FLOWLIGHT

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

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??

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

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

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

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

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: