Where Wildflowers Bloom

The first phase of my design development is to interrogate the brief…  During lectures we dissected the wording together, brainstorming each of the major themes; Biophilic, Vibrancy, Eco, Iconic Destination and Cultural Quarter. As you can see from the mind maps, analysing the desired components and aspirations for the project inspired lateral thinking and creative interpretation - which in turn opened a wealth of different avenues, concepts and routes to explore throughout the early stages of our design development.  Below are some of the keywords that stood out to me from the mind map theme developed in the session: EXPRESSION  GROWTH  COLOUR  CREATIVITY  ‘OF THE NOW’  I then interrogated the brief independently – highlighting the important factors and translating those into a design vision.  VISION:  A cultural hub that inspires creativity, personal expression, wisdom and humanity. A multi-functional space for work-live-play with circulari...

The power of lines! Building on a squiggle with black ink to explore flow, movement and depth.

Roberto Burle Marx is seen to have revolutionised garden aesthetic, breaking the boundaries of formal European through modernist design. The four-kilometre-long promenade at Copacabana Beach, designed by Burle Marx in 1970 and the Safra Bank Roof Garden reveal his recognisable abstract and colourful pavement designs.     Although in Landscape Architecture we explore the vertical planes and multidimensions of a place to create a fully immersive experience, we must not forget that we spend most of our time looking at the floor. I used Burle Marx works as inspiration for St James Park in DP1, exploring rhythmic geometry and coloured paving to enhance colour, culture and expression in the landscape. Using the floor as a canvas provides a multitude of potentials from the obvious expression of creative and cultural art to dividing and integrating spaces that enhance flow and movement. I have chosen these two precedents as I intend to integrate Burle Marx’s decorative ground style in...

  I used this opportunity to practise with alcohol markers, which I haven't caught the hang of yet! To me the sketch is messy and the colours are off but it explores a busy planting composition that provides colour and a contrasting variety of form that respresent expression and life. The rattan furnature contributes organic form and biomaterials while the spontaneous ground plants symbolise acceptance of all life for their contribution to our ecosystem. 

Hargreaves Jones venture to ‘set landscapes into motion’ via enduring, evolving, and adaptable design. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a project in their portfolio that brings colour, vibrance and excitement to a once bleak landscape. The project is extremely successful, not only does it encourage wildlife back into the city but it has encouraged a network of surrounding community growth, carrying creativity, youth and energy to the banks of the River Lea.       The lowland meadows and bright, dramatic planting are what peak my interest the most. The array of colour, texture and stature provide delightful displays that ultimately set the tone of the park - if not disrupted by West Ham fans.  Similarly to Hargreaves Jones, I intend to propose a rich planting scheme for North Place. Plants represent the beauty of the natural world and the diversity of its form and they enhance fulfilment, passion and gratification. I believe that the planting scheme is th...

Chiaroscuro, Italian for light-dark, is a technique in the visual arts defining three-dimensional objects via light and shadow. My consistent quest for 'good lighting' has posed some limitations to the exploration of Chiaroscuro within my camera roll, with only 2/9000 images displaying a clear contrast between the two.   The first image is a photograph taken at  Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland.  The exhibit clearly presents the concept of Chiaroscuro, positioning light to  add depth in the scene by providing a  focus,  foreground  and a backdrop.  Light and shadow also enhance the definition of the sculpture - as intended by the Chiaroscuro technique. The second image explores the Chiaroscuro theory within the city landscape.  Light is evidently used to accentuate the dome of St Pauls Cathedral in the night skyline, but  I  quickly experimented with highlights and shadows to...