Digital Workshop - Sean Cassidy

Before




After



Sean Cassidy is a college of our course director Bernard and had been asked to come in to help us further understand how to produce plans as we were beginning our final project and the previous one had been focusing on creating a masterplan. This tutorial would help us understand how to scale correctly in AutoCAD and then transfer it on to Photoshop and render it appropriately. This got me thinking about what master plans on a much larger scale should look like in practice as the one we did was quite small scale.

What is landscape Architecture? An introduction and Sam Johnston

During this week my lecturers had organised a series of lectures to take place in order for us to understand the underlining topic which is “what is Landscape Architecture”. Personally this has always been a close topic of not just mine but my fellow students. When if first started this course this question was introduced to be the very first day of entering my course. When I first started an old lecturer of mine who has since left asked us all “what is landscape Architecture?”. At first I looked at the obvious which would be the very dictionary definition “the art and practice of designing the outdoor environment, especially designing parks or gardens to harmonize with buildings and roads.”(Oxford dictionary definition). So of course I came to the simple conclusion that it is just a person who designs parks and gardens. However this was just my answer within the very few hours that I joined the course. Looking back now I realised how wrong I was that is goes far more than just parks and gardens. My very first project was to create an Installation by Kingston River. An “Installation” something I’ve never heard of yet here I was creating one in a group of four. By the time my first project ended I slowly began to realise that this isn’t just about parks and gardens, this could be so much more.




Forwarding now to the present time, I mentioned that we were fortunate enough to have a series of lectures from outside visitors. Our first guest was a previous guest from last year from Gustafson Porter Sam Johnston. And he began by telling us what his boss Neil Porter had thought of the theme of the week, he said the answer he gave was “Everything under the sun”. Although it was such a simple response I was amazed at how vague yet unusually clear the answer was. I believe that our work is natural as we interact with so many natural elements in the world such as flora and fauna and what can be more natural than the sun. He then went into words that he thought of when presented with the word,” Natural systems, Landscape Institute Code, Habitat, Flora, Fauna and weather”. Out of all these words the one that attracted my attention the most was “weather” simply because this one word has amazing affects on what Landscape Architects build more so I think than anything. Weather is forever changing, brutal, beautiful and such an integral part of how a Landscape Architect needs to think. He went on to talk about a series of projects that Gustafson Porter had been involved with. The first was the Aliga Masterplan, Lake Balaton in Hungary, the thought process he said was to begin to really understand what the site is with all its attributes then can you start to visualise and conceptualise what you can do. This particular site he said was focusing in the mind body and heart, the heart of it I would say was the lake itself which had an unusual consistency within it. Silica within the water created a highly reflective attribute to the lake.

The second was a place called Hook Park in Dorset this idea had the theme of Reality vs Imagination. Sam had said that further you go into this wood it seems to be either scary, claustrophobic or it can open your mind to imagine whatever you like.

The final project he showed us was Woolwich square in London, the theme behind this was “Balloon and Garden”. Out of all the projects this one seems very similar to the styles I have seen from Gustafson and Porter, vey linier clean lines, angles, granite, water and raised surfaces. It all seemed very similar to Nottingham’s Old market square which Gustafson and porter did. The idea was that after speaking to the locals and getting feedback on what they want the represented there design as the “balloon” the hard landscaping and the “Garden” the soft landscaping. The idea was to create a garden within the centre of the city. Although many would argue and say well this is just typical of what Gustafson porter do you have to understand these elements they put together add the type of sophistication and elegance that people within the city centre want. They want high end materials and polished finishes because it simply looks nice and allows the public to admire and respect what they have.

What is landscape Architecture? Will Sandy - Three Green Dots

The next speaker was a guy called Will Sandy, from Three Green dots. Will sandy was a student once at Kingston university and its always interesting to see what former students do now. Will began talking about how this world is changing in a direction for the worst, at this point i thought he would go on about sustainability but he surprised me when he began talking about more social changes. It was apparent after he was talking for a while that he shared a common interest that I have, human behaviour and how people can be influenced consciously and subconsciously. He explained these ideas using examples.
• He began by explaining how technology in, more specifically wireless technology has created a world where human interaction is less and less. Using an oyster card, self service checkouts, online banking has cut down interaction between people vastly. But i see this as a huge decrease of interaction only on a physical level, virtually interaction has become off the scale due to websites such as facebook and twitter. What he said however is very true, you could easily go a day even days without seeing another soul or have very little interaction due to this.
• The word “public” is becoming a diminishing idea as the idea of “Big brother” is watching through CCTV cameras everywhere. Being told to move or told that “you cant take pictures here” in what seems to be a public realm when really they are just private security guards patrolling public spaces. There is always little in terms of defence you can use when wanting to carry out your action in taking pictures. This reduces the feel of trust as people feel like others don’t trust them to go about their business; this becomes a never ending circle of trust. Public open spaces is something that Landscape Architects should strive for, bringing enjoyment and freedom to people to enjoy what has taken months, years to create.
• Will showed us a video clip of what I though was quite amusing, the idea that Tesco will dominate the world making it a sort of “Tesco world”. However this comical expression has a very true and underlining realist that is large companies do monopolise this world reducing the chances for small businesses to survive. Personally I did not feel how this interacted with Landscape Architecture I think it was something that Will personally felt strongly about and that is what I would like to take from this section, which you should be passionate and strong on what you believe.
Will now explained a series of projects he executed within London, again looking at human behavioural pattern which I found fascinating and refreshing. The first was one he names “How many spots”, this was a project to see if people would use walking over public transport. They hoped they could influence people’s decisions by changing the bottom of the bus timetable with quirky quotes such as saying how you’re fat and you should walk its healthier. They lasted for about 2 months before TFL removed them all, and where seen in central London along Oxford Street and neighbouring streets. The way they executed this is brilliant and funny. It’s a shame they couldn’t make any money out of it.



The second project was the parking tickets one which was again a genius idea that made me laugh and smile at the very thought of it. The idea was to give people parking tickets but instead of a very negative fine that you usually see, you receive a notice of thanks for being a good driver and that you have parked very well. People will always see a parking ticket as a greatly annoying thing, so to create happiness from that is great. The idea goes really into how people will majority of the time do right and very rarely are people thanked or congratulated for these good deeds, however when they are wrong it’s always a form of punishment or scolding from others they receive. So to turn things around and put a smile on people’s faces is definitely the way forward. Will has started on talks of doing this is America which will be fascinating to hear about.

The link below is his blog:

http://threegreendots.wordpress.com/

What is landscape Architecture? Trenton oldfield - This is Not a Gateway

Trenton Oldfield started a company called “This is Not a Gateway”, which is a not for profit organisation. HE began by telling us how he has worked for organisations that have given him the task to complete projects but fell short do to the lack of integrity of funds given to people. He hated how people would misuse and created his group. The most interesting part of his speech was his investigation into fences and how he has started his PHD in looking into the. At first I was amazed that he has chosen something so simple as a fence to do his doctorate, but his hatred for fences is quite something. The idea of surrounding anything in fence creates a horrible feeling of enclosure and creates public parks to seem private. This looks into how will spoke about how public realms seem less and less public due to guards and fences can definitely be a part of this idea. An interesting fact that Trenton pointed out was that there is no legal requirement for fences, the money public parks and realms can save on not placing fences is enormous yet there they are surrounding almost every green space. He went into detail on how fences are another way of showing hierarchy and dividing communities. I believe that he is right in all aspects except the aspect of creating a sense of security. He showed us a fence around an estate in London which had green grass in between and around it, which he seems quite annoyed about. I would have to object here as these spaces are residential and people want to feel safe as is there right when living in a home. The other is in parks; I agree that fences should not surround the entire park but should be when looking at child playgrounds again looking at that aspect of safety and security.

The site below is his website:

http://thisisnotagateway.squarespace.com/people/

What is landscape Architecture? Maria & Je - Studio Weave

Maria and Je take from Studio Weave take on what landscape Architecture is very quicrky, different and imaginative. They believe that the very essence of a project needs a story. I have never been introduced to looking at a project in this way but was fascinating at how a story can influence design. The way I looked at it was a theory on how to design, using a story to illustrate a coherent concept and plan. The project they chose to illustrate this was Kielder Water in Northumberland. They were asked to design something to connect one side of a river to another. Naturally the idea of creating abridge comes to mind, however Maria and Je began by creating a story. The story consisted of two characters Freya and Robin, they lived on each side of the river and the fairy Freya wanted to attract the attention of the woodman’s Robin so she built a hut of gold and wood and other materials. Maria and Je would build this hut according to the materials that Freya loved and wanted to show off and attract Robin. Robins hut is a simple one that reflects his character and love for his woodland habitat. Although these are fictional characters the impact it has in the design process is amazing, never did I think using a story such as this would be so thought provoking and brilliant.



The second project they introduce was “The longest bench” in Little Hampton they created. The idea is conceptualised around a charm bracelet. This fun and quirky accessory is how they saw the bench to be like, it seats a total of 300 people along the promenade of Little Hampton. The idea that a charm bracelet and lots of little elements to it but essentially is the same thing is what I believe appealed to them. I thin ts a great design that is greatly admires the people that live there and those who get to sit on it and walk alongside it.

This is there website:

http://www.studioweave.com/

What is landscape Architecture? Christian Spencer-Bailey - A-Model

Christian Spencer is an architectural model maker that specialise in the contemporary, they create one off unique pieces of art for firms, companies and individuals. He has been creating models for 20 years now and aspires to create models that create an abstract perception of a design. He hates creating normal standard pieces of art and believes that they are dull and boring. His take on design is far more abstract that precision and calculation. He believes that creating an abstract model is far more provocative and influential than a normal “standard” mode yet has the core and essential elements to really explain what you are trying to develop. He believes it is a waste of his time to create something that is standard and not worth the money people are paying.



His models are unlike anything I have seen when I think of a landscape, he created a model in all black polish and left one single element as an orange light, which really adds emphasis on it. It reminds me of visualisations that I have created in the past when attempting to highlight an element I would make everything else black and white.



Another project he showed was called ‘Made in Croydon’ for Hawkins Browns civil and public realm project. This model is like a piece of art you would hang in a gallery. It’s so abstract with the materials and looks like it can be worn on a catwalk.
However as beautiful as these clearly are i think that a basic and “standard model” is just as important when illustrating the finer details. A model by Christian is a great way at the beginning stages but as a fully developed design it lacks the finer details that people want to see such as investors or clients.



His website is:

http://www.amodels.co.uk/

What is landscape Architecture? Heather Ring - Wayward Plants and final note

Heather Ring has worked with some great firms such as Martha Schwartz, Gustafson Porter and studying under James corner. Her question set the tone for her talk which was “What is a garden and how long does a garden need to exist before being a garden?” Heather runs a company called Wayward Plants, a unique site that allows the exchange and even adoption of plants. Her ideals go around the continual protection of plants and preserving every single one. She has decided to work at this small scale becayse she felt that she has done nothing but work is such large scales that the finer details go missing. Her way of looking at things in smaller detail greatly appeal to my type of thinking. I enjoy designing aspace then looking at the details that make the space.

She spoke about “guerrilla planting” a new word for me which basically means the planting of a garden without permission. Which seems quite exciting the idea of finding a space and create a natural order. Then I remembered last year I visited a place near Vauxhall Bridge where the residents of an area had decided to take out paving slabs that made the walkway and start planting plants.



Projects that she has been involved in are the Union Street Orchard which is created by using recycled materials and has its own eco-pod. There are number of people who live on site to maintain it.

She also spoke about algae which is an interesting plant that has the potential to create bio-fuel and can also be edible.

Her website is:

http://www.waywardplants.org/


After all these great talks it’s only natural that I start questioning what I think Landscape Architecture is. I would love to say something short and witty that describes everything in one go, sadly I don’t think I’m anywhere near as accomplished enough to do that. Instead I’ll just say what I think which is; Landscape Architecture is about knowing what you got to its very core and creating a space that not only has the ability to enhance it but listens to its surroundings and wants to live not just admired for a while.

Beautiful model

This project is about creating a beautiful object or series of beautiful objects. I basically went to a place in the Lea valley by Tottenham hale and was told to think of an abstract way of describing what you see but it has to be a beautiful model. So I decided to look at the ways in which the landscape changes which was from rough to clean and tidy. To illustrate this into a model I decided to carve out lots of small cubes and arrange them on a glass square to represent the water. The cubes were then individually sculpted from wood to create a rough to neat finish.