Friday 31 January 2014

Internet back on

Finally after a week the phone line has been mended and I can do a post.

Had the first tutorial on the 1:200 design development today. Really useful, I've clearly got a lot of work to do with my precedent images - I need people in them.

A quick progression report:









1:500 Master Plan to take forward to Design Detail



1:200 first go at 'refine' - more to do but at least I've made a start. I need to get my head round the memorial garden area too.


Saturday 18 January 2014

Fingers Crossed

Well, it's taken me 4 hours, hopefully the next 7 won't take as long.



It's not the way I wanted to do things but I have to work out a plan of attack that fits with my abilities and time available.

Hopefully this works. I now know why everyone uses Sketchup. At least my Sketchup and Photoshop skills are improving. Need a cup of tea before I start on the next one.

Stuck

I can't move forward on Mint Street - I'm stuck where I am. Jamie & Julia have told me not to be so feature led but I just can't work out how to move it on.

I had to change the design of my blog - it was taking too long to work out how to get into it.

Venting and procrastination over, got to get back to it.

As I say to my children, the only way to make homework go away is to get on and do it! 'Physician, heal thy self'!

Time to get the fat colour pens and tracing paper out again.

Friday 17 January 2014

Design Freeze

AAAHHH!

So much to do, so little time.

I've got more to say about Mint Street but I prefer Cross Bones.

Nearly got Cross Bones sorted, but I have to move back to Mint Street, otherwise I just won't get everything done. At least I can work things to a greater detail in the next stage. It's so irritating, not having the skills to do things, but taking a step back, and being rational, the reason we've gone to uni is to learn things. It's just frustrating that I seem to spend more time working out how to do things on the computer or how to draw rather than actually designing/refining the design or getting to work out which plants to use.

At least my SketchUp models are improving. Context is so important on this site - the surrounding buildings (not all of them have been extruded in this drawing) form a key element in the space.





Tuesday 14 January 2014

Wise words? x


Precedents

Thanks to Julia - she recommended the Happyside Garden to me today and I went up and had a look. Designed by Dan Pearson, it slots in between the Arthouse Buiding and what looks as if it will be Waitrose, attached to Central St Martins at Kings Cross. Yet another revelation. London is an amazing city.

I zipped up to St Pancras on the High Speed train and was amazed to see the gates of Camley Street Nature Park from the station. It was wonderful to know where I was headed, before I had left the train.


It's an amazing place, sandwiched between St Pancras International Station and the Canal, a truly 'wild' place, anarchic, teeming with biodiversity and wildlife and so diametrically opposed to the urban precise manmade design and construction surrounding it.

The antithesis of an urban beehive, although it does have its own webcam. The bracket fungus is exquisite. 



















I love the almost cathedral quality and scale of the wrought iron gates, something I had already been considering for my site, especially when viewed in front of an approaching dusk sky.














Reflective quality of water was discussed yesterday. A reflection in the still waters of the canal, framed by the bridge and the towpath.














The reason for my excursion: Dan Pearson's Handyside Gardens.


A well thought out, beautifully executed small space. Lots of wonderful curves in a very linear environment.  The rill adds movement and flow to the space. It's a comfortable, very human scale and I can't wait to come back and look at the planting when it's in flower. Blue (Perovskia), silver (furry leaved salvia, can't remember which one) and red leaved Bergenia plus Carpinus hedging. Funky bird and beast boxes on wobbly poles,







 Curved seating, peeping over the top of the Perovskia, looking like the Loch Ness Monster. The sand pit at the other end is also shaped into a Loch Ness Monster, although that one is more linear.


This archway looked great in daylight and illuminated at night. Part of me hopes the plants don't grow and cover it over. I think it looks great as it is. The play equipment was actually being used at 5pm, it's the pink light behind.


A really useful trip, and during my research this morning on Happyside, I also discovered the London Orchard Project so I may well put some 'Cor Blimey' apple trees in my scheme.

Onwards and upwards.


Final Crit

Trying to upload the pages from my Masterplanning final crit but currently unsuccessful.

Will try again tomorrow.

Design Progression

I haven't managed to post anything recently so have put these up now so things are in the correct order.

First go for Mint Street - based around a cart wheel.

The site has a varied past, the Children's hospital, a work house, Charles Dickens' father imprisoned in Marshalsea Prison just up the road, 'Liberty of the Mint' - where debts could not be collected and, relevant to the design, a cart and wheel manufacturer was located there.


Jamie and Julia's comments were very helpful and I moved the design forward, and hopefully with a less literal interpretation:


<Image to be uploaded>


Then onwards some more, closer to the image on the final crit:



Cross Bones:
Progression based on the shape of the cranes on the hop warehouses that were historically on the site. Maidstone Buildings are Grade II listed as a remaining warehouse.