Design Scheme For Grandpont Alasdair Sherry - 10024751 Designing The City U37742 For the Attention of Regina Lim
Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Introduction and Explanation Considerations Drawn from Analytical Exercises: Responsive Environments and Morphology Considerations Drawn From Analytical Exercises : Townscape and Imageability Initial Design Evaluation Design Progression Final Design and Layout Active Fronts and Elevation Analysis Image and Character of Site Comparisons Drawn From Initial and Final Designs Conclusions and Summary Bibliography
Figure 1: Piece of Public Art currently located at the Grandpont Site
Alasdair Sherry
Introduction and Explanation Throughout the contents of this design plan, I hope firstly to critically analyse my initial design scheme, before secondly forming a new design for the site at Grandpont. Between now and when I first laid out my initial plan, I have undertaken various analytical exercises, covering the fields of Responsive Environments, Morphology, Townscapes and Imageability. From carrying out these exercises, I have learnt more about what makes a place, and I can now see in terms of these fields, how my initial design can be improved. I will analyse my Initial design against the fields mentioned above, seeing how the design fails to propagate aspects of urban design, or where it does. I will take the results of my analysis to draw up a series of design actions, which will form the basis of a new or modified design for Grandpont. Hopefully, by the end I can compare and contrast the initial and final designs to see how taking into account various aspects of urban design really helps to make a place more interesting and successful.
Designing The City
The site in question is a nature reserve located to the south of central Oxford, in between a railway and a section of the River Thames. Before the site gained its status as a nature reserve, it used to be a gasworks, supplying Oxford with a lot of its household gas. The Grandpont Bridge used to be a railway bridge, and was a means of supplying the gasworks with Coal. Since the decommissioning of the works however, it has been discovered that the soil contains hazardous chemicals such as cadmium and zinc. Although the site was ‘capped’ with up to 2 metres of un-contaminated soil, there is evidence of the chemicals ‘leaching’ through in some areas. This may have to be thought about when considering development. The project brief outlines the need; “To create a mixed use site, predominantly residential, with a few supporting commercial amenities and open spaces/recreation grounds. The council car park must be included in the new development, but can be moved to a more convenient location within the site.”
Figure 3: Aerial View of the site (Shown in green)
This is a brief I will be following when thinking about a final design.
Throughout the formation of a final design, I will look more in depth at what it takes to design a place. This progression will include 2D layouts, showing clearly how the site has been built up through morphological layers, and also elevation and axonometric drawings to hopefully display how the site will feel. Related to this will also be a section trying to explain how the character and image of the site will be affected by the chosen layout and design. I will then go on to conclude on whether using the results of the analytical exercises, as well as some other urban design principles, have or have not made for a more successful site design.
10024751
Figure 4: Car park used by local council offices. This is a feature that will have to be included in the final design.
Figure 2: Looking South from Grandpont Bridge, over the river Thames Figure 4: Looking North from the Railway Bridge
1
Alasdair Sherry
Considerations Drawn From Analytical Exercises: Responsive Environments and Morphology Over the next few pages I will cover what I have learnt from the Analytical Exercises, and cover what implications they may have on the formation of a Final Design. Responsive Environments From my work on Responsive environments, I have learnt that to make my place more responsive, I must satisfy a number of principles; Permeability: this relates to how movement through and around the site is achieved. A site with good permeability is easily accessed and navigated, with interesting routes and layout. In terms of the Grandpont site, I hope to achieve a level of permeability that means the site can be used by pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. There are many access points around the site, and by linking these up effectively I should be able to achieve this. Variety: This refers to how the site will attract people, and also give them reasons to spend time in the site. A site with good vitality is lively and interesting, and this achieved in a number of ways. For instance, making full use of green and blue networks can make a space feel fresh and natural, whilst having a range of building types and uses will mean people will move around the site at different times for different reasons. It’s this movement of people that gives a place vitality, and my design should reflect this. Legibility: This is an important factor of urban design, but is also a major tool when creating responsive environments. It refers to how well a place is remembered and understood, meaning it is not confusing and unappealing. To achieve this, I will focus
Designing The City
10024751
on key aspects of Legibility set out by Kevin Lynch and try and implement them within my design. Robustness: This is a quality of design that focuses more on individual buildings and spaces, and how users may interpret or use them differently. Achieving robustness means creating a site that has a range of uses for a range of people, and is accomplished by good implementation of street and building design. Active Edges: Active edges are very important within a place. This is now focussing on individual buildings or blocks of buildings. Once the layout and streets have been placed, it is important to make any edges active so no areas feel intimidating or poorly designed. Active edges make a place feel observed, secure, as well as lively and interesting. Figure 5: Historic Quay in Exeter, Devon. This is a prime example of an area that shows variety, legibility and robustness. The mixed uses of the space, as well as the good access and landmark structures all tie in to make this a very successful place.
Figure 6: Part of the site at the moment. Showing a need for good implementation of Responsive environments!
Morphology Urban Morphology explores how a site has developed, or ‘morphed’ into its current state. What is important about morphology is understanding how some aspects have great bearings on the overall success of a place, from the layout of the streets, to the layout of the blocks, to the shape of the plots. By building up through ‘Morphological Layers’, it is possible to create a successful place, and reduce the chance of forming an unresponsive and uninteresting place. 1. I will first define a solid and effective route structure throughout the site, thus dividing it naturally into blocks and provide good movement opportunities. 2. The position and shape of these blocks will determine the feel of the site, and also start to indicate the density of dwellings the site will support. 3. Looking now at the plot series situated within the blocks, I can now position them in order to create active edges and perimeter blocks. 4. Positioning the individual buildings upon these plots help finalise the form of the blocks, and should hopefully highlight any areas that require attention in terms of inactivity or impermeability. 5. Finally, discussing designs for the individual buildings; their style, position of windows and doors, roof shape and materials, we can generate character and vitality of the site or various areas within the site. By hanging such factors in different areas of the site we can form districts that will then add to legibility. Incorporating morphology into a site design is integral to ensuring an area is well designed, and is ‘rooted in the past, not stuck in the past’.
2
Alasdair Sherry
Designing The City
Considerations Drawn From Analytical Exercises: Townscape and Imageability
Imageability The final exercise covered key concepts of Imageability, a word used by Kevin Lynch) in his book ‘The Image of the City’, published in 1960. It explores how the 5 factors shown in Fig.10, among others, help add a sense of grasp-ability and understanding of a place.
Townscape After carrying out an Analytical Exercise focussing on Gordon Cullen’s ‘A Concise Townscape’, I learnt how using his vocabulary and implementing its meanings can make for a better place. By this I am referring to factors such as ‘Hereness’, ‘Thereness’, ‘Mystery’ and other words that describe feelings and attributes created by certain places. What I will try to do in my new design is take certain words from his works, see how they are achieved in a place, and then try to emulate them in my final design. For instance, I will be trying to create different areas within sight of each other, thus creating juxtaposition from one to the other. This will create a feeling of ‘Hereness’ that will be different from the ‘Thereness’ across the street. Cullen has also discussed how street layouts and the design of the streets create ‘mystery’ and ‘surprise’; both are factors which add to the richness of a place and can be achieved through urban design. Another factor from Cullen’s work I discovered during the exercise was that of creating ‘vistas’ or ‘infinity’. My understanding of this was how urban areas are opened up, so the sky or horizon is fully visible. This has the effect of making otherwise dingy, heavily built up areas feel more open and fresh. I hope to achieve this quality via the use of the riverside and the views to the west, towards Boar hill. ‘Incidents’ are another descriptive word from Cullen, explaining how certain architecture or monuments catch a user’s attention. The thing that struck me most about describing towns using this vocabulary was how subjective it was. It all came down to how certain designs or areas of a city made someone feel. I hope to be able to create a place that strikes similar, positive feelings in as many people as possible.
10024751
Figure 7: An example of ‘Hereness’ in Oxford City centre. The design of the place creates a feeling that is different to that at the end of the street, creating an interesting place with an air of ‘Mystery’.
Figure 8: An example of ‘Infinity’ being achieved right in the heart of Oxford. (Oriel Square)
Figure 9: A thoroughly in-active edge making for a dingy and unattractive street. Not what we want in our design!
When creating my final design, I hope to incorporate these features and concepts to make the area ‘legible’. As you may remember, legibility itself was a key factor for creating permeability, so it is extra important. I will try to promote the use of Nodes, Edges, Paths and Districts when setting out my layout, whilst using Landmarks in key areas. In terms of Districts, I hope to make Grandpont a district of its own, with its own character and richness. Landmarks will help people associate the place with the name, while interesting and active Edges and Paths will keep users coming and moving through the site. When setting out the street pattern, I will be sure to place Nodes as to offer plenty of choice and opportunity when getting from A to B. Nodes also act as meeting points, and are generally areas of high traffic. A good example would be that of Carfax in Oxford, which happens to be a major node that is marked out by a landmark; Carfax Tower. Making such places attractive and well designed is integral to achieving Legibility.
Figure 10: 5 key concepts for achieving legibility
3
Alasdair Sherry
Initial Design Evaluation Before redesigning, I will go through my initial scheme and critically analyse it in terms of what I have learnt from the Analytical Exercises. I will pick out any strong points, and see where the design can be altered, making for a better place.
Designing The City
10024751
Negatives Of course the design requires improvement in certain areas. The blocks of buildings in the eastern corner have their backs facing onto the streets. This can create inactive edges and make the area less legible. The path following the railways to the west has the same issue, sandwiched between the rear of buildings and an inactive railway edge. In Terms of Morphology, The density target of 40 houses per hectare has not been reached, so space could be used more effectively. That is to say there is lots of empty space, particularly to the north of the site. I feel this area could be used to spread the density, or used to implement strategies to make the area more legible or responsive, such as the use of public art. Even better would be to spread the required green space more at this end, creating diversity through the site.
Figure 12: Basic structure of the initial design. Although I was not fully aware of certain practices when first creating this design, certain aspects do comply with methods learnt during the analytical exercises. The task at hand involves redesigning the site from scratch, going through the various motions of Urban Design. I can expand upon any strong features outlined in this design, and also make changes to any weaker ones, for instance the plot structure and edge design of certain blocks.
Design Actions Figure 11: Initial site design
Positives I believe there is much to take away from my original design. In terms of Responsive Environments, the mix of residential buildings with a strong green and blue network adds vitality. In terms of townscape, a large central space opens the site up, perhaps creating a feeling of ‘infinity’. This central area also acts as a Node, a place where many routes converge. My original vision for the site was a lively, vibrant riverfront, modelled closely on Exeter’s historic quayside. This is a concept that still stands, although I now know I can better achieve this vision. For instance, yes the buildings along the waterfront may generate uplift, but by styling them on old oxford working buildings and making the bottom floors into cafes/restaurants, vitality and character will also be generated. It’s these kinds of design actions that will make an image for Grandpont, and make it a district of its own.
I definitely feel there are certain concepts within the design worth carrying forward and this is reflected in my design actions; I will start from scratch, using what I have learnt about morphology to build up a solid street layout from which I can form a block structure. Using what I have learnt from Legibility, I will note any potential major and minor Nodes, and think about how to accentuate their strengths. Thinking about Cullen’s work, I will take forward my vision of a busy, mixed use waterfront space, and try to design it so words like ‘Infinity’ and ‘Hereness’ relate to it. Thinking about Responsive Environments, I will go through each block, designing it in such a way as to exude vitality and other concepts, and reduce any scope for inactive edges or dead space. I will then think about the buildings themselves, and how they can add to the streetscape and give Grandpont its defining character that I’m after. 4
Alasdair Sherry
Designing The City
Design Progression
Figure 14: An attempt to connect Nodes using streets Figure 13: Basic site with map major Nodes indicated by Red Circles
Figure 15: Final Street Layout, showing rotes in Red, major Nodes in Red Circles and minor Nodes in blue
Taking into account lessons learnt from my initial design, this page shows how my design has progressed. Fig.13 above shows a basic outline of the Grandpont site, with major ‘Nodes’ indicated by red circles. Using what I have learnt about Morphology, I have tried to connect these Nodes in such a way as to form a legible, accessible street network. Comparing Fig.14 with Fig.15; Fig. 14 is definitely distinctive, however looking at the blocks formed by the layout, much thought would have to be given about the position of various buildings and the permeability of the design. I have chosen to carry forward the layout featured in Fig.15, as it has a clearly defined block pattern, making it legible, and there is great opportunity to create permeable, active frontages. I also feel that making full use of a riverside path will add character and distinctiveness, and in Cullen’s words: ‘Hereness’.
Now that a street pattern has been defined, I continued through the morphological layers, thinking about how each layer would affect other factors of the design. The first blocks I placed were the riverside apartment residential ones; because I am carrying them forward from my initial design I know where they can be placed to benefit from the riverside setting. I then placed the council car park in the South East corner, as here it still has access to the road and is out of the way. I then placed more residential blocks adjacent to the railway. My vision here is to have the backs of the buildings facing the railway, so they don’t create an inactive edge where people will be. After placing other residential blocks in such a way as to reduce the chance of backs facing streets, I placed some green spaces around the site. Learning from my initial design, and spreading the green space around, I hope will make the site feel greener as a whole. It should also create ‘Infinity’ within certain areas of the site, letting light and air in.
10024751
After setting down a basic block pattern, I thought about the finer details of each block. One aspect from my previous design I was trying to reduce was any inactive edges facing public spaces. In terms of Morphology, I pencilled in the plot structure of each block, and then where the buildings on those plots were situated. I have tried to place buildings and plots in such a way as to reduce any in active edges. Also, by designing blocks this way, the area instantly gains permeability. In some cases, backs are facing green areas. This is because the effect the inactive back would have on a street would be greater. By facing an open, green space, I hope to slightly offset the negative effect the back of the building will have. Fig.17 shows the rough plan for my site. Of course finer measurements and further analysis of the plot structure will need to be done for the final 2D design. One area that requires more thought is the open public space in the middle. I want to create a real place here that will give Grandpont its defining character, and help further achieve the design actions drawn from my initial design.
Figure 17: Rough Site Plan Figure 16: Rough Block Structure
5
Alasdair Sherry
Designing The City
Final Design and Layout
Figure 18: Going through the motions to correct and improve upon Fig.17
Figure 19: Streets in place, time for blocks and plots. I feel this street network helps better achieve my design actions than the one shown in Fig.17
Figure 20: Final Rough Layout. Scale is off, blocks and plots need to be a more realistic proportion. Even in This early stage, I can see various improvements on both my initial design and Fig.17
10024751
Changes to the street pattern have lead to the formation of much more effective perimeter blocks, providing passive surveillance for all the public areas. It has also made a more legible and permeable site, the grid pattern providing plenty of choice. Seeing the plan to scale helps visualising how the site will feel, too. I have placed streets and pavements, all to specified widths and dimensions in the hope of achieving some of Cullen’s’ vocabulary. I have tried to take inspiration from some of the surrounding area, too. The tight, pavement-fronting terraced houses of Jericho are seen in the blocks to the east, while more set back dwellings with front gardens, more typical of East Oxford are seen elsewhere in the site. The riverfront Apartment idea is still in place, however they have been set back further than shown in Fig.17, in attempt to really open up the riverfront and make room for all the users; the commuters, the residents and the patrons of the cafes and bars. This mix of building design and style should help create legibility and character. Figure 11: Final 2D Layout Plan
Upon reflection, Fig.17 shows some great positive features, but also some areas which I feel could be improved further still. Firstly, there is a lot of green space. Although this isn’t a negative as such, what it does mean is that there is less room for development, and at the end of the day a development will only take place if it is economically viable. Looking at the area surrounding the site, there is a vast green space to the south. If there is good access to this, I’m sure it will support the needs of the development. Another pressing issue with Fig.17 is the sense of scale. Looking at the street layout, yes it provides good access and permeability, but how wide are the streets? How wide is the pavement? These are basic morphological questions that need to be thought about while designing a place. Another point made clear upon reflection is the effectiveness and implementation of the perimeter block. This is an essential requirement for creating permeability and security within a site, and a few areas in Fig.17 fail to meet the requirement. The basic rule is to make sure that any public spaces are being faced onto, keeping backs facing backs. Looking to the South-East corner of Fig.17, areas of inactivity are created where the backs of the properties face onto the car park or onto each other. Car parks are all ready inactive areas, and as such require plenty of surrounding edges. In light of the weaknesses shown in Fig. 17, I have made a few changes to create my final design, shown to the right in Fig. 21. Carrying over the positive features, such as the street layout and river front ideas, I have created this new design again by building up through the morphological layers, all the while thinking about the other concepts learned through carrying out the Analytical Exercises (Fig.18, Fig.19). Even looking at the rough plan (Fig.20), certain qualities and improvements can be seen. 6
Alasdair Sherry
Active Fronts and Elevation Analysis
Designing The City
By creating responsive environments this way, I am implementing my design action about reducing inactive spaces and dead space. One feature included in my design is a central area, designed as a shared space car park. What that means is it can accommodate cars, for the surrounding residents and also the workers at the nearby council offices, but is a space that can also be used for other purposes, such as markets or exhibitions. A car park has to be included as per the brief, and I believe this is a good way of incorporating it into my design. In Fig.17, you will notice that the car park was placed in the corner of the site, and was faced by the rear of the neighbouring dwellings. This made for a very inactive space. By making my shared space central car park and making sure it is faced onto by the fronts of many surrounding properties, it creates an area of space that won’t feel dead or inactive.
Figure 22: Plan showing Active edges (green) and In-active edges (red) of the layout. All public areas are looked onto by an active edge.
Fig.22 shows the how effective the building design is at creating active edges and perimeter blocks. My aim was to make sure that all public space is being overlooked and that backs face onto backs. Active edges are shown in green while the backs of properties are in red. At the very least, there is a side of a property facing onto a street, but this is often counter acted by a property facing it from the other side. The riverside apartments to the north of the site have access on both sides, that is to say the ground floor on the river –side comprises of bars and cafes, while to the rear is the access to the flats above. In this way, there will be plenty of movement on both sides of the block, and plenty of windows overlooking both sides, making it a highly active edge and providing passive surveillance all around. Active edges are key to achieving permeability, which is important when creating as responsive environment.
In terms of sectional elevation, the design achieves a variety of sections due to a variety of buildings. The street width is fairly uniform; at 14m, there is room for 2m of pavement either side of a 10m road, wide enough for two lanes of traffic and possibly some parking. What generates the variety is the heights of the buildings looking onto the streets and the setback of properties from the streets. I have kept this varied across the site in order to give certain areas different characters and feels, hoping to achieve legibility but also variety, both of which help to further the responsiveness of the site. I have based my street dimensions on concepts drawn from The Urban Design Compendium (Fig.23)
10024751
Below are some examples of elevations from the site.
1.
Figure 24: Sectional elevation of area inspired by Jericho. Two storey terraced dwellings, no set back.
2.
Figure 23: Sectional elevations from ‘The Urban Design Compendium’ showing dimensions to be used for residential streets and mews.
Figure 25: Sectional elevation of Riverfront. Note large setback around 20m to accommodate variety of users. Taller, riverfront apartment balances out large setback with greater height. 4 storeys so high density, with mixed use on bottom floor, so things like bars, cafes restaurants.
7
Alasdair Sherry
Designing The City
10024751
Image and Character of the Site I have taken inspiration from other areas of Oxford, as well as places like Exeter to form the image of the site. This is done by looking at the morphology of an area and using that as building instructions. For instance, I wanted to recreate the area of Jericho within my site. Jericho is made up of small, terraced two storey dwellings with no set back. As such, I have used this to determine the structure of some of the blocks within my design.
Figure 26: Jericho-style blocks within my Figure 27: Jericho, Oxford site design
Another area I have tried to incorporate is an area of East Oxford; Divinity Road. I am currently a resident of Divinity Road, which has a completely different morphology. It comprises of wider streets, lined with taller 2/3 storey Victorian houses with different roof styles, and a setback from the pavement of 2 or 3 metres. This has the effect of making the street feel wider and accentuates the height of the buildings. It also lets light in, and in trying to replicate this I feel I can further achieve ‘Infinity’ within the site, with views of the sky and surrounding area. The bay windows also give a sense of heightened passive surveillance.
By using different examples of morphology, I hope to give the site a varied image. This helps develop character, and by spreading these different styles throughout the site, may improve legibility. Also the different styles will create feelings of ‘Hereness’ and ‘Thereness’ when viewed from one another, thus further achieving my design actions. Another important area is the riverfront. Here I have tried to replicate the Exeter’s vibrant quayside. The river is an important feature, granting uplift to the developments overlooking it. I have tried to capture the character of Exeter Quay in several ways. I have styled the buildings on traditional canal working houses, similar to Exeter’s. This is yet another style of building used in the design, contrasting from the rest of the site creating character and Imageability. I have moved these buildings back from the water’s edge, leaving room for all the potential users of the site; The commuters riding past on their way to the centre of Oxford, the residents of the apartments overlooking the river, and the crowds attracted to the bars, cafes, restaurants and galleries situated on the ground floor of the buildings. This mixed use is also present in Exeter, and generates vitality and robustness, key qualities of a responsive environment. Figure 30: Riverfront in site design Figure 31: Exeter’s quayside
Figure 32: Grandpont Bridge
Landmarks are a key feature of legibility, and fortunately Grandpont has come with one; Grandpont Bridge (Fig.32). I have structured the riverfront so as to make a feature of the bridge, which not only looks great but also has a function. It is a historic landmark, harking back to Grandpont’s days as a gasworks, but also acts as a route into the centre of the city. A node situated where the bridge connects to the site ensures the flow of people to and from the site, and could act as a significant meeting point. This combination of major Node/Landmark is very reminiscent of Carfax tower in Oxford, and shows how effective this could be in creating legibility and Imageability. Green space situated throughout the site also adds to its character. To the north there is a play park situated on an area of green space, catering for younger generations and adding robustness. The large green area to the south is made a feature by increasing access to it via the street network. The combination of the river and various green areas along the riverfront form a ‘Blue and Green Network’, which I feel makes the site feel fresh and adds vitality. Figure 33: Trees, Landmarks and benches all add to image and character
Figure 28: Divinity Road style block within my site. Notice the taller buildings, pitched roofs and setback from the pavement
Figure 29: Divinity Road, Oxford
8
Alasdair Sherry
Designing The City
10024751
Comparisons drawn from Initial and Final Designs
Figure 16: Shared Space in Ipswich, England
Figure 34: Initial Design Layout
Figure 35: Final Design Layout
There is much to compare between the two designs shown above. At first glance there are many similarities, but looking deeper, and with the knowledge of urban design I have now, the differences start to appear. The best way to compare them I believe is to go through the various concepts from the analytical exercises and see how the two designs meet them. Firstly, in terms of Responsive Environments, the initial design meets some, but not all of the criteria. Permeability is achieved by the street layout, however the final design achieves it more effectively through a more grid-like pattern, creating more choice. The use of perimeter blocks and active edges is far more evident in the final design, which has less dead space, and adds further to the permeability. Both sites achieve vitality through use of green and blue networks, although variety achieved in the final design through a mix of building type and use. Learning about Morphology has had a big effect on the outcome of the final design. By going through the morphological layers when creating the final design, I have achieved a more effective street layout, which has lead to more effective block structure, and as such a more efficient use of space, helping me achieve a higher density.
Car Park: As stated in the project brief, the site must have a car park possible of catering for the nearby council offices. My shared space car park has an area of roughly 3600m2. A car parking space, with required reversing room, requires an area of 18.72m2, meaning there is space for around 190 cars, easily meeting this specification.
While on the subject of density, I first set out to create a design that would achieve a density of 40 dwellings per hectare. I calculate my final design to have a density of 40.1dph, assuming an area of 5.7 hectares and a total of 229 dwellings. This comes down to the design of the apartments, but also to the use of morphology to achieve the density in other areas of the site. Morphology has also enabled me to import designs from other areas of Oxford into my design more effectively, thus adding to the variety and character of the site. Adding varying building styles and uses also helps achieve Imageability, another quality that is more evident in the final design the initial design. After studying the works of Kevin Lynch, I went about the designing the final layout using Nodes, Edges and Landmarks, in the hope of creating a more legible piece of city. These are processes that were not used for the initial design, and I believe it shows. In terms of townscape, both sites achieve different styles, with Hereness, Thereness and infinity being reached in different ways. Although the initial design is more open and probably achieves great vistas, it’s because of this it does not achieve the required density, and as such may not be economically viable, and so would have less chance of being implemented than the final design. 9
Alasdair Sherry
Conclusions and Summary Throughout the course of designing and re-designing a site plan for Grandpont, I have learnt and implemented many concepts and ideas of urban design. To offer some conclusions on my final design, I feel it is a viable design, achieving the project brief in a manner that meets specifications while at the same time offering all the features a well designed place should. From legibility to vitality, I have taken concepts learnt from the various analytical exercises and applied them to the best of my abilities. To see whether I have achieved what I set out to do, I shall put my final design against the design actions drawn from the analysis of my initial design, and see If I have achieved them;
‘I will start from scratch, using what I have learnt about morphology to build up a solid street layout from which I can form a block structure.’ This I did, and I felt it helped achieve a much more effective design overall. ‘Using what I have learnt from Legibility, I will note any potential major and minor Nodes, and think about how to accentuate their strengths.’- Using nodes helped improve the permeability of my design, and taking examples such as Carfax tower and implementing their strengths within my site helped improve legibility and vitality. ‘Thinking about Cullen’s work, I will take forward my vision of a busy, mixed use waterfront space, and try to design it so words like ‘Infinity’ and ‘Hereness’ relate to it.’- Indeed I did carry forward this vision, and it helped to achieve not only this design action, but others too. I was constantly thinking about how to achieve various townscape concepts around my site, not just around the riverfront. I feel I have achieved this to a certain degree, but I also feel it is hard to tell without actually going to a place and feeling it for yourself. Infinity I feel was certainly achieved by use of wider streets and the Riverfront.
Designing The City
‘Thinking about Responsive Environments, I will go through each block, designing it in such a way as to exude vitality and other concepts, and reduce any scope for inactive edges or dead space.’- This is a process I definitely didn’t go through with the initial design. It started with the morphology, laying down a good robust street network, and then forming the blocks within that. Just by doing this I eliminated most of the dead areas and maximised the use of active edges. Also by doing this I felt I gained a sense of how important good implementation of the perimeter block really is. ‘I will then think about the buildings themselves, and how they can add to the streetscape and give Grandpont its defining character that I’m after.’- This was achieved in a variety of ways. Again using what I had learnt about morphology, I was able to use various building types from around oxford and implement them in my design, thus giving Grandpont its defining character; that of an area of a vital mix of building style and type, serving a range of uses. This helped not only achieve the brief, but also create a site that had variety and legibility.
I feel I have gained a lot from carrying out this project. Aside from the analytical exercises, where I learnt about the concepts and the importance of Responsive Environments, Morphology, Townscape and Legibility, I have learnt other things. I feel I have learnt about a certain order, or how to go about designing a place. If you asked me to carry out this task, say a year ago, I would have no idea where to even begin. I feel now that there is a structure and reasoning to how places are designed. I think this feeling may be mainly down to what I learnt about morphology, and how places are designed from the streets up. ‘Going through the morphological layers’ was a phrase that was constantly going through my mind, but I think that’s a good thing. Besides, it’s how I went about coming up with my final
10024751
design. I think I have learnt that the way to design a place is to go through the morphological layers, but all the while think how can achieve the other important things; the Responsive Environment, the sense of Townscape, the Legibility of a place. As I have already stated, I have also learnt about how much affect good block structure and thinking about active edges has on a design. It is something that I did not do on the initial design, but the difference it makes is drastic. I feel good block design stems from good street layout, which of course is due to morphology. And by placing sensible plots on the blocks, and buildings on the plots, It is easy enough to make sure that all public space is experiencing some sort of passive surveillance, and that any backs are facing other backs. By going about it this way, I feel I have not only achieved good permeability, but other things such as a good varied streetscape, and a well connected, flowing street pattern. All this I feel is achieved by again, ‘Going through the motions’, and it’s these motions I have learnt whilst carrying out this project. But learning all this and not being able to convey would be useless, and as such I feel I have learnt more. I have learnt about the presentation of my ideas, what looks good, what works, what helps get my point across. Looking back over the various reports and analytical exercises I have undertaken over the semester I can see how they have become more streamlined, more analytical, with better ways of breaking up text with pictures and diagrams, maps and plans. My skills with Sketchup have improved too, and I feel I could now confidently draw my designs in scale. This has the benefit of helping to visualise designs, and see what works and what needs improvement. Finally, I feel I have learnt how effective presenting ideas to a group, before accepting and utilising feedback can be. This has been a key feature throughout the year, and it’s something that has helped me a lot! 10
Alasdair Sherry
Designing The City
10024751
Bibliography
Fig.3 – Aerial view of site – Google Earth – Google.com Fig.5 – Exeter’s Historic quay - http://www.oakcliffehotel.com/exeterquay.jpg Fig.10 – Key concepts for achieving Legibility – The Image of the City – 1960 – Kevin Lynch Fig.23 – Sectional Elevations – p.75 – Urban Design Compendium – 2000 - Llewelyn Davies Fig.27 – Jericho - http://www.pstalker.com/echo/f_68a.html Fig.31 – Exeter Quayside - http://www.exeter.ac.uk Fig.32 – Grandpont Bridge - http://www.flickr.com/photos/61686932@N00/493741852/ Fig. 26 – Shared Space – Wikipedia.org
All other Images Property of Author Resources:
Urban Design Compendium – Llewelyn Davies – 2000 Responsive Environments – Bentley et al – 1985 The Image of the City – Levin Lynch – 1960 The Concise Townscape – George Cullen – 1961
11