KH Landscape

  The image above shows the notes we had written down for out Lunawood Pechakucha presentation, required as part of our submission for AD6603. This is a Japanese style presentation, consisting of 20 slides with a single image on each, the presentation should take 6 minutes and 40 seconds, with roughly 20 seconds being spent on each slide. Each member of our 3 person group was delegated 2 consecutive slides, talking for 40 seconds at a time before changing. As each slide is relatively short, the message on each one had to be too. Slides were divided up into chronological order of our design process which made it easier to explain. Beginning with photos of the site and ending with our final page for submission.  I think this style of presentation is really good, especially for people who might not have a lot to say or for people who may talk for too long. The 20 seconds gives enough time to share the key concept/idea of each slide without going into to much detail and making the...

Alney Island was a really interesting site because it had so many permutations, restrictions and also opportunities. All presented and guided by both exterior and interior site conditions. For me the main site constraints and site features that guided my design process were: 1. A430 - The A430 was a relatively road that split the site into two. Issues that derived from this consisted mainly of crossing over or under/linking the two sides. Also noise/visual pollution that makes its way through to the rest of the site. The A430 is also several meters higher than some of the surrounding land, level changes had to be considered. 2. Flooding - The site floods regularly as a result of the Severn Bore, high tides and also excessive rainfall. Water makes its way out of the Eastern channel and across the site, flooding the vast majority of the island with the exception of the car park, sub station and also the A430. As a result of these two points circulation within the site became increasingly...

 Above shows a simplistic coloured masterplan of a 2nd year submission. The project involved the conversion of an old mining/colliery site into a new wellness centre complete with accommodation, a café and also a cycle shop. The site layout and graphics are very basic but show the design and overall layout well enough. Better graphics/graphic representation of work is something I have strived to improve on throughout my 3rd year at University and I think positive change is evident when comparing this masterplan to the masterplan for Alney Island (Shown on a previous blog). In terms of design, the best element of this site is the addition of the wellness centre in a horseshoe-like mound, the building is built in to and covered by this earth and opens up into a beautiful lakeside dining/relaxation area. Understanding of levels and contours was a key part of this project, I tried to change the surrounding levels as little as possible however some changes were needed to accommodate the...

The visual above is our groups final design visual for the Lunawood design entry, a competition which forms part of our submission for AD6603. The design shows a combination of Lunawood materials which come together to create a unique geometric walkway/seating space. The Lunawood brief was generic and open to interpretation, however the main idea/theme that was clear throughout was the provision of a connection for urban spaces and people to the natural environment. This has been achieved through the use of Lunawood materials and also a range of naturalistic perennial planting areas,  The idea is that the original space becomes a much more dynamic area, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere in the heart of the FCH campus, open to students, staff and also members of the public, it takes an underused space and turns it into a destination as well as a point in a journey.

  The sketch above shows the a small section of the basic design idea for the Lunawood design competition. The design is a series of modular planters, benches and pergolas, connected to each other, spreading across the FCH lawn.  This design is the result of an evaluation of the FCH space and looking for areas of improvement. Currently the large grass area is under used and off limits during many months of the year. Despite large areas of lawns such as this one being found frequently in historic University's across the UK, we felt that the space needed revitalising. The addition of a new walkway through the university makes access and circulation easier, there is space to rest, to sit and observe. With enough space provided for small class numbers there is the potential for lectures to be held outside.

A compilation of initial design responses for the development of Alney Island in the first term of our final year at university. Strategic location of key buildings, circulatory routes and access points help to open up the site to the people of Gloucester. My first response was to split the site up into different sections as it gets further away from Gloucester, allowing for a more (seemingly) natural feel to the landscape as the visitor moves outwards. However I wanted to ensure that a large portion of the site remained accessible in times of flooding and so I created an axial walkway route that stretches northwards from the arts and cultural venue by the A430 all the way up to Lower Parting, attached to this was a prominent walkway that linked the wetlands to the Western edge of Gloucester. These initial ideas culminated in a large plan (Right) which roughly mapped out the key areas. At the bottom of the page is a few small visuals created using photoshop to give an idea of the sites...

  The visual above shows a compilation of images created to represent a view taken from the Alney Island site. The POV is taken from the drovers road with the biomass energy centre on the right, the wind turbines in front and finally the end sculpture on the sculpture trail. I think this visual works quite well. It provides an artistic spin on 3D visualisations and gives the image a sense of place, avoiding some of the highly edited, pristine and almost unrealistic visuals that are often used. A good set of visualisations are really important for a design project as they give the plans and construction drawings life. My collection of Alney Island visuals helped to set the scene and illustrate my feasibility document.

The sketches above are initial designs for a Lunawood design competition. These sketches were based upon an initial concept of wanting to improve the space in the middle of the FCH university campus. The creation of a new desire line and also a space for recreational and academic activities was essential. Currently the space is a a large area of grass, people are encouraged to walk around the area rendering the grass meaningless. The resulting sketches show different triangular forms that morph together to create one larger geometric shape, using a combination of pergolas, planters and seating, combined with timber walkways it creates a different feeling on the campus, evoking a sense of play and change. Both of which are needed on the historic campus. The fine liner sketches create a good sense of space on the paper, the simplicity of the design is also conveyed through the sketches. These series of sketches provide a good basis for the development of this idea, with great potential f...

  The naturalistic perennial movement is a relatively new design movement that is based upon ecological planting communities in their natural habitat. Ecological groups are selected on preference, environmental conditions and also seasonality. Having read up on this topic in a little bit of detail, the following are the main points that I have taken from it: - Seasonality - Seasonality is a really important design factor, the planting is designed to look as good in winter as it does in summer. Structural and architectural form is important for the winter period, dead and decaying plants are often left throughout the course of the year as they give a different kind of quality to the space. - Active borders - Linked to the seasonality point above is the idea that there should always be something of interest within the space. A good selection of plants makes sure of this and by leaving stems, leaves and plants with good form in (Longer than in a traditional garden) winter interest is ...

An initial response to a "Furnitecture" task set as part of assignment 2 for Alney Island. The drawings convey a sense of flow and movement within the landscape. They inform and encourage movement into the heart of the wetlands. Stretching over the A430 this walkway/sculpture/bench links both arts and culture venue buildings together. Initial research suggests that the use of a cast concrete sculpture would work well, allowing a softer more natural material on top of the benches. I have played with the idea of the introduction of more materials as strands within the context of the bench, twisted iron, steel and even willow could give the bench added interest, with the materiality linking back to the industrial past of the site.