Elements and Values

A day's project using the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank as a base.
Two (roughly 60 second) films produced on the theme of 'Elements and Values'.

Unedited film.


Edited film.

Barcelona- Cross Section

Barcelonetta Cross Section

Section drawn at 1:200 scale

Barcelona- Public Spaces

The scope of public space in Barcelona is huge. There are literally hundreds of parks dotted around the city, most of which ooze a sense of quality. Here I shall present a small selection of photographs from some of the spaces I enjoyed most during my visit to Barcelona.

Ramblas Del Mar Barcelonetta Parc de Josep Maria Serra i Marti Parc Central du Nou Barris Parc dels Auditoris Barcelona Forum

Barcelona- EMBT

One of the most interesting landscape and architectural practises that have been working in Barcelona in recent years is EMBT (Enric Miralles- Benedetta Tagliabue). During my time in the city I visited their huge 'Parc Diagonal Mar' as well as taking in some of their other their architectural work at one of the cities historic markets and at the futuristic headquarters of Gas Natural.


St Caterina Market Building
Gas Natural HeadquartersPark Diagonal Mar/Lungomare Bench Park Diagonal Mar Parc Diagonal Mar

Barcelona- Architecture

Barcelona is famous for it's architecture- especially that of Antoni Gaudi who designed several exquisitely finished buildings in the city, including the epic unfinished Cathedral 'La Segrada Familia'. Gaudi is also responsible for the fabulous 'Park Guell'.

Barcelona does contain other noteworthy architecture- particularly the reconstructed 'Barcelona Pavilion' by Mies Van De Rohe, often referred to as one of the most beautiful modernist structures.

La Segrada Familia

La Pedera

Park GuellBarcelona Pavilion

Barcelona- Overview

This years Landscape study trip was to the vibrant Spanish city of Barcelona.
During our week in November we enjoyed beautiful weather- perfect for exploring the city.
Barcelona is a city with almost every element one could wish for- a historic city centre with narrow streets, a well planned urban area, the Mediterranean Ocean and rolling mountains beyond. Added to this is a good public transport system, clean streets, fabulous architecture- not to mention a plentiful supply of well planned public spaces!
One can easily wander the streets pleasantly discovering interesting features while every now and again stumbling across a great park, or maybe even one of the buildings by the famous Gaudi.

Milton Keynes- A Brief Visit

I made a preliminary visit to the 1967 new town of Milton Keynes in November ahead of plans to write about planning of this new city for my extended essay module.

Milton Keynes is almost alone in the UK for following a 'grid road' system which informs the layout of the city. The city was designed at a time when the car was seen as the future answer to transport needs, and segregated paths for pedestrians and cyclists exist away from the roads. As well as the futuristic road layout the city also incorporated many radical new architectural designs into it's buildings, including the city's original shopping centre which is still flourishing today. Incorporated within this is a large indoor public space which was currently housing Christmas amusements.

Knollmead Permaculture Centre

Knollmead Permaculture Centre occupies a small site adjoining an allotment site on the banks of the Hogsmill River in Tolworth. Here a small group of enthusiasts practise gardening through the permaculture movement.

Permaculture is defined as 'a system of cultivation intended to maintain permanent agriculture or horticulture by relying on renewable resources and a self sustaining eco-system.' (definition from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/permaculture?qsrc=2446). This theory means that plants should only be grown in substances placed upon the soil, rather than the ground being disturbed, dug up or ploughed. To fertilize the soil, for example, leaves and manure will be left on the surface to leech into the ground rather than being dug through.

On this small site there are a variety of projects ongoing. As well as fruit and vegetable production there is also an active willow coppicing scheme where the material is used to make furniture and sculptures. Also there are areas where the group are growing mushrooms and producing honey- there is even a sustainable composting toilet!

As well as the sustainable attitude the volunteers here area put an emphasis on the idea of community- everybody comes together on Sunday working days to improve the site while there are less regular social meetings for the members.

Thanks to Michael Herrmann for organising the trip, and to members of the Knollmead Permaculture Centre.

Camley Street Natural Park

As part of a focus week study visit I went to the Camley Street Natural Park site. This small park is located on the southern bank of the Regents Canal at Kings Cross. Initially the site feels like an urban oasis, between the Midland and East Coast railways and opposite the huge Kings Cross development site. The ethos of the Camley Street site is to encourage and introduce nature back into the urban area of London. Information is available on some of the species which have been found on this former brownfield area. A range of activities engaging members of the public and local schools are run throughout the year and the area provides a perfect escape from the bustle of the Euston road just minutes away. The park attempts to be as sustainable as possible and makes use of processes such as composting and recycling to reduce it's waste.

Over the years the site has grown in popularity and is now looking for ways to expand further into the community through it's volunteering schemes and possibly with links across the canal to the Kings Cross development site.