Trinity Buoy Wharf Project
Thames Barrier Park Research
Thames Barrier Park
The Thames Barrier Park is a 14-hectare park in Silvertown in the London Borough of Newham and is named after its location on the north side of the River Thames next to the Thames Barrier.
The parks design features 32 fountains in a stone courtyard and family facilities including childre n’s play and picnic areas. One of the most eyecatching features of the park is the 'Green Dock', a 130 foot long sunken garden running diagonally through the park that is intended as a reminder of the site's dockland heritage. Something that I could implement into my space as The 'Green Dock' provides a wind protected microclimate for a variety of plants and wildlife.
Highline Garden Park
Built on a historic, elevated rail line, the High Line was intended to be more than a park. You can walk through gardens, view art, experience a performance, eat food, or connect with friends and neighbours-all while enjoying a unique perspective of New York City. The High Line's success has inspired cities throughout the United States to redevelop obsolete infrastructure as public space. The park became a tourist attraction and spurred real estate development in adjacent neighbourhoods, increasing real-estate values and prices along the route. By September 2014, the park had nearly five million visitors annually, and by 2019, it had eight million visitors per year.
Gardens by the Bay The Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares in the Central Region of Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. Gardens by the Bay is a huge, colourful, futuristic park in the bay area of Singapore. Among the standout features are the famous tree structures. These offer an impressive skywalk over the gardens, with seashell-shaped greenhouses that recreate chilly mountain climates. By having these sky walks it really allows the space to flow better and allows the people utilising the space to make the most out of the park. The glass is not only attractive but engineered to allow visible sunlight to enter while not allowing any heat to pass
This design really caught my eye because of the modern simplistic design that is used. They rounded stone could fit many purposes for instance it could be used to allow people to sit by the trees. By having used circle shape to make the design this means that it allows the space to flow better and this is going to be a key theme in my design as I want to avoid just placing components in random spaces. I will definitely want to develop on to this when I get to make my own designs.
I wanted to research further into this design because it feature water in this design and this is something I want to include in my design because water is known to be relaxing to sit by and this is something I want to have in my final design. The stepping stones are also a great feature because they are hexagonal, this allows them to fit into one another and create organic shapes which is a great theme in a park. Yet the rough edged shapes also help to create a rural urban design which is very key to the location of our project so all in all this is something that could be implemented into my design as a major component.
The final research that I wanted to go into further detail with is the design of the Thames barrier park. The only thing that I wanted to go into further detail with is way that the space is split by the paths and lines. This could be something I could implement into my design because it could help allow to divide the space that I have on site and allow people to use the spaces for different purposes. This is something that is in the brief so it could play a key role in the design of my space. These divisions also allow for the segmented areas to flow better and gives a pathway for people to use to move from one space to another without even realising that they have moved area.
Current Site Plan I decided to analyse the space before I actually made any models or designed any components that could fit into the space currently. By doing this I am able to gauge how the space is currently situated and the current problems with the space and things I could do to resolve this. Some of the problems that I saw whilst researching into the space is that the space is not being utilised properly and does not flow and fit together very well. It is currently just a bunch of design and components randomly placed in random spaces. So this is something that I will work on when I make my designs . Another issue that I have found with the design of the current site is that it doesn’t have any social spaces where people can gather and meet on another it is just an industrial space that serves no purpose at all. As it is situated in a great location I feel that this space needs to be utilised much more effectively and I will do this by adding plentyfull social spaces like Cafes and play spaces for children all of which is on the design brief.
The initial design that I made was the one on the left. I tried to utilise the entrance most of all because this is the thing that will draw people in to come and view the rest of the park space. This is one the ways in which I plan to get the space utilised in the best way
20M 29.2M 41M 29.7M
29.7M
31.9M
31M
86M
-
24M
Total Area 5842 M 38M 21.7M 5M
55M
The second developed design that I created had swings for both adults and children at the entrance to lure people in to spend time in the park with a café next to it for people to eat and spend social time with friends and family further utilising the space of the park
Plaster Models – Organic Shapes
In order to experiment with organic shapes to really have a unique idea for a component shapes I made a plaster model which is the original design on the left. In order to get an organic and further developed shape I experimented with the original model by duplicating rotating and changing it and this helped me make much further developed ideas which look far better. The design made fitted many components like bridges, fountains and buildings. These shapes and models mean that the space could have a greater chance of looking oraginc instead of sticking industrial looking square building. I also tried to continue using the shape of a circle as this leaves a good curve on the design giving it that free flowing shape and also organic shape which was essential to my design. The final structure was very impressive and it was all done through experimenting with a single model with an organic original shape.
Model with initial components I also made a model of the space with components in to allow for me to understand how the space will work with buildings and object placed within it. In the model the curved structure that flow through the entire site allows for the whole space to flow well together and not feel like the original site which was just things placed in random areas. The round structure is a place for people to come and sit and can also be used as a space to take picture which was one of the current uses of the space. This is because of the amazing view that is situated behind this component of the O2. The final component that I wanted to add was for the café. I chose an modern shape to contrast the rest of the park as this area is fit for a slightly different purpose but still suits the space and theme very well
The first space that I designed was the entrance and this was something that I wanted to be simple yet have a good purpose. This is to get people to come into the park and give them a reason through the gate. I did this by adding a maze area for children to play situated right next to a seating area where parents can keep an eye whilst enjoying the great views of the Thames. I decided to give seated area some levels to it in order to stop it being just one flat surface and these layers help to develop the design and this also serves the purpose of allowing the people seated there to have a view of the entire park. Which will all flow together as one space even though the areas and spaces are separated. By having this space at the entrance it really gives people intentions of entering the park and then leading to them also walking and enjoying the rest of the space that is there too. Meaning that a larger percentage of the park will be utilised.
Components on the entrance
As part of the design I also designed these benches which really give the space that modern touch to really interest people with all tastes to come and enjoy the space. This modern industrial design helps the components fit in with the theme that is key around the site. I also wanted to keep some of the original industrial look as it is key to the history of the design. I chose to have the benches designed in this particular way because it allows for people to socially distance themselves in the case of the current pandemic. This means that people can use the space freely and safely whilst enjoying their day to day lives. This seated space is there for people to gather socially and also for people to be able to keep an eye on their children who can play in the maze next to this space.
I also added a gated entrance to catch people eye and let them know what the space is. I added the name of the park to the top which would let people know from a far distance what the space is and increase the number of people using the space. I made the lettering out of hedging so that it gives that rural look and another key them that flow through the space is the it Italian garden style where you will see a lot of white stone and green hedges which is a theme I have given to the gate at the from to really set the scene.
Pavilion
The space on the right is a sheltered pavilion where people can sit in the shade when it is hot or be protected from rain in the colder periods. This space was in a prime location so I didn’t want the sun to be blocked is I added a large glass cover to allow light to pass but not for heat to come through this means that people can enjoy the sun but not feel to hot under the space.
Sheltered seating area
This is a sheltered seating area where people can enjoy the space and not have to sit under the rain or sun. It is also next to a space where people can take pictures with the backdrop of the O2, which was a key aspect of the previous design which is something I wanted to keep in this design. I once again used the theme of white stone to give that Italian garden theme to it and give it that grand look. By having circles it really allows to 3 components to fit into each other well whilst allowing great space to move around outside of them with the key feature of the fountain between.
Café & Tepee Tents This design was for the café space and it is a open but also sheltered space for people to enjoy a coffee with one another. This is another social space within the design and this will invite the most footfall through the design as people will come to the park just to get a coffee. This will be great place for people to spend their lunch breaks and then maybe spend the rest of the time enjoying the rest of the park and really utilising the space which wasn’t happening before. To help make the space a bit more unique I also added some tepee tents. These are placed over water so people can calmly enjoy their food in a cool and shaded space and this could be a major attraction as it is not something that any other parks have especially when placed over water.
The final thing I wanted to design was a bar space where on special nights it can be booked and used as a event night or on other normal nights used as a general bar and club. This should prove to be popular because of the great locational and views that it has of the O2. This will be open all day and could be something that appeals to all generations and could help people to organise events like weddings of parties.
The space has a seating area a central dance floor and also a smaller niche space with swings for both adults and children where you could relax with a drink on the edge looking over the Thames. This could be another area where people can take picture especially if it is being used for an event. This space has been given and exotic touch so people feel like they are on holiday which is something that is not really allowed in the current climate of the pandemic. So this space also allows for people to gain back the little pleasures that they have missed out on so far in last year or so.