4 minute read
Heron Street – a model for green capsule street space
Ian Fisher has taught landscape architecture for over 25 years. His primary interest is in enlarging the student learning experience. At present he is investigating how remote learning methods, necessitated by COVID-19, can act as a new vehicle for cross collaborative teaching between practice, community and academia.
Design Process
Could a new paradigm of landscape design and procurement emerge as a result of the social and environmental fallout from COVID-19? This small project evidences a collaborative approach in which the community, contractors, suppliers, clients, consultants, academics, students and local community ward managers are working together to achieve project implementation.
The project originated from a brief set by tutors in the Master of Landscape Architecture, one of several Masters courses offered by Manchester School of Architecture, Landscape Technology unit. This challenged students to apply their skills and knowledge to create aspirational designs that transformed Heron Street, Hulme, into a shared space for play and socialising. The students envisioned that this would be achieved through the introduction of rain gardens, green walls, traffic calming measures, interactive social and play spaces, with sustainable materials and an ecologically adaptive vegetation structure.
In conjunction with support from Manchester City Council, these aspirational designs were implemented on the street as a temporary ‘Living Exhibition’ in September 2019, using materials and time donated by numerous landscape product suppliers and professionals, including Kier, JA Jones Nursery, GreenBlue Urban, Enviromesh, Furnitubes, Urbanscape Green Roof and Barnes Walker Landscape Architects.
As a result of this successful exhibition, tutors sought support from landscape practices in the North West to help turn some of the students’ ideas into reality. Several practices offered their help, but Land Use Consultants (LUC) were selected as they were able to offer a more complete service on a pro bono basis. In conjunction with community representatives, they developed a scheme that prioritised simplicity, adaptability and buildability; retrofitting a small capsule of green space into the barren street environment. The design process was clearly focused on opportunity rather than adhering to a strict design philosophy and this allowed for the inclusion of any materials as they became available and latterly in configuring the design to respond to COVID-19.
A key condition was to ensure that this project could be implemented without the need for protracted multiple funding applications. Instead, the objective was to leverage commercial sponsorship by focusing on the long term benefits of product placement in tandem with developing a cooperative forum with developers active in the area, who wished to contribute responsibly and directly to the community in which they were operating. This model was complemented by the opportunistic utilisation of student labour, whose engagement through “a handson process” would benefit their acquisition of skills and knowledge. The Community formed the final piece of the jigsaw in respect of their role as client, and in this case tutors acted as their advisory consultants and liaised with LUC, suppliers and ward managers to inform and support their decision-making process.
Indicative site plan, green capsule space.
© Land Use Consultants; Manchester Office
Design Language
A simple framework of gabion baskets (recycled) and seating areas (upcycled) define space and movement through the site. Gabion are filled with reclaimed concrete slabs (recycled) taken from the existing site to minimise wastage. Street furniture is simple and robust, whilst shipping pallets have been transformed into planted walls, utilising Sedum green roof modules (upcycled). Locally composted green waste will be used to improve the soil that was previously covered by the concrete paving (recycled). Removing this paving also opens up the surface to water and air penetration, reducing run off to the storm water drainage system. Approximately 65% of the space is utilised for planting, with the pallet walls providing additional vegetative zones. As many plants as possible will be sourced from local nurseries and the selection of plants will respond to availability. The objective is to provide a planting scheme that is easily maintained by local residents and has a high ecological value, with the understanding, depending on availability, that a “planting design” with the expertise available can be created from whatever arrives on site.
Indicative view from residents car park. New planting will contain a range of culinary herbs.
© Land Use Consultants; Manchester Office
Conclusion
The evolution of this project, in parallel with the developing COVID-19 pandemic, has highlighted the need for a flexible, adaptive and cooperative approach to creating green space at an ultra-local level. This approach shows how small scale, achievable green infrastructure projects could be implemented across the city in an opportunistic format. The key requirement is the formation of multi-agency forums through which all stakeholders’ values are recognised, whether they are commercial, social, academic or environmental. Entering into a spirit of cooperation provides a platform for negotiation and an opportunity for solutions that can transcend short term gain in favour of Ionger term investment, with consequently higher returns. Applying this approach is a relatively simple win for improving the local environment. At a neighbourhood scale, these capsules of green infrastructure may become a key feature in creating identity, acting as a focus for further environmental improvements and maintaining the viability of inner urban areas, as work patterns undergo dramatic changes. Ian Fisher has taught landscape architecture for over 25 years. His primary interest is in enlarging the student learning experience. At present he is investigating how remote learning methods, necessitated by COVID-19, can act as a new vehicle for cross collaborative teaching between practice, community and academia.
Indicative aerial view.
© Land Use Consultants; Manchester Office
