KH Landscape

Alney Island Conceptual Diagram representing my design ideas for the space. An axial route, direct circulation or recognisable geometric shapes - they all form an idea of connection in the mind. The cross mimics this connection, the curved lines also represent movement, a form of exploration. A walk, a movement, a connection? To the site, to the environment? To history or to each other? The diagram is all inclusive and represents the very best that Alney Island has to offer.   

The following 3 points are examples of design philosophies, reasoning and principles behind my design approach. Ideas that are at the forefront of my mind when I begin and go through the design process. Design Context - The context of the surrounding area, historical context, local vernacular, cultural significance etc. Essentially anything related to the design that could be used as the basis or concept for my design approach. Recent projects in and around Gloucester for example have been driven by a strong historical and cultural context. For example the Gloucester Docks, Roman occupation, industrial heritage and religious background are all major parts of the city of Gloucester and therefore, in my mind have to play some part in design of spaces within it. In my opinion it is important that the concepts, are not to literal, designs derived from ideas such as these should be subtle in their approach, too often designs are taken as literal forms which result in poor representation of ...

The image above is a selection of initial sketches for potential bench designs. The designs are influenced by my initial concept which was based upon the Severn Bore wave, However after a significant amount of exploration in to the waves, furniture, sculptures etc the concept began to evolve into designs based upon or linked to fluidity, rhythm, movement and water within the landscape. The importance of a curved, meandering and flowing line that crosses the A430 was a key thought when I began to develop this idea. I initially struggled to associate my idea with any sort of materiality however after discussions with my lecturer he identified concrete as a potential solution. The idea of a concrete ribbon that weaves its way over the site is appealing, the use of benches, seats, walkways and other elements that protrude from this as you move along is also quite a nice idea.  

The following list describes how visitors may see Alney Island based on their needs, preferences and what type of person they are: 1. Children - Children and infants will experience the site in different ways, there is little in the way of parks, swings, slides and the usual entertainment facilities found in generic parks. However there is plenty of opportunity for natural play within the landscape, opportunities to go wandering in the wet woodlands, along the boardwalks and look at the livestock (Under supervision of course). The presence of water is obviously a concern with regards to younger children however there are small areas along each of the main paths and avenues that allow them to get closer to the water with shallow areas provided. 2. Cyclists - 70% of the paths and routes on this site have been made wide enough to accommodate cyclists, the main route is the axial avenue that splits the site and also the path that runs around the outside of the site, as all of the paths are...

  The Visual of Alney Island Arts and Culture Conference Centre above was framed as the flagship visual for my wetland centre development. Pictured is one half of the semi circular venue which is nestled in the new wetlands, the appreciation and inclusion of large areas of wet woodland, wetland and marshland was important to encourage local and migratory wildlife into the site, and also to allow nature and humans to feel closer to one another. I think this visual is successful in portraying a moody, naturalistic and quite expansive wetland image. I think it gives a sense of place that would entice users in to explore the site. The use of actual images and also painting combine well to create a half realistic and half simulated image that works well within the context of Alney Island. One thing that I would have changed is the building frontages, the undulating green roof fits nicely within the surrounding area however the large diagonal supports feel too imposing. Design created fo...

My Carbon Footprint is 85% of my target impact on the world. It is slightly less than the UK average but a lot higher than the world average. Climate change will force us all into changes eventually. It is better to act now to mitigate the consequences that it will have in the coming years.

An introduction to who I am as a person and a designer: Artist: Claude Monet Fashion Designer: Giorgio Armani Garden Designer: Tom Stuart Smith/Dan Pearson/ Nigel Dunnett Landscape Architect: Piet Oudolf Inventor: Leonardo Da Vinci Architect: Norman Foster Engineer: Isembard Kingdom Brunel Sweet: Fizzy Peaches Band: Sundara Karma Scientist: David Attenborough Film Director: Steven Spielberg Author: John Gwynne Pasta Shape: Farfalle Horticulturalist: Monty Don Smell: T rachelospermum Jasminoides Sound: Waves crashing into rocks Taste: 6X (Local Ale) Plant: Sanguisorba Tanna Material: Reclaimed Bricks Texture: Dartmoor Granite Tors Colour: Green Typeface/Font: Sans Serif Industrial Designer: Phillipe Starck Garden: Chatsworth Art Gallery: The Guggenheim Place on Earth: Isle of Skye Fruit: Banana Time of day: Evening Day of the Year: 1st May Shop: Sports Direct Piece of Music: MOTD Theme Tune Piece of poetry/Lyrics: The lyrics to Olympia by Sundara Karma Book: Naturalistic Planting Design...

The page above show a series of small sketches that convey the mood, character and feelings of Alney Island. All 4 sketches are based upon important aspects of the site, they show the open nature, the rough edges and also how poorly managed it has been. I think the use of line drawings for this stage of the project worked really well, I wanted to capture the site using a medium other than photos and this is what I used. The use of white space is really important when representing background or large areas and the use of more detailed aspects in the foreground helps to create a simple yet effective visual. Design created for AD6605 Design Projects 3.

 Design approaches that guided Alney Island Design: 1. Water Management - The management of the River Severn and the fairly consistent flooding that occurs on site was a key driver in the development of this site. The river bursts its banks in the Eastern channel and the water moves across the island to the Western channel. The site was designed using culverts, drainage channels and large retention ponds which all act as flood management but also as varied habitat for local wildlife. 2. Ecological Sustainability - An important aspect that influenced the design, the opening up of the site for visitors and wildlife was important for both groups, the provision of varied habitat was also important, fluctuation in water levels ensure that many different types of habitat are created suitable for all sorts of species including migratory and wading birds, small mammals and also an array of native invertebrates and pollinators. 3. Connection of Spaces - The connection of Alney Island to the...

Development of riverside housing that acts as a test bed for flood resilient housing design. Allowing people to live closer to the River Severn. This page also shows the conversion of the Old Gloucester Prison into an agriculture, food production and sustainability learning centre, this area will be connected to Alney Island and Castlemeads through the drovers road which allows livestock to move from the outskirts of the city all the way through the site and on to Lower Parting. It is a way of connecting people with their food and natural surroundings and also educating them with regards to growing their own, understanding the process, energy and time that goes into growing and finally appreciating local produce. I like the Old Prison visuals, I think they capture how the use of the existing walls could make the space really special to be and learn in. The layout is roughly the same as the previous page but I think the connection between the visuals is more prominent here. There is les...

Exploring movement and rhythm within the context of an open wetland area. The sculpture trail was an integral part of the design proposal offering local artist's temporary installations to display their work, the combination of meaningful, dramatic and thought provoking art in a moody and diverse wetland brings both the sculptures and landscape to life, adding an extra quality not seen in many developments.  The page itself combines a mixture of hand drawn and photoshop graphics, allowing initial ideas to be developed into fully rendered visuals to give people an idea of the thought process behind it. The use of consistent sized graphic features and the reduced opacity of the background highlights the important parts of the design. More colour, tones or character could have been added to the sketches to bring them to life a bit more. Design's created for AD6605 Design Projects 3 - Alney Island and Castlemeads.