sketch model

Links

Elements of landscape interlocking with each other and connecting with neighbouring too

Using vertical space

Movement

Being bold

landscape theoriests

Our 3 main theoriests that were leading us in our urban design and planning were: William W. Whyte, Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander. As Jane Jacobs says "city is like an ecosystem", it has a lot of elements which should all be integrated and in balance like woman's spirit and Man's spirit (after Christopher Alexander). In every design there should be an influence of masculine and feminine elements and characters of the landscape (like a harmony between the hard landscape and soft landscape). In our design we tried to address 'car people' (Jane Jaobs mentions 2 types of people:"car people" and "foot people") by improving the aesthetics of the landscape on a bigger scale, and to address 'foot people' by creating more pedestrianised space of a better quality with more green space (an importance of trees, William W. Whyte). One of few domains we focused on was improved access to water and creating more activities around the river bank (Ch. Alexander and W.W. Whyte say more about it). As the activities growth start in the ' pockets' (Ch. Alexander) and another factor that W.W.Whyte points our is the fact that food and some cultural events attracts people and people attract more people we knew we needed to create more space designed for that purpose.

draft section for blackfriars and new square

draft section for lock area

conceptual design

....my conceptual sketch design...

genus loci

Genus loci of the South Bank:
Water as a cutting edge
Contrast of the density of people's flow
Space of great creativity but also unused potential
connectivity 'hot spots'
dissonans between 'masculine' and 'feminine' forms of created landscape.

Sections - started!

Christopher Alexander "A pattern language"

Christopher Alexander in his book: "A pattern language" presents how 253 patterns (which are parts of the landscape theory) form a language.
They are rules in creating landscape, town space, gardens, planning houses layouts.
The ones which relate to our South Bank site the most are presented below.

Theorists: site-relevant key points

Just had a look at the theorist summaries we produced & thought the following points seemed to be most relevant to the site/our design:

• Water should be present & accessible (William H. Whyte & Christopher Alexander)

• An area should serve two or, ideally, more primary functions ~ flexibility of use (Jane Jacobs)

• Visual scope: "points at which the larger picture can be taken in" ~ viewpoints & sight lines (Kevin Lynch)

• Time series: "designing 'melodies' in a series that is experienced over time, i.e. a casual sequence of detailed landmarks" ~ rhythm & flow (Kevin Lynch)

• Opportunities for sittable space (William H. Whyte)

It's all in the past ...

Bit on the late side but history section as below (and in the dropbox).  Oh the joys of falling asleep during the evening - wide awake now!

  

Draft Masterplan

Sorry about the delay, very crude, quick job of colouring in (found it difficult to read the scanned file), have put a selection of *.PSD/PDFs in the dropbox.

Feel free to add in any bits I've missed.

JANE JACOBS - Urban Theory

Jane Jacobs (1916-2006)

Writer and critic - key work ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’ (1961)

Written as a critique and response to American urban renewal policies of the 1950’s. She criticised slum clearance and renewal for believing that social problems could be solved, by destroying the old and replacing with new.

Advocated a view of the city as an ecosystem, relating the city to a natural ecosystem. Suggesting that to be healthy cities required diversity to sustain themselves, and that this diversity needs to develop organically over time. Ascertained that everything in the natural world is in flux, nothing is static, and the same is true of cities. ‘it does not do to focus on “things” and expect them to explain much in themselves. Processes are always of the essence; things have significances as participants in processes, for better or worse’ (Jacobs,1961)

Jacobs identified two types of people ‘foot people’ and ‘car people’ – foot people experiencing city streets and interacting with the city, car people observing from a distance.

During the 50’s and 60’s planners were designing spaces predominantly to accommodate car transport, Jacobs was calling for a human approach to city planning, accommodating foot people.

KEY PRINCIPLES;

The Need For Mixed Primary Uses

Condition 1: The district and indeed as many of its internal parts as possible, must serve more than one primary function; preferably more than two. These must insure the presence of people who go outdoors on different schedules and are in the place for different purposes, but who are able to use many facilities in common.

The Need For Small Blocks

Condition 2: Most blocks must be short; that is, streets and opportunities to turn corners must be frequent.

The Need For Aged Buildings

Condition 3: The district must mingle buildings that vary in age and condition, including a good proportion of old ones.

The Need For Concentration

Condition 4: The district must have sufficiently dense concentration of people, for whatever purpose they may be there. This includes people there because of residence.

Model: Eastern Section

Finally got 'round to gluing (most) of the buildings on this morning.

Still needs some colour but want to check/confirm ideas & areas with the rest of the group before getting busy with the pencils - 2 minute task tomorrow morning.

Climate

Urban Design Theory - Image of the City

Extracted from The Image of the City - by Kevin LynchPublished 1960

The image of the City by Kevin Lynch is a classic text of urban design and planning.   Lynch says that the structure of a city exists as a physical reality and also in the minds of its inhabitants. This thesis of “imageability” launched another angle from which city planning could be researched and organized around.
Summary
Each individual holds a unique image of their city, a visual representation that guides through daily life and maps out meaning.  Researching a sample of these images and the values attached can help planners discern a “public image” of their city. Lynch says,  planners “should focus on structure and identity, and work toward enhancing the imageability of the city, thus helping citizens orient themselves within it.”

Research
To illustrate this, residents of Boston, Jersey City, and Los Angeles were extensively interviewed about the images they carried of their own cities.
Boston scored high on identity, and its structure was understood by most of its residents – however, they were confused residents with its path system. With no basis order.
Jersey City lacked both a distinctive identity and clear structure – except for the ‘awe-inspiring view of New York City in the distance.
Los Angeles was built according to a rational structure, but lacked the kind of localised identity necessary to navigate through it.
The cities varied widely in how the image was situated in the passage of time. The Boston interviews were full of references to age contrast: ‘the new’ Artery cutting through the ‘old’ market district. In Los Angeles there was an impression that the fluidity of the environment and the absence of physical elements which anchor to the past are both exciting and disturbing. Many descriptions of the scene by residents, young and old, were accompanied by the ghosts of what used to be there.

The City Image and its Elements
People can mentally adapt to any situation, but there are design strategies that can make urban orientation easier.   Lynch identified a number  interconnected design elements: paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks.

Paths are the transportation routes of the city and are the most common points from which the city is experienced. They can be made distinct and memorable through variation in design and natural setting. To avoid confusion, there ought to be an obvious hierarchy of streets, indicating which carry a higher volume. Each street need not be absolutely straight, but it ought to travel in one general direction and have a directional gradient to communicate where on the line the traveller is. Paths should have well-defined origins and destinations as well as landmarks along the way.

Edges provide a spatially distinct constitution to elements of the city. The more visually obvious they are, like a waterfront or park side, the better. Edges can be strong, but planners must ensure they are are still penetrable enough to allow connections across them.

Districts are relatively large areas that have enough identity to be named. Each district should be set apart from others through thematic, visual clues. Districts often become defined in terms of class or special use as well. Some districts are introverted, with sharp boundaries and an exclusive association, while others are extroverted, tied more closely to the whole pattern of the city.

Nodes are precise locations that require extra attention from the observer, usually junctions along a network of paths or transit stations. They should be limited to a reasonable amount and made distinct through edges and landmarks. A landmark is anything that stands out that can help an observer orient himself. It could be lavish and visually appealing, or it could simply be a foreground that contrasts sharply with the background.

These clues for urban design can be summarised in another way. These are the categories of direct interest in design, since they describe qualities that a designer may operate upon:
Singularity.  Sharp contrasts of boundary, surface, form, intensity, complexity, size, use spatial location.
Form Simplicity. Forms should be easily conceivable geometric shapes.
Continuity. Continuance of edge of surface – ie a cluster of buildings, repetition of rhythmic interval (a street corner), harmony of surface( ie. common building materials).
Dominance. Some elements stand out from the others.
Clarity of Joint. Emphasize strategic intersections and boundaries – ie. a major intersection or sea-front.
Directional differentiation. Asymmetry, gradients and radial references -  can help the observer detect direction.
Visual Scope. Points at which the larger picture can be taken in.
Motion Awareness. Make the traveller visually aware of his own actual or potential motion.
Time Series. Designing “melodies” in a series that is experienced over time i.e. a casual sequence of detailed landmarks.
Names and meanings. Non-physical attributes that enhance design features. Meanings and associations.

All the above qualities do not work in isolation. Where one quality is present alone (as in continuity of building material with no other common feature), or where qualities are in conflict (as in two areas of common building type but of different function) – the total effect would be weak. Or would require effort to identify and structure.

A certain amount of repetition, redundancy and reinforcement seems to be necessary. Thus a region would be unmistakable which had simple forms, a continuity of building type and use and was singular in the city, sharply bounded, clearly jointed to a neighbouring region and visually concave.

The designer should create a city which is richly provided with paths, edges, landmarks, nodes and districts.  The city form should induce the citizen to explore and create as well as find the most efficient route from place to place.

Citizens can learn how to perceive their city as an animated museum of our society  and its hopes.

Sketch model

Here is my sketch model - showing the area between Hungerford Bridge and Blackfriars.

The little circles in the river depict our 'floating' pocket parks - as illustrated by Valentinos.
The circles coloured red are floating fire beacons - lit to mark special occasions and festivals.

The yellow section is the beach.

Sue

William H. Whyte's Design Theory

William H. Whyte’s criteria for a successful urban space:

 

Sittable space

• Quantity, variety & flexibility are key
• Integral seating is important, people will happily sit on ledges, steps, walls, sculptures, planter edges, fountain edges, etc
• Opportunities should be available in both sun and shade
• Circulation & seating are complementary – people often prefer to sit somewhere along their chosen route, not in a zoned seating area
• Although weather-dependent & generally less comfortable, lawns provide additional seating
• Moveable chairs are preferable to fixed benches for groups to communicate
• Corners of steps can enable 45° angle spaces for groups (3+ people) to sit & communicate
• Benches that are designed to be sat on from two sides should 2 backsides deep to allow for physical and psychological comfort

“The human backside is a dimension architects seem to have forgotten.” William H. Whyte

 

   “People tend to sit most where there are places to sit.” William H. Whyte

 

 

Streets & Plazas

• Human scale
• Ideally, not elevated or sunken – no greater than 1m change in level if unavoidable
• Doors & windows should be included, blank walls are hostile
• Shops, cafés, etc should be built flush with the pavement
• Corners & junctions are popular areas for chance encounters, planned meetings & for observing others
• The edges or fringes of plazas tend to be preferred, central open space is less used through feelings of exposure & high visibility (the amphitheatre effect) and often lack of sittable spaces
• Access points are often busy and provide secondary use through meeting points & visual access to the main site

 

 

Light

• Direct or deflected daylight (via buildings or water) is essential to the feel of a place
• Sun traps vary in appeal according to seasonal temperature!

 

 

Food

• Easy access via street vendors & outdoor cafés advertises availability
• Circulation & tables should be close enough to encourage social interaction, whilst still enabling ease of access & comfort
• Waste bins should be in plentiful supply, emptied regularly & well sited. Ease of use & social pressure will assist in keeping the area clean & tidy

“Food attracts people, who attract more people.” William H. Whyte

 

 

Water

• Accessibility is important – people should be able to see, touch, taste, hear & smell water
• Drinking fountains are too rare but an important resource
• The white noise of moving water, although often loud, is perceived as pleasanter than traffic noise, which it can mask

 

 

Trees

• Provide shade – welcome in summer
• Large trees create a sense of domain
• Improve the microclimate through transpiration & wind protection
• Help mitigate solar glare & urban heat island effects

 

 

Triangulation

• Sociability: crowds attract people & encourage social interaction
• The ‘shill effect’ – e.g. if you stand and point at a distant object in a public place, eventually other people will join you to see what you are pointing at.
• Shill [OED definition]: “Person employed to decoy or entice others”

 

“What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people.” William H. Whyte

 

 

“It is difficult to design a space that will not attract people. What is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished.” William H. Whyte

Sections not to scale/ just an idea

DRAFT SECTIONS

Hey guys, these are the draft sections.

Hope they do make sense otherwise let me know.

Structures moving up and down depend on tide( island gardens)

  

 

Paving extension(moveable) and garden island(moveable) up and down depend on tide

 

Wavy extension with some planting(walkable only if tide is low)

 

 

 Garden islands( moveable)

precedents-elevated greenways

...some pictures of the High Line in New York City as a precedent for elevated greenways...

Great walks around London: the South Bank

Dear All,
I found this link - which describes our route from Westminster to London Bridge, with a short history and description about the various places en-route.




Great walks around London: the South Bank

Slogan

To go with Swavka's concept model and following last week's brainstorm - to remind ourselves here is the slogan we came up with....


Southbank... building cultural ebb and eco flow.

my model

as I said I tried to do a quick conceptual model - based on the precedence of the Green Roof Art School in Singapore....
probably a lot to work on but at least there is a start...

precedence

and Vanarassi - living river

precedence

hej! I found what that is! Green Roof Art School in Singapore. have a look inside too.
doesn't remind you of Waterloo station, you reckon?