Ben's Place
Have been looking at articles about Ben Law's self built house in Sussex, that was featured in Grand Designs a couple of years ago .
Really worth a look at the link and also at the information on the 'diet of a forest dweller', for information about trees, fruit and vegetable growing within a woodland environment.
Inspirational stuff!
www.permaculture.co.uk/mag/Articles/Bens_Place.html
Dickie
Zoning
Have been looking at maps of various sites to see how they have been 'zoned ', in order to use the established precedents at Hadlow.
I'd like to get down to The Weald and Downland Museum for much needed inspiration this weekend. I hope the weather improves!
Dickie
Pattern Making
Have been messing around today trying to come up with a final concept to move forward with this project.
Am still having real difficulty coming to terms with what is expected for submission .
Anyway, have been exploring that old theme of the 'web of life'/egg embryos/simple life forms/amoeba and have come up with this simple pattern (which complements the surrounding landscape patterns) and seems to fit within the constraints of the college boundaries.
Not sure where I'm going from here but at least it's a start.
Dickie
Overwhelmed
Have spent the last couple of weeks thinking about this project, but that's about as far as I've got.
I've read books, visited places, gone through the box of survey stuff at Hadlow, but still haven't clarified in my mind what I'm going to do.
The clock is ticking....
Dickie
Bamboo Race
Imagine a viewing hide adjacent to a grove of fast growing bamboos.
Red rags could be tied to the stems of the bamboo and their growth rate could be tracked...
Rare Breeds Centre Woodchurch
In search of inspiration for my masterplan I visited The Rare Breeds Centre in Woodchurch - home of 'The Tamworth Two' (two pigs that escaped from an abattoir a few years ago and subsequently 'had their bacon saved' amid mass press attention).
Sadly, I found no inspiration from the place at all (probably not at it's best in the middle of winter). Just a collection of farm animals (including two unsuspecting turkeys) plus the usual kids areas, gift shop, restaurant and conference centre.
Loads of piglets though, including these Old Spots....
Back to the drawing board!
Dickie
Sutcliffe Park, London SE9
Visited the above park on tuesday to have a look at the new wetland area. The park and athletic track are adjacent to The Ferrier Estate (bleak, seventies architecture). The River Quaggy used to cause flooding problems in the Lewisham area during periods of heavy rain, but can now offload excess water into the newly created floodplains in the park. The wetland area has transformed what was once a very dull recreational space.
I have another accessory to add to Raina's list for encouraging strangers to engage in conversation (see her blog of 12/12/05) - a pair of binoculars. Two sets of people stopped and chatted to me... I think this might catch on. Looking through binoculars on the tube however, may not be the best idea!
Dickie
Greenwich Ecology Park
Enjoyed the talk about Peter Latz earlier this week and the images of Duisberg Nord Park. Like the theme of natural regeneration. Took some photos at the ecology park yesterday. Linking nature and industry .
Dickie
Sketches, Masterplan Site
Have been thinking about different zones within the site and trying to imagine the different moods/ views/ranges of habitat I'd like to create.
There was a great programme on farming and the impact on wildlife on BBC2 last night. It's usually repeated on sunday night so it may be of interest to anyone doing the sustainable community option.
View into Hadlow
Have just discovered the joys of paintbucket in photoshop so have been messing around. No prizes for guessing the key planting around the lake!
Dickie
Sketch view with photoshop 'paint bucket'
Dan Kiley Line Sketches
Whilst researching Dan Kiley, I liked his quick line sketch perspectives. I've copied a few and done some perspective views of the masterplan options.
Dickie
Masterplan - Three Options
Hadlow Stuff for Monday
I'm afraid that I really can't get my head around this project!
We spent last monday making assumptions about the site for the house and hotel which presumably taught us that we should assume nothing and to make sure that our site analysis at Hadlow left nothing to chance.
However the brief for the options at Hadlow are:
1) to expand the educational campus, but no clues were given as to what extent the growth will be, and whether the courses offered were to be diversified ( i.e. non agricultural/horticultural/equine based).
2) to provide for a 'sustainable living' community (a model community which would change the land use to residential). However no details of the size of this community were given and we were told to leave the footprints of the existing buildings in place. Why would you build on the footprints of the existing buildings?
3) to provide for an educational campus with a garden festival on site. Again no details were given as to the size of festival (other than it would be like Westonbirt).
Am I the only one to think that this is a bit tricky. Aren't we going to be making a lot of assumptions?
Is anyone who had the tutorial on friday able to clarify what is required, or have I just missed the point?
Many thanks
Dickie
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Diagramatic Survey Stuff
I imagine everyone is struggling with this one. I've done the diagramatic analysis, but it just looks like the map! No idea how to do the others, but will keep trying!
The problem is that there is so much information,
if it was all put on one sheet, it would become unintelligible!Good luck!
Dickie
Exploded View
I've been trying 'exploded views' of courtyard 14 with my new green pastel pencils . I've never noticed before but they are £6.15 each... need to get some money coming in pronto!
Dickie
Henri Rousseau
Went to the Henri Rousseau exhibition at Tate Modern last night. Huge canvases depicting Rousseau's jungle visions. Rousseau never experienced real jungles, but was a regular visitor to Paris's Natural History Museum, Jardin des Plantes, zoo and botanical gardens. It was the stuffed animals in the museum and exotic foliage inside the glass houses that provided him with his inspiration. I love the fact that Rousseau's sources of reference were collections gathered from all over the world, monkeys from Africa, birds of paradise from
New Guinea, gibbons and parrots from South America. These references were all jumbled together to produce dreamlike scenes of imagined jungles, hence 'Jungles in Paris', the title of the exhibition.
Another good example of bold, vibrant colours drawing you in, at which point other, unexpected details then reveal themselves.
Well worth a visit!Dickie
p.s. Good to see you Sonia. Hope you got home ok
Have been looking at articles about Ben Law's self built house in Sussex, that was featured in Grand Designs a couple of years ago .
Have been messing around today trying to come up with a final concept to move forward with this project.
Imagine a viewing hide adjacent to a grove of fast growing bamboos.
In search of inspiration for my masterplan I visited The Rare Breeds Centre in Woodchurch - home of 'The Tamworth Two' (two pigs that escaped from an abattoir a few years ago and subsequently 'had their bacon saved' amid mass press attention).
Have been thinking about different zones within the site and trying to imagine the different moods/ views/ranges of habitat I'd like to create.
I imagine everyone is struggling with this one.
New Guinea, gibbons and parrots from South America. These references were all jumbled together to produce dreamlike scenes of imagined jungles, hence 'Jungles in Paris', the title of the exhibition.
