HERD FARM PROPOSAL FOR AN ACCESSIBLE CAMPSITE AND LANDSCAPE MASTERPLAN
Kristian Reay Individual Design Documentation Herd Farm Activity Centre Design + Community 2013 Leeds Metropolitan University
CONTENTS BRIEF
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SITE
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COMMUNITY
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PROCESS
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Proposal
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character areas
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LUNA LODGE
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model
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exhibition
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BRIEF To site and design a bespoke and fully accessible camping experience that offers a modern, secure, inspirational environment to learn and relax. The campsite should consist of 3 semi-permanent tent structures (2x8 birth, 1x4 birth). In addition, a site wide proposal will look to improve circulation and accessibility, develop existing character areas and define spaces for new relevant interventions at Herd Farm. The work produced should help secure funding and guide the longterm development of the site.
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SITE Herd Farm Activity Centre; located 4 miles North of Leeds City Centre, is situated between Eccup Reservoir and The Harewood Estate. The 16 acre site is a former working farm and the building itself is Grade II Listed. In 1999, Herd Farm was converted into an EA Compliant (Equality Act 2010) outdoor education and activity centre, offering a unique range of experiences to the young people of Leeds. Herd Farm is owned and operated by Leeds City Council.
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COMMUNITY In order to deliver a successful response it was important that the design team understood the unique requirements of Herd Farm’s visitors and how different user groups utilised the site. Three community engagement sessions were held on site including; A workshop with the ‘After School Club’ - a group of mixed ability children. A morning observing the ‘Vine Group’ - a group of profoundly disabled young adults, and an evening meeting with the ‘Steering Group’ - consisting of members of staff, parents and interested professionals.
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PROCESS After conducting a series of engagement sessions, as well as producing analysis work (to understand the site and its users) a Design Strategy was established. Each member of the group then produced an individual design response and presented their concept to the client. Based on feedback from the client a single design brief was established, and the group worked together to resolve the design and deliver a package of
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PROPOSAL The proposal aims to provide an engaging, and memorable landscape experience encouraging the user to interact with the natural environment. The design focuses on improving circulation by better connecting the sites existing features, and developing new interventions such as Luna Lodge accessible campsite. The site is subdivided into a series of distinctive character areas, providing a flexible natural environment that invites you to play, learn and challenge yourself.
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CHARACTER AREAS CANOPY CLIMBERS
MOOAR-LAND MADNESS
NATURAL KNOWLEDGE
The woodlands edge is extended to anchor the site to the surrounding landscape, block views and stimulate intrigue and curiosity. ‘High-level’ activities now take place among the canopy swinging through the trees.
Evergreen trees, moorland planting and theming features; such as rocky outcrops and boggy areas, create a unique identity at the highest point of the site reflecting the famous Yorkshire landscape.
A new grass amphitheatre to facilitate drama workshops and provide an outdoor classroom overlooks the existing iron age settlement, which is expanded with areas of period crop planting. Behind, meadow planting blurs the site boundary and provides habitats adjacent to the beck.
This intervention also provides new opportunities for wildlife to penetrate the site and could be funded by schemes such as the Forestry Commission’s ‘the big tree plant’ or marketed as an activity.
The existing assault course is unified by the removal of an intersecting path and ‘getting muddy’ is promoted. The mobile climbing wall is also given a permanent home.
A nature trail is also introduced as a space to learn about native wildlife, leading towards an extended wetland area and body of water for new raft building activities.
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LUNA LODGE Luna Lodge is a fully accessible camping experience that aims to strip back the distractions of modern life and provide a safe and dynamic natural environment for all. The design promotes hands on learning through observing nature and star gazing along the Luna trail, or practicing survival skills around the campfire, and encourages unprescribed play in the natural environment. A subtle material palette is used to reflect and frame the surrounding natural landscape.
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MODEL Models are a great way of communicating a design idea. They are very accessible and can be used to easily show topographical information and communicate space and scale. A model offers clients, a physical, tactile, threedimensional representation of any given proposal that is easy to understand. Myself and one other member of the design team produced a scale model of the ‘Luna Lodge’ proposal from 3mm MDF board and copper wire, utilising the Universities CAD suit and laser cutting facilities.
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EXHIBITION “I was immensely impressed with the vision, energy and designs in response to our discussions and aims of developing such a Project… I found the students nothing less than thoroughly professional and polite and first class ambassadors for the University.” Tony Edwards – Site Manager
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NOTES It is also important to acknowledge the help and guidance the staff of Herd Farm, and those with first-hand experience in this field have been able to offer over the course of this project. Although the Design + Community program was a group project, all the drawings featured in this document were produced by, and are the property of, Kristian Reay. Full Portfolio comming soon...
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Kristian Reay +447863933977 krisreay@gmail.com