realms, campus designs, residential landscapes, feature lighting designs & signage strategies.

Potterrow Campus - "the use of natural & precast stone to reflect traditional materials in a contemporary manner"

Bader Community Park Project - competition to create a new community park

North Queensferry Streetscape Improvements - Street Design Competition 2001 Winner

Princes Street Vision - "Visionary ideas sought to clearly illustrate how the public realm of Princes Street may be enhanced subsequent to transportation changes."

All images & quoted text taken from IronsideFarrar website - www.ironsidefarrar.com/index.htm

Pollution Reducing Cement....

2010-05-17T23:53:00.004+01:00

I have just read on a website that an Italian cement-making company have just created a new form of cement that will actually reduce the levels of pollution in big cities...... It is said to "kill" smog & pollution.
The cement has been named TX Active & is enhanced with titanium dioxide. The company claims that through a natural process called photocatalysis (occurs in sunlight), the titanium dioxide takes harmful chemicals from the air & turns them into harmless substances like water & nitrates. The cement is also self cleaning, and so any bi-products simply wash away with the rain. Italcementi (the cement company) believe that even if only 15% of buildings in a city were coated in TX Active, it would reduce pollution rates by upto 60%.

I am not convinced by these claims, however if it were to be true then it would be an incredible breakthrough in controlling pollution levels in large cities.

2010-05-17T23:25:00.003+01:00

This is pretty amazing. Gary Chang, an architect from Hong Kong has created a fully functional home consisting of 24 interchangable rooms in a space of just 32meters squared (8m x 4m). Within such a densely populated city homes like this are definately a thing for the future. Check out the video below.

The Art of Papering Over Reality - Ben Heine

2010-05-17T23:01:00.003+01:00

This guy doesn't use all the technology available to artists & designers today, instead he simply uses photography & pencil drawn sketches to creates really cool images. I really like them because he turns a normal scene, like a city scape, into a fantastical & imaginative image just by adding these simple sketches. He plays with different comparisons: black & white vs. colour, cartoon vs. photography, & fantasy vs. reality.

V&A Architectural Model Exhibition

2010-05-17T18:43:00.005+01:00

Villa Stein-de Monzie, Le Corbusier (built 1926-8)

Le Corbusier was the pioneer of 'Modern Architecture' & the 'International style' of architecture. He was an architect, artist, designer, urbanist & writer born in Switzerland. The model shows his Villa Stein-de Monzie in Garches, France. The building has been described as having "isolated space", surrounded by gardens & open spaces created by terraces. The concept came from the idea of ocean liners, & 16th century Palladian homes. This was my favourite model, not necessarily because of the actual structure, but the materials used, mainly the contrast between the light material used for the building itself & the dark surrounding trees.

Gatwick Airport Terminal, Hoar Marlow & Lovett (built 1935-6)

This was the first airport terminal to give passengers direct, covered access to the aircraft. The interior was carefully considered & designed to seperate streams of passengers, this was done with three telescopic tunnels that brought passengers from arrivals into customs & the immigration halls. Another three tunnels connected the passenger lounges to the departing planes. For the time I think this was quite an ingenious design & layout, however when you think what Gatwick airport is like today it is a very different story! Just the size comparison is astonishing, but then today you can fly to any destination in the world which is very different how it was nearly 100 years ago.

Bluewater, Eric Kuhne & Associates (built 1996-9)

Bluewater, in Greenhithe, Kent, is the UK's largest shopping mall. Nine million people live within one hour's drive of the centre. The design is so that it houses leisure facilities, shops & restaurants all under one roof, similar to most shopping centres. The triangular shape holds 320 outlets, in three seperate districts, all aimed at different markets. The model was quite impressive, it clearly illustrated the expanse of the centre & the variations of buildings & usages within the site.

BedZED Sustainable Housing, Bill Dunster Architects (built 1999-2001)

Bedddinton Zero Energy Development (BedZED) in Wallington, Surrey, is the UK's largest mixed use sustainable development, incorporating housing, workspace & community facilities. Normal people have moved into the development to live more sustainable & environmentally friendly lives. Every aspect of life is monitored & all sustainable alternatives are used throughout their lives, from water & electricity usage, food products, waste, transport, housing & many more aspects. I saw this model at the V&A as was so intrigued I decided to make a visit as it is just 10 miles away from Kingston. The development is pretty amazing, it is function, efficient & quirkily attractive. Unfortunately I was unable to take photos as this is where people actually live, however I was given permission to take photos from the BedZED website (http://www.bioregional.com/what-we-do/our-work/bedzed/)

The Glory Years Of British Rock - Harry Goodwin Photography

2010-05-17T18:27:00.004+01:00

On New Year's Day 1964 Top Of The Pops was first aired on the BBC & became the longest running TV show in British history. Harry Goodwin was the in house photographer from 1964 to 1973, photographing such artists as The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendricks, Bob Dylan, The Who & many many more.

I am a huge fan of this era of music, anything from the 50's to the 70's. So when the V&A released an exhibition of Harry Goodwin's photography whilst at Top Of The Pops, I had to go take a look!

John Lennon

Jimi Hendricks

Elton John, Marc Bolan & Rod Stewart

David Bowie

The Who

The Hollies

Elephant Parade London 2010

2010-05-17T18:09:00.003+01:00

When visiting the V&A I came across a brightly coloured painted elephant. After looking into it I found out that this elephant was one of a series spread out across London for the period of May to July. They are are in aid of a conservation campaign that want to make people aware of the crisis faced by the already endangered Asian elephant. There are over 250 elephants across London, all decorated by different celebrities or artists. There aim is to raise £2 million for the Asian Elephant. All of the elephants are up for auction, and miniature versions are available to buy.

The first image of the blue elephant I spotted in St. Christopher's Place, just off Oxford Street, and the other two were outside the V&A

The elephants are really beautiful & add so much colour to quite a dull city landscape. I hope that they do raise awareness as the Asian elephants are amazing animals. I am going to buy one of the miniature versions, possibly like the elephant in the image above with the Hindu Om symbol.

Princess Diana Memorial, Hyde Park

2010-05-17T17:57:00.003+01:00

Although having lived in London now for 2 years I had yet to visit Hyde Park.....until now! I have heard so much about the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain but had never seen it myself, so I went & saw it...I think that it is an interesting installation, it is a very beautiful structure. The flowing water & fluid shape makes it a very relaxing place to sit alone, or with friends, or to interact with, as you often see children doing. Considering the time it has been in situ I think it still looked really good, very new & clean. There was no sign of vandalism or litter, which always improves an opinion of a site (I believe). All in all I think it is definately worth a visit if you have not been, & I can see myself going back there to sit & relax one day if I happen to be in the area.

Grand Designs Live 2010

2010-05-17T15:24:00.004+01:00

I went to the Grand Designs Live in London's Exel. The event is mainly for people to find inspiration for their homes & gardens, so there is a lot of showroom-type displays of kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. The event promotes sustainable, eco-friendly, new cutting-edge design products. There are many sections including; interiors, building, gardens, technology & bathrooms. I was slightly disappointed by the exhibition, before going I was under the impression there would be much larger displays, perhaps of new eco-friendly homes or gardens, however there was very little like this. Here are some images of the aspects of the exhibition that I was interested in (some of my own images, & some taken from www.granddesignslive.com/)

Recycled garden shed - made from recycled wellie boots, mobile phones, & unused paints

Here are a couple of short clips of some 3d modeling of gardens & homes:
Grand Show Gardens sponsored by Cuprinol
Bee Garden

Materiality - Under Your Feet

2010-05-15T00:41:00.008+01:00

Whilst walking around the streets I noticed the extensive variety of materials are used beneath our feet. If you are not paying much attention then you wouldn't notice the changing materials, but if you do then you will realise how many different materials can be & are used. From simple concrete to stone, grass, wooden decking, glass, metal, rubber. Almost any material can be used to pave an area.

2010-05-11T22:57:00.001+01:00

Since completing my portfolio this week I have decided I want to improve on my drawing skills. Instead of going for something boring, technical, I have started with designing tattoos!! I have a particular style & I think it is conveyed really well through tattoo designs. Still today there is such a lot of stigma behind tattoos, even though a large proportion of people now have them. If you have ever watched programmes like Miami or LA Ink you will understand how incredible these tattoo artists are, & that the work that they do really is art.
Here are of the some designs I have drawn (colour has been added to some of the sketches, this was done in photoshop) :

ASLA 2010 Professional Awards

2010-05-05T00:16:00.010+01:00

On the 27th April 2010 ASLA announced the winners of the 2010 Professional Awards. These awards represent the best landscape architecture from all over the world, divided into a number of categories, including; general design, residential design, analysis & planning, & research & communication. Below are some of the award winners that I particularly like.

General Design Award of Excellence - Shanghai Houtan Park: Landscape as a Living System
Designers: Turenscape (China) & Peking University Graduate School of Landscape Architecture

Project Statement: "Built on a brownfield of a former industrial site, Houtan Park is a regenerative living landscape on Shanghai's Huangpu riverfront. The park's constructed wetland, ecological flood control, reclaimed industrial structures and materials, and urban agriculture are integral components of an overall restorative design strategy to treat polluted river water and recover the degraded waterfront in an aesthetically pleasing way." (taken from http://www.asla.org/2010awards/006.html)

This project was particularly interesting to me & attracted my attention immediately as it is similar to a project I did in the 1st year, in which I designed an ecological wetland landscape & habitat along the coastline of New Brighton, Liverpool. This project & mine both used wooden decking & naturally wild growing plants to create this type of natural but man-made landscape.

General Design Honor Award - The High Line, Section 1, New York City
Designer: Field Operations (New York)

Project Statement: "The High Line is a precedent urban park that reclaims a former elevated railroad for new use, promoting timely principles of ecological sustainability, urban regeneration and adaptive reuse. Preservation and innovation come together to establish an urban corridor for habitat, wildlife and people. In addition to providing valuable open space for New York City, the High Line has become an economic generator for the neighborhood, attracting investment toward new cultural institutions, commercial and residential development." (taken from http://www.asla.org/2010awards/173.html)

Interview with Kathryn Gustafson

2010-05-04T23:56:00.006+01:00

The following link is to the ALSA (American Society of Landscape Architects) website where they have put up an interview they did with Kathyrn Gustafson (of Gustafson Porter). The interview is based on her Civic & Cultural Spaces, the start is about policies & is all a little serious, but then she talks about how landscape architects view their surrounding environments, how people utilise different aspects of a townscape, the details of Gustafson Porter's new commission to design the landscape architectural aspects of the Smithsonian African American Museum of History & Culture, collaborations with Norman Foster & many more interesting topics.
I found the article very interesting, particularly as I have just done an analytical & theoretical report on Gustasfon Porter's Swiss Cottage Park project.

http://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=26846

Tree Hotel - Tham & Videgård Arkitekter

2010-04-07T12:21:00.014+01:00

The architects have designed light-weight aluminium structures that hang around tree trunks. The cabins are 4x4x4 meters & are clad in mirrored glass. The glass reflects the surrounding environment, creating a camouflaged hide-out, reducing the visual impact in the surrounding natural landscape.

The interior is made entirely of plywood & is big enough to house two people; with a large bed, a small kitchenette, bathroom, living room & roof terrace area. The windows allow 360 degree views out of the cabin.

I am a real fan of this project. It is a very interesting way of creating living space in a natural environment, but without affecting the aesthetic look of the forest. I think this could be the new way of creating hotel space in the future.

Sao Paulo's Graffiti Storm Drains

2010-04-01T01:40:00.007+01:00

Street Art duo 6EMEIA started painting storm drains in the Barra Funda neighbourhood of Sao Paulo with an aim to transform everyday life by bringing a smile to people's faces. Storm drains are not exactly an attractive part of a street scene, so these designs bring a lighthearted, more attractive look to them. I really love these, I think that although there is still stigma surrounding graffiti, this kind of art does not impose in an ugly or displeasing way, instead it adds colour & humour to an otherwise bland & dull landscape.

Reverse Graffiti

2010-03-18T12:12:00.003Z

If you walk around the streets, wherever you are, & look down, a clean surface is rarely what you see. The streets are becoming dirtier & dirtier. CURB are a natural media company that have taken the dirty streets & used them as a business opportunity. It is called reverse graffiti, or 'clean advertising'. Instead of adding paints or spraying to surfaces, CURB remove dirt to form advertising slogans. In their words it is "the process of selectively removing dirt from high-footfall areas to reveal an eye-catching message." This new way of advertising, in my opinion, is pretty ingenious; it is a non intrusive, semi-perminent way to engage the public & grab attention away from the traditional ways of advertising. I would certainly pay attention to this, just keep your eyes down.

2010-03-16T23:22:00.001Z

These are the models I created for the Greenpeace Airplot project (semester 2). Although quickly made & quite rough they had quite a cool effect, I think, of displaying my proposal. The first model was made from plasticine, cocktail sticks & freshly cut grass. The second, slightly more detailed & representational, was using the same plasticine for the mound, but then painted balsar wood stuck together with glue. When added into a visualisation they took on a completely different look (see image at the bottom)

Swiss Cottage Park, London

2010-03-03T21:47:00.003Z

For the Streetlife module I chose Swiss Cottage park in North London as the site for my Theoretical & Technical report. The park was designed by Gustafson Porter, in 2006, to create a tranquil & playful area within the contrast of a busy city scene. I visited the site when it was not at its peak aesthetically. During the winter months the park is not as vibrant as in the summer, when people sit on the surrounding grass banks & children play in the fountain. Although the site was not looking its best, I still really appreciated it. Having seen photographs of what it looks like in the summer months I think it is a place I would enjoy very much. My analysis of the site looked in the concepts behind the design, analysis of the site & its surroundings, a look into the detail of the project, including the hard & soft landscaping features & the functionality of the main focal point of the park - the rectangular granite water feature.

The images below are some of the pages & images I produced for my Streetlife Module report

Plan of the soft landscaping on site

Plan of hard landscaping on site

Access & movement on site

Life After The Flood - Studio Lindfors

2010-03-03T10:43:00.004Z

The threat of global warming & rising sea levels is a constant fear for the planet. New York architects Studio Lindfors have created a series of images showing how the worst case scenario, according to scientists, would affect two of the world's largest cities; Tokyo & New York. They have named it Aqualta, a play on the words acqua alta, which are the high tides flooding Venice. The images show how the cities would cope with the vast quantities of water flooding into them, using wharfs, raised pedestrain walkways, bridges, & navigable canals to replace the road & rail networks. Gondolas & barges are the primary mode of transport, with cable cars hovering overhead. People have migrated upwards in apartment blocks to get away from the rising water levels, recreating rooftops into farms & greenhouses.
All of this seems very idillic & hopeful, when the reality of it would most likely be very different to this. The photoshopped images show a very beautiful & functional city, in the mass panic of a real onset of worldwide flooding I think that beauty is certainly not going to be one of the top priorities.

Mysterious Shadows

2010-02-21T14:23:00.004Z

Artist Kumi Yamashita's work explores two truths: things are not always as they seem, & sometimes people need to view things in a different light to discover a new meaning or truth. Simple wall-mounted cut-outs reveal unexpected, life-like shadows.

"Origami" - Each of the coloured pieces of card mounted on the wall, lit up from the right, project a silhoutte of a profile onto the wall.

Yamashita uses simple materials; slim pieces of wood, squares of paper, & aluminium letters & numbers. All of her installations have meaning behind them, for exampe the use of letters & numbers creating a profile to symbolize the thoughts & words that may be going through his head.

Gap Year Work at IronsideFarrar

2010-02-02T15:31:00.008Z

Courtyard Proposal

Planting Plan

Stobhill Hospital employed IronsideFarrar to redesign the courtyard in the centre of their Adolescent Unit. I was given the job to take the architects rough layout plan & improve the aesthetic qualities of the design. It was necessary to make as direct as possible routes from all entrances to avoid people cutting across the grass. The area was to be used by adolescent patients with various forms of physical & mental illness, so the design had to provide a welcoming & comfortable atmosphere. The design went through several stages of development, & the above image shows the final design plan that was to be constructed. The drawing above was originally an outline plan without colour, drawn by hand, then imported into Photoshop & colour was added.

Douglas brownfield site

Douglas is a small village in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village had an area of brownfield that previously had derelict buildings on it, IronsideFarrar were commissioned to turn the site into a town car park. My job was to design a simple but efficient car park, fitting as many parking spaces in as possible. The hard surfacing was asphalt with an area of 434.2 metre squared, & the car parking spaces used a Type 1 surface with an area of 212.5 metre squared (17 bays). Surrounding the hard surfacing was a low Beech hedge (Fagus Sylvatica) which was 97.8 linear metres long. Behind the hedge was a simply landscaped area (457 metre squared) which was planted with wildflower seeding. The car park was a simple & effective way to utilise the brownfield site, & provided off road parking for residents & visitors to the village.

Selkirk Riverside Mapping

Dundee City Centre Spatial Analysis

Douglas Heritage Trail

Greenpeace Airplot

2010-02-02T11:40:00.007Z

In 2009 the Government announced that there were to be plans to build a thrid runway at Heathrow airport. Just two days before this, Greenpeace had bought a plot of land right in the middle of the proposed runway site. The airport expansion means the destruction of the entire village of Sipson, which lies just north of the current runways at Heathrow, along with many more losses & environmental issues.
Greenpeace have released an open ideas competition to architects, landscape architects, engineers, artists & architectural students to help fortify the Airplot site & aim to prevent expansion of the airport.

As our Semester 2 project we are complying to the Greenpeace brief to create a 'fortress' on the Airplot site. You must design a structure, or landscape, or anything really that will withstand pressure from airport security, police & anyone else that tries to stop Greenpeace from protesting against the expansion, & that allows dozens of protesters to live on site for a series of weeks. I have looked into the defensive systems that occur in nature; from animals nests/habitats to carnivorous plants. Below are some images of natures defenses that gave me inspiration for this project.

'Strange Worlds' by Matthew Albanese

2010-02-01T11:14:00.001Z

From looking at the photography Matthew Albanese produces you have to think what a lucky guy he is; always being in the right place at the right time. His photos have captured such things as volcanic eruptions, raging tornados, a burning room & many more. But how does he know when he will be able to catch these incredible rare occurances on film???.....

.....He doesn't, all of the photos above are fake. He is not only a photographer but a very detailed model maker. He creates small-scale miniature landscapes, which he calls his 'Strange Worlds', & then he photographs them.