Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

I took a trip with my family down to the Harold Hillier gardens in Romsey (near Southampton). The season was certainly turning quite Autumnal, yet the gardens still had plenty to offer. The gardens feature several different areas, all with the wonderful specimen trees which the Hillier name has become so famous for. Some trees looked particularly special at this time with leaves just beginning to turn to shades of yellow and orange.
Other features include an ornamental pond and several areas which have been given a more contemporary feel. There is also an ongoing sculpture exhibition throughout sections of the gardens. While this does provide added interest, and a fantastic opportunity for local design graduates to display their work, I can't say I found the installation entirely beneficial to the area. It seemed to me that the sculptures had been packed in far too tightly- certainly the feeling of 'belonging' (achieved so well with the Henry Moor exhibition at Kew) was lacking from many of the sculptures.
Certainly these gardens are well worth a visit, and are also much quieter in terms of footfall than many others such as Kew and Wisley. The gardens are owned by Hampshire County Council and managed as a charitable trust.

Jardin du Luxembourg

In contrast to Parc Andre Citroen the Jardin du Luxembourg is one of Paris' most established and most popular parks. It's layout is based on a cross between the French and English classical garden. The park boasts large lawns alongside avenues lined with trees creating a great variety of space for all Parisians as well as the large number of tourists who flock here.

The park features a large number of statues, a bandstand, several fountains and ponds including the famous medincinal fountain. The design here puts a very different focus on maintenance to Parc Andre Citroen, with planting here being the main subject of attention without high maintenance surfaces and features.

Parc Andre Citroen

During my stay in France there was little time to visit landscape projects, however I did make some exceptions, one being a visit to Parc Andre Citroen. This is a contemporary park on the banks of the River Seine by Alain Provost and Gilles Clement and one which I remember visiting some years ago on a family holiday to the city.

The two large greenhouses at the northern end of the sight were the feature I remembered best, and these still provided an obvious and beautiful focal point to the site. Other features however were somewhat less impressive- the many many water features for example, of which almost all had clearly been out of use for some time. Even the greenhouses provided disappointment on closer inspection- they were locked out of use and one of the two was completely empty.

Despite these disappointments the park has a lot to offer and appears to be well used. The large central lawn area is a wonderful space (with or without the giant helium balloon which currently occupies it and offers visitors birds eye views of the city). There are also a series of tranquil themed gardens.
It is such a shame that the park has been subject to a lack of maintenance- maybe the design was too ambitions and contained too much water initially which has made costs spiral. Either way there must surely be some cost effective solutions to bring this park back up to the standard it should be. These issues have contributed to my decision to look at this park in detail as part of my Management Plans module at University this year.

Ecole Nationale Superieure du Paysage

I was lucky to be able to attend a weeks Landscape Architecture workshop at the French Ecole Nationale Superieure du Paysage (school of Landscape), based in the former kitchen gardens at the Palace of Versailles during September. The subject of the workshop was based around the publication of the greater Paris plan, which included proposals for urbanising additional land surrounding the city of Paris. Our task was to look at a site at Rungis, close to Orly Airport to the south of the city. Currently this land is put to agricultural use, but it is clear that the city's relentless growth will make this unsustainable.

Working in groups amongst students from many parts of the world with different skill bases a number of schemes were developed to incorporate this agricultural land into the urban plan for Paris. The group which which I was involved would aim to preserve the current landscape of agricultural fields by lifting the land and placing housing units beneath it, thus preserving the use of the land above and the view down the fields. The proposal not only created an interesting space but also instigated a new idealistic image of life in the fields without cars and with outstanding sustainable credentials- precedents for the project included the BedZed development near Wimbledon, London.

Giverny- Claude Monet's Garden

Less than a week after my return from Canada I found myself driving towards Paris with three of my student colleagues. We were on our way to Versailles to take part in a weeks Landscape workshop- more on that later...

It occurred to us that a natural place to stop on the journey was at Claude Monet's garden, Giverny, on the outskirts of Paris. Despite a slow drive giving us less than an hour to enjoy the spectacle of this site it agreed that it was all well worth the effort.

These gardens are spectacularly maintained despite the huge number of visitors who flock here. The gardens are arranged either side of the main road through the town of Giverny, on one side are the formal gardens, while the other side of the road are the more famous 'water Lilly ponds'.

For me personally the formal gardens had to be the highlight of the visit, particularly with the huge blooms sunflowers which dominated the garden. The combinations of vibrant colours, all of which were meticulously placed, made this sea of beautiful flowers quite special.

The Dunes of Prince Edward Island

The dune landscape has to be one of the most fascinating to exist. In just a few hundred meters one can travel from solid land to the ocean and witness all the stages of land development in between.

Created by the winds movement of sand, dunes by their very nature are fragile structures, first colonised by species such as lime grass and marram grass- one human footstep can literally set back dune development by many years. It is for this reason that the dune landscape must be managed if it is to survive.

On Prince Edward Island, Canada, Boardwalk paths have been built over the dunes to access the beach, while the dunes themselves are clearly fenced off from the public to discourage entry. Behind the pioneering line of the dunes dedicated footpaths and cycleways have been set up to allow people to enjoy the environment responsibly without damaging habitats. The use of natural materials in these projects hugely aids their aesthetic quality.

Education is important too of course- if people do not realise the ecological value of the dunes or the damage they can do to them it is unlikely they will respect this fragile landscape.

Toronto Wavedecks

In 2006 West8 and DTAH won the competition to redesign Toronto's waterfront. The key aim of the project was to reconnect the Canadian city with Lake Ontario, an area of the city which had seen many years of neglect and had been cut off by the railway and the monstrous two-story Gardener Expressway.

The first project was to reinvigorate some of the former dock areas by creating a series of Wavedecks along dockfronts. The first three Wavedecks at Simcoe, Spadina and Rees have now been completed, and while in the city I took some time to explore them.

The first Wavedeck I discovered was Spadina, a rolling surface with a peak in the middle which dips at each side. It was clear to see that the structure was very solid and of great quality, however it did not seem to attract peoples use by being somewhat isolated from the adjacent land by not finishing with a level interface with the dockside.

The next Wavedeck heading east is at Rees. Here the edges to meet up with the adjacent harbourside land, making the foot traffic much higher. The shape of the Wavedeck too is more interesting while retaining the quality feel. Along the waterfront is a long bench (though not quite as long as the one West8 produced at the Scheuburgplein in Rotterdam!), allowing people to connect with water.

The final Wavedeck to be opened is Simcoe, and it is the most dynamic of them all. This deck features two very large peaks creating a very playful and exciting undulating surface. Access again is good which allows people to alter their journey to cross the wavedeck. Cyclists alter their path to take in the gentle hills of the lower section, adding interest to their journey. Also skateboarders, skaters, walkers and runners all choose new paths across the deck. Children are encouraged to play on the area providing great free entertainment. I would say that I have never seen an area interacted with in so many ways in such a short time than on this small area of Simcoe Wavedeck.

The Toronto Waterfront project has clearly got off to a good start- it will be exciting to see how it develops.

The Walled Garden at Scampston

While on a break in Yorkshire the opportunity was taken to visit the contemporary walled garden at Scampston Hall, near Malton. The gardens here were designed by Piet Oudolf in 1999 and present quite a contrast to the surrounding landscape which was created by 'Capability' Brown some centuries earlier. As soon as one steps through the 18th century walls it is clear that this garden is something quite different. There are tall grasses and groups of vibrant foliage clumped together into both curvaceous and geometric shapes. Even the garden furniture is to a very sophisticated contemporary design. Plans are used here which would never have been found when these gardens were originally planted, many are chosen for their striking foliage or shape rather than the quality of their flowers.

Not all traditional elements have been forgotten however, there are still a number of vistas through the various 'rooms' of the garden as well the beautifully restored traditional greenhouse.The gardens are not cheap to visit- however they are certainly something quite different which are really worth making the effort to see.

Reflections on the year

Looking back at the past year makes me feel positive about the way in which this blog has developed. Without doubt there has been an improvement to both the standard and content of the blog over that time, and during the year I have aimed to widen the horizons which I explore. It is imperative that within the discipline of Landscape Architecture we do not become narrow minded which merely looking at other completed projects could do. After all, where is the innovation in looking at what is already being done? I have enjoyed expanding the scope of this blog into a wider area of design and hope you have enjoyed the increased content. The amount of projects ongoing at any one time is almost overwhelming and with so much out there to provide inspiration it has been difficult at times to decide what to divert my attention to.
Over the next year I hope to continue to look at Landscape Architecture in an even broader sense which will benefit designs even further.
One of my other focus objectives listed in January was to increase my exploration of different varieties of digital media to express design. Although there is no evidence on this blog this is something I have been investing time in successfully- I hope over the summer to complete a website showcasing my online portfolio which will feature many of these new skills.

Saatchi Gallery: Unveiled- Art from the Milddle East

When looking for something 'a bit different' you cannot go far wrong with a visit to the Saatchi Gallery on Kings Road, London.


The latest exhibition to conclude showcased upcoming art from the Middle East by a wide range of artists and in a huge variety of different styles from traditional paintings to sculptures and models.

One of my favorite works in the exhibition was by Wafa Hourani entitled 'Qualandia 2067'. The installation comprised of a five piece model of a village near to where the artist lived. The majority of the model was created by piecing together a detailed collection of photographs of the town in a 3D style similar to the method made famous by David Hockney. The details of the model were finished with a wide range of unexpected materials and some buildings even featured sounds from within. The piece really showed what can be achieved with materials which are easy to access and produced a model with great impact without needing to be 100% precise.


Spectre (The Yacoubian Building Beirut) by Marwan Rechmadui

Ghost by Kaer Attia

Beirut Caoutchouc by Marway Rechmadui is a large 3D model of the city's networks engraved in to rubber. It is visually both attractive and informative. The model does not show details of individual buildings- nor their shape, but does give a ground plan of which areas are developed and which are without buildings. In appearance there are many similarities with the 'Lines of Communication' installation by Craft:Pegg which sits outside Spitalfields Market in London, although this model is of a much larger area.

Allen & Ovary Roof Gardens

In 2005 Law firm Allen & Ovary moved into their new headquarters at Spitalfields. The building, designed by Foster and Partners also incorporated three roof terraces which were designed by Townshend Landscape Architects.

Roof gardens are becoming an ever more important aspect of landscape and the built environment, yet because they are almost always part of private buildings it is difficult for the public to experience them. Fortunately I was able to arrange a special visit to one of the roof terraces of the Allen & Ovary building.

Perhaps the most striking thing about the gardens here is the view- looking down over Old Spitalfields market and the low rise buildings of London's East End and also towards the city with it's iconic structures such as the Swiss Rae Building (The Gherkin). The gardens themselves offer some tranquility from the office environment and flow out from a cafe on the 6th floor. The space has numerous tables and chairs and also features parasoles enabling the space to be used more flexibly. Planting is fairly basic (there are limitations on the types of plans suitable for use on roof gardens) and watering is carried out by an automatic system. Light weight paving material is used which is similar in design and quality to that used elsewear in the area.

RHS Garden- Wisley

Sometimes it is great just to get outside and experience beautiful environments. One such place close to my is the Royal Horticultural Societies garden at Wisley.
I don't think there can be many better times to visit than a lovely warm sunny day in spring when the entire site seems to be overcome with literally thousands of bulbs and the trees are riddled with blossom (thought it does happen that my favorite plant- the Gunnera Giant Rhubarb is far from impressive this early in the year). This also happened to be my first visit to the garden since the opening of the new glasshouse on the site. This expands the collection of plants which can be housed here by artificially creating tropical environments.
As well as these 'false' environments within the glasshouse there are many different settings for plants which are more common of southern England including orchards, vegetable patches as well as the more traditional English flower borders. The gardens here also include features such as sculpture both in a more traditional style with wicker fruits and the contemporary with a large piece by Henry Moore.

The Cut- Waterloo

The architecture of streets can often be very mundane, but simple projects such as that performed on The Cut, near Waterloo show how simple improvements can make a huge difference to the visual quality of the streetscape.

Many of the improvements here have been subtle- replacing sections of the paving with stone slaps in place of concrete gives the feeling of a quaility finish across the street. Examining street furniture can also be a useful tool to 'clean up' the street environment. Here unnecessary signs and railings have been removed to be replaced by necessary and functional equipment. Designated crossing ares have been highlighted and in places the road has been narrowed to make it more pedestrian friendly. Other features include the planting of trees- never to be underrated in their visual ability to change the environment. Additionally areas of seating and functional bicycle storage have been provided to make the street more usable for residents.

Altogether a simple but very effective scheme which leaves this road with a finish high above others in the area.

A flying visit to T5

The new Terminal 5 building at Heathrow has received a lot of press since it was opened last year- some for it's structure and design, much more about it's functionality (or lack of to begin with), but very little about it's landscape architecture.

While the terminal and masterplan were designed by Richard Rodgers Architects the landscape architecture was in the hands of Hyland Edgar Driver. One of the main areas to be treated is the space between the terminal car park and main entrance. A number of different techniques have been used here to create a high quality space. Central to the area is a large plaza of fountains which provide motion, sound, interest and by night, lighting. Spanning out from this on either side is a planted grid of Platanus hispanica (London Plane) trees set amongst quality paving. Finally on each end is a series of stone seating surrounding planting beds featuring further trees.

What this site possesses in quality it lacks in function. Although the centrally located fountains do turn heads it is only in passing- there is nowhere to sit anywhere near this area, or amongst the trees. The only possible function here is for people to pass through the plaza on the short journey from the car park to the terminal building. Original plans are believed to have included cafes sprawling from the terminal into the space- thus injecting a life into the area which is not apparent here.

In conclusion it seems that BAA have something of a missed opportunity here. A great space, but one which is not fully integrated into the terminal and therefore is not visited.

Hilliers Nursary

I was fortunate to be able to visit Hilliers Nursery in Liss, Hampshire to view their collection of trees and see how they are grown and managed.

During the day the group was introduced to a range of key trees which are of importance to Landscape Architects. We were also shown a selection of trees in different stages of growth and introduced to the process by which the trees are bred. The selection of trees available at the nursery is massive- their site in Liss alone covers more than 500 acres with all trees from seedlings up to mature specimens which have been growing for more than 20 years.

As well as normal stemmed trees there is also a range of multi-stemmed trees, shaped trees and instant hedging which is growing in popularity.

Finally we were shown examples of how the trees can be delivered- either bare root, root balled or container grown. This was followed by an impressive demonstration of their large root baller- effortlessly lifting a very large tree specimen!

Thanks must go to Hilliers, Caroline Swann and Jim for a very informative and enjoyable day out. Thanks also to Ed Wall at Kingston for organising the day.

Street Painting

Manfrad Stadar is a street artist who paints amazing designs into streets across the world. Graduating in Frankfurt Stadar specialises in 3D rather than more commonplace 2D works.An added feature of some of his designs is the ability to pose people as part of the scene creating a truly dynamic piece.This piece was commissioned in Seoul to advertise a Korean drink.

http://www.3d-street-art.com/

Kings Cross Square Development

As well as looking at current or built projects it is also important to look into the future.


One forthcoming project is that to re-develop the front of Kings Cross Station. The new square will act as a new forecourt for the refurbished station and will allow users to appreciate the design of the building which will have it's frontage revealed for the first time since 1972.

Six companies have been shortlisted by Network Rail to design the square with the winner due to be announced in June.

The six companies are:

• Field Operations
• Gehl Architects and Landscape Projects
• Gross.Max.
• Gustafson Porter
• Marther Schwartz Partners
• Stanton Williams

This should be an interesting project to follow over the next few years.

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=11003

Temple of a Million Bottles

It is fair to say that most buildings are constructed from brick and mortar. Very few however are constructed from glass bottles and mortar- however this is exactly how the buildings at 'Wat Lan Kaud' (Temple of a million bottles) were built in Thailand. The project began in 1984 and is now estimated to have used more than 1.5 million bottles donated by the local population. As well as looking beautiful this structure says more to us about it's values. This has proven to be a very successful structure- the bottles are strong, low maintenance and allow in natural light. Another draw to the structure is its impressive sustainable credentials- using the bottles in this way is a classic example of recycling what would otherwise be a waste material- even the bottle tops are retained to create decorative mosaics.
Perhaps the most ironic thing is that of the 1.5 million bottles so far used in the project not one has been donated by the builders directly- Buddhist monks for whom drinking is a sin!
This project, which has now become a tourist attraction in the local area should inspire us all to look beyond the obvious choices for building materials when there may be more creative, sustainable and fun solutions available.
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/10/27/temple-of-a-million-bottles/

The Lost and Found Orchestra

Being a Landscape Architecture student is not just about focusing on Landscape Architecture directly. By looking at a wider context it is possible to make links to projects and themes which will then enrich Landscape design and planning.
The Lost and Found Orchestra, from the creators of STOMP is one such event which I found irresistible to influence design. The theme for the 'orchestra' is to create music from found and recycled every day objects- from traffic cones to glass bottles and even a household shower. The results are truly outstanding. This energetic performance shows how objects which one might conceive as rubbish can be used to activate people, make music and ultimately art. This is certainly food for thought, sustainability is always at the forefront of the current agenda and the themes explored here certainly provoke ideas- particularly relating to my current project related to musical child's play.
The Lost and Found Orchestra played at London's Royal Festival Hall from 19th December 2008 to 11th January 2009.
http://www.lostandfoundorchestra.com/

Digital Cities at New London Architecture

During a first sights visit to London I went to view the latest exhibition at New London Architecture- 'Digital Cities'. The exhibition looks at the way in which digital media is now influencing planning and building within cities. The computer age has built up a huge resource of e-materials and data. The exhibition includes data that has been used to create large scale models of areas of the City of London. Also displayed are maps showing pollution data movements of people and traffic.
Also displayed were several proposals for working cities displayed in new and inovative ways through the field of digital media.
The exhibit which interested me most was the 'London City Model' by GMJ Design (http://www.gmj.net/) which has built a comprehensive model of 40km of the city. This model can be used to test the contexts and locations of new archtectural projects throught London. In particular large buildings can be tested for sight lines and modifications can then be proposed easily.
The exhibition finishes on the 17th January (so you don't have a lot of time left to visit). Details of it and future exhibitions can be found at http://www.newlondonarchitecture.org/exhibitions.php.

Tree Walk- Kew Gardens

A cold, dull and misty winters day is perhaps not the ideal weather to explore the new 'Tree Walk' erected this year at Kew Gardens. Yet despite the grim weather there is something rather beautiful about this structure. MarksBarfield Architects have created a structure within the breathtaking setting of Kew Gardens that seems to sit just right. The materials have a resounding feel of quality and fit in with the landscape beautifully. The pylons in their 'weathered' finish do not look at all out of place amongst the tree trunks in this area. The walkway structure itself plays homage to nature being constructed with reference to the Fibonacci sequence which supports many natural growth patterns.

By winter the structure is fully revealed, while by summer tree branches will reach out over and onto the walkway giving the treetop experience it was intended for.

While the installation could perhaps be longer it is certainly fit for purpose and well worth a visit.

Focus directions and Blog tagging

Visitors to this blog will notice that I am not using tagging to categorise the topics I have covered on this page. This will make it easier for everyone to find any particular entries and filter down the topics that interest them.
These tagged categories also reveal the particular directions that I am aiming to look at and cover in particular detail on this blog.
As is already the case I intend to continue to build up an array of case studies from landscape architecture sites which I have personally visited, hopefully these will include some of my own views on the project and some photographs. While these will largely be from within the London area I do also aim to focus on any other project sites I do happen to stumble across.
Another priority, and closely linking with that discussed above is to look at and monitor some of the implications of 'Private Public Space'- that is spaces which are privately owned but claim to be open for public use. Sometimes the extent of being public spaces can vary, one which I commonly note as a photographer are the occasions where, for no apparent reason, photographs are not allowed on certain pieces of land. There are of course management and maintenance issues also connected with the ownership of land. As a general rule privately owned spaces tend to receive better maintenance and contain increased security.
The final area I will be looking at in more detail is the use of digital media in landscape architecture work. I have experimented with several types of software and aim to continually broaden my use of different packages- experience of this should be detailed on this blog.
Hopefully these changes and the newly created corridors to focus my attention on should make this blog even more exciting (yes... I think it is possible!).

Digital Media in Presentation

This post may seem slightly unusual in that it does not relate directly to any site with significant landscape architecture. However when working in this field one of the most important decisions to get right is how to present a project- and the correct media to use. The expectation seems to have moved dramatically over a short period from the majority of work being done by hand to a majority instead being digitalised.
These changes can be reflected in much of the work I do. I am far more likely to turn to my copy of Adobe Photoshop than to pick up a pen and start sketching. Of course there is a balance and one must not become complement with computers, however some of the recent work I have produced does show what an impact they can have.
One project recently involved building a short animation series using Adobe Flash. While this programme is initially very difficult to master it does, once the basic commands are understood, become a simple case of matching the correct codes with the correct functions in the files. After a lot of hard work I had an interactive document which I was very pleased with, and which will be far more accessible to a client or indeed anyone with an interest than the paper copies I tried to present previously.

Chiswick Buisiness Park

Chiswick Buisiness Park is an intersting new development in south west London. The philosophy of the site is to increase workers productivity by producing a pleasant environment in which to work and thus making office workers enjoy work. The site represents a major landscape architecture project as the 12 office buildings are set amongst a newly landscaped park complete with a major water feature. This site is open to the public as a park although there is little encoragement for the public to actually cross the security threshold into the site itself. Although the park has been aranged to be a tranquil retreat from the working day- and does indeed have many well thought out features- it seems very much a 'false' environment. For example the scale of the waterfall would be quite unheard of in this part of the country. That said the finish of materials appears very high and I am sure this space represents a vast improvement over the traditional office environment and is well used by those who work there. However the very buisiness nature of the site together with the high security prescense must hugely limit it's use as a public ameinity. It is also worth noteing that very little information is given about the site as a park on the website- despite it's heavy appearance in photographs.
Chiswick Park Website

Paddington to the Kings Road- Focus Week

November brought about another of Kingston University Landscape department's 'Focus Week Walks'- this time from Paddington to the Kings Road.
We began the walk at Paddington Basin- an area I know well having proposed alterations to a site here the previous year. That said it is always interesting to return to an area you know to see what has changed. Development is rapid in this area and there are always new things to see. One of the most noticeable differences was the disappearance of Thomas Heatherwick's rolling bridge. It was removed during the summer of 2008 as it stopped working, initially it was intended to be returned but since this has not happened it's future is now somewhat unsure.

The next stop on the days itinerary was Hyde Park, one of London's magnificent Royal Parks. Our particular interest here was the Diana Memorial Fountain, but Gustafson Porter. Unfortunately we chose the wrong time to visit as the work was closed for repairs! Clearly this is one project I will have to come back to.

The next port of call was the John Madejski courtyard garden at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The design was by Kim Wilkie who one an international design competition. The space is described as being 'based on the traditional simplicity of a garden courtyard with the drama and flexibility of a stage set'. This space is very popular during the summer but was not shown to it's prime on this dull November day. The design features a series of fountains around a central flooded depression- this area can also be drained for event uses. The area surrounding this is grassed with traditional pots and grass areas (also closed for maintenance). Once again I feel I would need to visit this site on a day with more promising weather to judge its success.

Just down the road from the V&A is the Natural History museum. For the winter season an area in front of the museums entrance has been converted to an ice rink- this really shows the transformation that can be achieved by activating a space. The area which is usual little used was bustling with people skating,
watching the action or just enjoying a hot drink in the temporary cafe on the site.

Our final port of call for the day was the Duke of York Square outside the new Sacchi Gallery on the Kings Road. By this point in the day the light was drawing in and the rain falling with increasing menace. Once again this location employs quality materials which give a resilient and pleasing finish. There are concrete ledges across the site acting as benches without the usually expected defined bench shape. Again a site which would have strong attraction when the weather permitted it!