Building a Community Asset in Brimscombe, Stroud

Working together as a team we were able to design a versatile community area. By working as a team it is easier to brainstorm ideas, to create an area that can be utilised by all.

Poorly executed paving

Stack bonding is well known to be the weakest bond. You can see here the slabs are moving so often that the original paving pattern has completely dissolved. With miscolored slabs being used as well as tarmac for a quick fix.

Urban greening

West

North

Centenary Square, Birmingham

This planted seating scheme has been erected in a central urban area. It's interesting to see how the west ground level planting is very poorly established in comparison to the north. However, the west trees are far more mature than the north. Looking at this area on Google maps you can see that the buildings that shadow the west bed are also sheltering it. This creates two very different planting conditions only 37.5m apart.

Responding to increasing tourism

This giant piece of art was created for the Commonwealth Games, held in Birmingham. It is a moving structure, created out of mechanical parts in the shape of a bull. Since the games it has been put to use as a directional tool to the local Bullring shopping centre and icon to see for the growing tourism in the area.

Urban Greening

Walking along the canals in Birmingham and stumbled across this community orchard.

This project is the first of in a green corridor of community spaces that aims to stretch from the south coast to the north coast of the UK.

This project has already had a huge success in increasing biodiversity in this urban center. A rise in the bee, fish and otter population has been recorded since this project was implemented.

Base plan 1:1

This site has been redesigned for a local parish community. To ensure the new design was appropriate and to gain feedback from the clients we drew the design on site at a scale of 1:1.

We did this using measureing tools and spray paint. The pattern will be visible for up to 2 weeks. This allows all members within this community to envision the new design and enables them to have input on any appropriate changes.

Model making

Bringing concepts to life.

Using cardboard, newspaper and tissue paper on a 1:50 scaled base plan. This model was built with the intentions of understanding the scale of the vertical structures.

Concept Development

 

Theme - Enchanted Garden/ Once Upon a Time

Concept - Walking through a short fairy tail; where a traveller moves through death and darkness into growth and light

Stone Textures Poster

 

The poster above indicates the many stone finishes that can be used throughout a single development.

• Sanded/ Shotsawn
• Axed/ Chiseled
• Fine Picked
• Polished
• Riven/ Split