Site model

I finished a quick card with model today and have arrived at a spatial arrangement that seems to work. Photo's via iphone, hence the shabbiness.

Will annotate this after sleep.

View North westerly. 

View east from the former Hove lagoon.  The proposal is to return this space to a tidal pond with marsh land planting.

'Land groynes' connect the land to the sea. The lower promenade is mounted on the junctions of the groyne interventions, with vegetation running beneath.

Dunes beneath he walkway.

Masterplan development

The main focus of late has been getting the spatial arrangements correct and understanding the scale of the space that I am dealing with. Also, defining the space by way of programming and developing a meaningful sequence of events as one might experience when exploring the site as a whole.

One a number of sketches that aimed to develop connected features and destinations within the site.  Using piers (buildings as groynes), to connect the sea to the urban grid.

A quick sketch (above) that illustrating my thinking in terms of fragmenting the linear nature of the site. How is the urban grid and the urban experience translated into the beach experience.? In Australia for example - the urban and beach experiences are intertwined, becoming unified. The city is the beach and vice versa.

With this in mind, the fragmentation serves to bring the culture of the city to the beach and vice verse. The proposal must be under pinned with the inherent cultural diversity of Brighton life...

  
Upper promenade, originally curved, now borrows a graphic language from martial drifting around groynes. Subtle curves at this scale appear straight in reality. Furthermore, the site has to be edgey... that is the nature of Brighton.

More Tschumi-esque points. A quick drawing showing connected points. SUDs based water features on the land, anchor points in the sea for temporary structures. Graphically, the squares symbolise fragments of the urban grid.

Following a Liversedge consultation, starting to explore the lower promenade as a more truncated path. 

Making the 'land groynes' less regular.

Exploring connection points, imaging a reflected urban grid beneath the sea. Revealed at low tide? Illuminated at night to visually connect with the land. The lower prom or boardwalk needs to be further fragmented, otherwise the walk will be pretty boring. Imaging the lower prom raised above the man made sand dunes and vegetation.

Beginnings of a quick card model.

Model still need the land groynes and land form against the upper promenade. Imaging a trail of vegetation form marsh plants to dune grasses blending form west to east. To be explored as and a long section.

Groundlab

Last wednesday I attended the lecture by Alfredo Ramírez from Groundlab.

Ramírez decalred himself a formalist... which was encouraging considering he still managed to deal with landscape essential like SUDS and mitigation systems in an esthetically interesting way without compromising the overall design language of the site.

'...the studio sees the cities and the landscapes in between as natural processes that constantly change and evolve, therefore requiring flexible and adaptable mechanisms and designs to emerge, to configure and to re-configure the existing and future urban environments.'

Really like the Flowing Gardens, Xian, China, International Horticultural Fair. Especially the interface between the water and land. Sketch made in the lecture, thinking about the potential for my site:

The real thing...

 I was particularly interested in hearing that Groundlab develops its work out of the close analysis of existing and potential conditions on site and utilise the temporal and dynamical forces that are currently shaping the cities: from the social and economical realm to the current environmental and infrastructural conditions. 

This is very relevant to my site and the the overarching concept of 'capturing the ephemeral', whether that be natural or cultural.

 Very nice model

 Potential to be giant groynes...?? 

Corten bulding/groyne - weathered by nature and indelibly marking the land.

A quick sketch inspired by the Flowing Gardens geometry... connecting the urban grid with the sea.

Studio 04_04_13

More longshore drift discussion with James Fox. Essentially we talked about groynes and the need to be bold with any modifications in order to truly amplify the natural processes. Also, if the interventions are massive, the opportunity to create larger drifts and ecological features becomes possible.

Tschumi-esque markers in the sea. Large 'groyne' intervention creates tidal pond and manipulates landform.

Connecting the land to the sea. Ground interventions that create evolving landscapes (i.e. opportunities for landuse), and hence new narrative and experiences.

Groynes as buildings? Drifting shingle constantly shifting around the building. Glass winter garden creates a new type of botanical experience in the sea..../

Made me think about the Svaldbard global seed valut project in Norway. Cutting into the landform.

Interesting to imagine the view and vista from on top of a massive groyne like intervention...

Also....

Amager Beach Park has been one of the largest urban recreational development projects, close to the city centre of Copenhagen. The beach park has transformed the coastal landscape of the city and the island of Amager facing the Sound.  I love the brutal nature of these structures against the vastness of the site.

I think the cultural nature of Brighton demands an equally bold statement. the current scheme in outmoded.  Perhaps I should imagine the whole site as one massive skate park?

Or, bathing platforms...?

Aberdovey and CAT

Visited CAT (Center for Renewable Technology) last weekend.  Mid Wales certainly has some nice textures...

 The beach at Aberdovey (above)

Spit in the estuary, caused by longshore drift

Slate

 Slate shards in the beach - like a fragmented promenade

Corroded piles (harbour wall)

 Old slate quarry, Corris

Dead mining machinery

Slate fencing - slightly sinister!

The Masters crew