Ideas and Directions
Nature Natural & Organic Garden
Influence Words
Sport Freedom Skatepark
Calming, ease
Sport Movement and Flow Football pitch
Passion, Community
Improvement, sociable
Leisure & Entertainment Movement and Flow Garden
Commercial Geometric Museum
Outdoor, Exploration
Curiosity, Knowledge
Domestic Linear Patio
Comfortability
Stephens Road, Newham. More specifically, the park in front of the blue flat. I’ve chosen this area because there aren’t many spaces for children to use in this area, even though 2 primary schools, and a nursery are based nearby. Children in the area may have to travel a fair bit from home to have a place to have fun, with nearby parks being roughly 15 minute walks away. Sport plays a big part in the area, with children coming from all over Stratford to play in the park with friends after school. Personally, I grew up going to this park as I used to live in the blue flat, going to the park everyday after school. Many signs on the walls/gates of the park have written in a “No Ball Games” agenda, but it is very common for children to play football there. I believe it is best to accept and embrace the love for football in the area and to create a safe environment for kids to play football. An issue, however, is when people walk through the area people play football and disrupt the game. A safe and easy walk from seating area/toilets would be necessary.
Therefore, I will be designing a multi-purpose space for people of all ages to stay in.
The area has also been frequently used as a, simply, an area for friends to just sit and talk. So a comfortable seating area would be useful. However, the area of Stratford does have an issue with crime. During May 2022, there 48 cases of miscellaneous theft, 46 cases of harassment and 42 cases of theft from a person (these being the most common crimes). A safe space for the people using the equipment would be vital.
There are no nearby toilets so an area for toilets would be helpful, there is no need for a café as there are nearby corner shops/food shops, which are within 2 minute walks. Bins would be beneficial to reduce littering as the park itself is very messy, with rubbish thrown around. Water fountains would be helpful so more time can be spent in the park. A café is not a necessity as shops are really close so it isn’t a necessity.
Must be a high fenced area (has an issue with balls getting kicked over onto the main road or hitting shops/cars).
Must have a seating area.
- Must include tables, bins, and water fountains.
• Football area to be the main source of attraction:
- Goals.
- Lights.
- Caged so the football doesn’t get in the way of people sitting around.
Toilets M/F
Clear access to the seating area that doesn’t clash with the football area.
Chose a theme of Movement and Flow to make the pavilion and site stick out in a flat area. All the nearby houses are all the same size and flats are all around 10 stories high and all cube-shaped with the same style roofing. Having a more curvy roof for a pavilion will make it more eye-catching for passer-by's.
Play area, always in need of constant repair as the play equipment is always broken. Has swings, climbing frame and slide. Used as a football pitch by students in nearby primary schools, however signs display a “No Ball Games” policy.
I believe it is best to embrace the love for football and make a football area for those children to use.
The area is also used as a hangout space for groups of friends, so a seating area would be very useful.
Short fences, cause of issue as ball will be kicked over often. On the side of the main road, balls might even get run over by buses and lorries.
Shops on the other side of the crossing (in the image left), availability of food, drinks, and snacks.
Access to buses as (in the image above) the bus stop is on the right by the car. Park can be elongated to take more space from the path, and push the path closer to the flat by replacing some of the grass with the pathway.
Old bungalows. Area needs more spaces for children of all ages as there aren’t many nearby. Lister Gardens itself is rundown and doesn’t have the right equipment to allow for it to be considered a viable space for children of all ages, rather it is more suitable for younger children (under the age of 10) or even toddlers. A new activity area in which the equipment is more age-inclusive would be necessary.
Decided on working on the Stephens Road park area as I felt I had more ideas.
Old bungalows. Right next to Lister Gardens, run down and seems to be out of use.
Corner shop for snacks and drinks within 5 minutes of walking down Lister Gardens.
Plantation grown out of control, makes it look like no one lives there any more. Area also lacks colour so a focus on the design of the site would be necessary so it stands out.
• Run down homes built opposite Lister Gardens, a small play area for children with a football/basketball caged pitch.
• Facilities look like they’re not taken care of and are rarely used by the public.
• Chose to use the houses opposite the park rather than the park itself as they seem to be abandoned and not used, with overgrown greenery in the gardens of the houses and tacky paint on the walls.
• 1901 Census described County Borough of West Ham to be the most populous town or district in England.
• 1965 the County Borough of West Ham and East Ham, alongside parts of Barking and Woolwich, were abolished to form Newham.
• Although being in East London, the place name derives from Old English 'hamm' and means 'a dry area of land between rivers or marshland', referring to the location of the settlement within boundaries formed by the rivers Lea, Thames and Roding and their marshes.
• 1844 Metropolitan Building Act resulted in West Ham being one of Victorian Britain’s major manufacturing centers for pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and processed foods.
Pavilion to be used as a sheltered area, maybe housing toiletry, water fountains and a seating area.
As the park is used year round, maybe a closed off pavilion similar to the one furthest left would be ideal.
A more geometric style of architecture, focusing on even gaps and triangular, and irregular quadrilateral, shapes for the areas. I could take into account and try work on the even gaps between areas, and maybe looking and the lowered seating area to preserve walking space.
Could look at the snake-like path, and try to implement this style into my work. Potentially as a pathway in the sitting area. I may also look back to the previous geometric shapes on the last slide and rather than following the irregularity of “flow”, I could make the aforementioned pathway the same width all around.
Pavilion 1 has been designed to stand out in a flat environment, with houses all being the same shape and roofed in the same fashion. The only change being an odd flat in the area, like the Blue flat the park is placed in front of. The pavilion has been designed to allow for people to sit on the exterior, maybe if they’re taking a small break from playing. And an interior seating area for groups of people to sit together, with tables and chairs included (not drawn).
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Pavilion 2 has been designed in a similar fashion but has been modified to be a thinner version allowing for more space inside the pavilion and a larger roof to protect more people from the potential and likely rain.
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Circular seating links with my theme of movement and flow, while also being fun and complimenting the idea of the area.
Backrest would be necessary as most would get tired after some sport and want to have a comfortable seat.
• Could include a netting over the football pitch, attached to the top of the cage to prevent balls being kicked out of the cage.
• Door with an internal lock to prevent people coming in to disrupt play.
Pavilion designed to cover up seating areas etc.
Pavilion designed to have a flowy shape, while being able to shelter people of all ages under. It is to be covered over so it can actually be deemed a shelter, with seats and tables under for people to use.
As my site is an irregular shape, I have decided to look at mappings of housing/areas built on an unnatural shape.
These are prime examples of utilising space that may have been avoided due to its shape. I plan on working influenced by this style of work, as it seems to follow a theme of movement and flow while still working around the space given.
The use of shapes to highlight and catch the eyes of passers-by can be beneficial to bring more people in.
Although these structures have open parts to them, the idea of having a kiosk to house the toiletry may be useful as it isn’t uncommon and attracts the eyes of the people.
As movement and flow is my theme, some design changes may be necessary to follow suit.
A kiosk would be beneficial as it is space efficient and allows for quick access to toiletry since there aren’t any in the nearby area.
Although simple, this allows for the kiosk to follow the theme of movement and flow while conforming to the purpose it has been made for.
The flat top is to be developed further to follow the theme of movement and flow at a higher level.
The 4 cylinder design follows the theme, and it is also useful as it allows for more toilets while still having space and following the theme.
Kiosk for toilets.
Site 1
Play area.
Pavilion.
Entrance.
Path.
Seating.
Site 2
Site 1
Larger pitch, less seating area. Toilets are close to the exit which means people can access them quicker.
Site 2
Smaller pitch, more seating area. Linear layout, as the pathway leads through every part of the area.
Decided to keep the entrance to the site the same as it is in real life. I plan on following this site plan on the left.
Decided on changing the pavilion and seating to be all together, larger pavilion covering the whole seating area. The pathway will stay the same and the kiosk will stay in the same place.
