Sajda Al Haj Hamad
Urban Green Belt Like many large-scale commercial developments, the Grafton Centre interacts with green space in a scattered and disinterested manner: a segment of verge beside a dual carriageway used by defecating dogs; an overgrown bush at the back of a car park; a bit of ornamental grass mediating a junction between infrastructural space and retail space; a tree whose planning permissions took two years to process. In response, my project recognises the civic value and meaning of well-tended public greenery, seeking to activate and connect the existing unintentional islands of grass and shrubbery as parts of a greater human-ecological network in Cambridge. Architecturally, this network is grounded in a bird tower, pergola, and small gardening workshop, which facilitate alternative imaginaries for the use and value of urban green spaces. Realised through an iterative process of model-making, the three interventions share a coherent design language, each drawing from a toolkit of building components facilitating ecological, structural, and aesthetic roles. Alone, these structures are intriguing, perhaps delightful, landmarks in the city. Together, they speak of a wider strategy of urban greening and ecology formed with intention and care. 24
