PORTFOLIO: PG DIPLOMA -Alternative Urbanisms Sharmishta Ravindran
JOURNEY OF A DROP OF RAIN
Sugar House Lane - Manipulating the speed of flow of water
Lower Lea Valley
Olympic site Sugar House Lane Thames Gateway
The site at Sugar House Lane is located in East London, in the region of the Lower Lea Valley. Situated on the south end of the Olympic Park, it is a heart shaped isolated island with the Lea river and the Canal on two sides and the A11 running to the north. The site is located in the Thames Gateway, in the fluvial flood plain region. Even though the site has a direct connection to the water, it acts like a barrier than a desired element. The site has been recognised as a Conservation area and a few buildings and yards have been marked as ‘Buildings of Note’. The existing texture on the site is entirely industrial with scrap yards, building construction hire yards, old derelict buildings, set making companies, film studios and some small offices. There is not much other life in the site other than these industries. Though there are a lot of yards and open spaces in the site, there is a lot of restriction of movement and access on the site due to the nature of the industries and their mode of operation and it is for the most part occupied only in the working hours.
The Heart shaped site of Sugar House Lane
Stratford
Stratford Mill meads
Pudding mill
Channelsea river
West Ham River Lea Bromleyby-bow
Canning town The Thames
Tidal river Semi tidal river Canal Hidden river
Mapping - The Waterways
Mapping - Site and its connections
Warehouse yards
A view odf the derelict warehouses along the river
SITE IMAGES
Development across the road
Textures and features
Materiality
SITE IMAGES
Older grain
PRELIMIARY STRATEGY
Proposed new connections Buildings kept as they are Proposed sites for intervention
Composite diagram of the site with proposed connections
The site being in the fluvial flood plain, I decided to investigate the site with regards to the sensitivity of how water flows and what it does on the site – an environment created by the play of water that falls on the site and surrounds the site. I have tries and introduced elements that would increase the awareness of the user to the presence of water around the site and also encourage an increased interaction between them. I have introduced a sequence of elements that decrease (stop, store or gradually discharge) the speed of discharge of storm water into the canal and river. My program also intends to add different textures to the site in terms of functions at different times of the day. I intend my proposal to introduce urban blocks that would be designed to function (in parts or whole) at different times of the day. Strategically placed, along the site and the waterfront, these will create nodes in the site that connect with each other, making the site accessible as well as creating spaces for social interaction. In addition, my intention is also to achieve a design that allows users from outside to enter the site and use it, occupy it temporarily or maybe permanently at different times of the day. My intention is be to increase the connectivity within as well as through the site. Also, increase the interaction of people and the site with water.
Industrial Residential Educational Commercial Public Services
Site building use
This region of the Lower Lea Valley has a high percentage of industrial usage along the river Lea and its canals. This industrial belt has quite a rich and extensive history attached along which enriches not only the site but also the region. The London Olympics site is situated just north of the site. It is aldready started to make its presence felt on the landscape of the area near the site. In 2008, a part of the site has been identified as the conservation zone and some buildings and yards have been identified as Buildings of Note and Yards of Note. This site is a part of the Fringe Master plan of the Olympic developments. A sensitivity to this existing fabric has been kept in mind when designing for the new uses being proposed for the site. The open space strategy picks up on this concept of yards interspersed between buildings and these different open spaces/yards will have different uses. Some of them private, public, semi public and semi private.
1801 1867 1894
History of the canal and river
1916
Tidal Semi tidal Canal Hidden rivers
Areas that would be affected by flooding from the river of there were no flood defences. This has a 1% chance of occurance every year. Area that would be affected in case of extreme flooding from the river Lea or Thames. This has a 0.1% chance of occurance every year. Areas that would benefit from the defence walls built against the 1% chance of flooding every year.
Source: http://www.londonprepared.gov.uk//downloads/flood_repsonse_plan.pdf - Accessed Apr 2009
Flood Risk Map for the Sugar House Lane(Extent of natural floodplain (assuming no defences) in the GLA area
Even though many residential and industrial developments are protected by flood defences, these only offer protection upto a certain level.
FLOOD RISK ANALYSIS
Journey of the drop of water Hand drawing analysing the percieved flow of rain water om the site considering existing slopes and conditions.
Built grain
Road connectivity
A study of the built grain makes it rather obvious that all along the river there exists the coarser grain of the industial area. This segregates the Lower Lea Valley east through west. Also, it disconnects the relative close of the river with the surrounding neighbourhood.
The disconnection between the East and West by the A12 becomes apparent in this map. There are some connections existing north through south but the east-west connections are rather weak to non-existant.
An introduction of a smaller grain within this huge blocks on the landscape would help integrate the east and the west and also would change the nature of the industries in the area to an extent which could help the connection of the neighbourhoods with eachother.
More connections need to be introduced east through west, which in my programme would be majority pedestrian and cycle-friendly except for certain main routes identified through the site.
Yards of note
Less derelict
Buildings of note
Corporate Communal Individual Impassable
Site Analysis maps
More derelict
Site conservation map
Scattered open land
Degree of dereliction
Less permiable
Corporate Communal Individual
More permiable
Impassable Scattered open land Open land
Permiability map
Green spaces map
Transfer of Development Rights MUMBAI, India Aerial view of Mumbai
The development pattern in Mumbai was controlled through FSI since 1964 and then TDR was introduced in the begining of the 1990s, which have been adopted from the US planning processes.1 The island city of Mumbai has an FSI of 1.33, the suburbs have an FSI of 1 and other distant suburbs have an FSI of 0.7.1 Due to the pattern of growth of Mumbai, to encourage furter growth in the city, one of the conditions of the TDR is that the rights can only be transferred towards the north of the generating plot. TDR is used in Mumbai for various purposes.
Aerial view of Brazil
1. TDRs were used initially to compensate plot owners whose development right was restricted due to certain public programmes like widening of roads etc. 2. Later this was used to compensate owners of Heritage buildings who could not develop their lands.
Building heights CURITIBA, South America Curitiba first outlined its Master Plan in 1965, with the main goals of limiting central area growth and encouraging commercial and service sector growth along two
3. More recently they have been used in case of Slum Redevlopments where
structural north-south transport arteries, radiating out from the city center. The Mas-
additional development rights could not be consumed on a plot due to over-
ter Plan also aimed to provide economic support for urban development through the
density reasons.
establishment of industrial zones and to encourage local community self-sufficiency
4. There is also talks about using TDR for redevelopment of old buildings.
by providing all city districts with adequate education, health care, recreation, and
5. TDR is now being used in the same or the northern ward of the generating
park areas.2
plot. This is now resulting in the sudden additions to the sububurban buildings
From the 1960s, IPPUC ((Instituto de Pesquisa e Planejamento Urbano de Curi-
haveing a higher plot value.
tiba) recognized that public transit success depends upon a wealth of destinations
Definitions of FSI and TDR:
and pedestrians along the routes. This requires high density development, so they
FSI: is the ratio of the total floor area of buildings on a certain location to the size of
planned accordingly. The BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) corridors are zoned for 10 to
the land of that location, or the limit imposed on such a ratio.
20 storey buildings on either side of the BRT avenues, with 4 to 7 storey buildings
F S I = Total covered areas on all floors / Plot area
on adjacent blocks. These linear high-rise corridors spike the city’s skyline. There
TDR: Transfer of Development Rights means that the Right to develop over one
was some neighborhood resistance to up-zoning early on. But it was alleviated by
plot that can be transferred to another plot in another part of the city.
mutual discussion and government consultation. IPPUC develops plans with specific clear rules and zoning for an area, which must be adopted by the City Council
Thane Municipal Corporation
Mumbai Municipal Corporation Town of Mumbai
Distant suburbs of Mumbai
before implementation. People have confidence in the process. In a pattern typical of European cities, the wealthy live in convenient, high density neighborhoods near the city center, with lower income families in lower density peripheral areas.2 http://www.sonomatlc.org/PDF/Curitiba%20report.pdf - accessed on 20.03.09.
Navi Mumbai Jurisdiction
TDR explained on the Mumbai map
INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDIES OF DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR INCREASING DENSITY
The industrial use buildings have no restrictions on the floor space but have a height restriction of 7m, with skylights on the roof and courtyards around it for lighting and ventilation.
The height envelope is restricted at 4 storeys, respecting the height of the chimneys, buildings of note, and also considering the heights of the neighbouring plots. A height transfer can take place within the same urban block onto buildings within the same block upto a height of seven storeys maximum.
The building depth for offices and residence purposes are 9-12m in depth.
Probable Extensive roof
Probable Intensive roof
The urban block envelope is 12 m in depth at the maximum. Proposed building heights arrangement to take advantage of the sun from the south Sun from the south
Proposed distance between blocks for allowing sunlight
Possible build up of an urban block
PROPOSED DESIGN GUIDELINES
Sun from the south
Existing sectional elevation through the site
Sectional elevation-Probable scenario
Section by the canal through the site
Section through the road and materials Use of the rainwater from the roofs for toilets and gardens
PROPOSED WATER SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN INTERVENTIONS
One of the possible scenarios following on from the rules set out. The porposed scenario would vary depending with regards to each urban block.
PROPOSED SCENARIO
PHASING
PHASING THROUGH WATER STRATEGY
PROPOSED ACTIVITY CENTRE
The guidelines aiding the slowing down of the rainwater runoff could lead to water senstive urban design focal points created within the development.
The proposed design guidelines would encourage biophilic design, vertical gardens, terrace gardens and an overall increase of green infrasturcutre that would support the indegenous ecosystem.
MODEL STUDY