P O R T F O L I O
CRAFT AS A LUXURY PROCESS: THE THIRD STAGE REVIVAL
My design thesis, which I undertook during the second year of my MArch course at The Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University was part of the studio unit ‘Craft: Making Meaning’. This unit was focussed around the ideas and theories of making and therefore allowed us as students to delve deeper into all types of manufacturing from work made by artisan craftsman, 3D printers experimenting with newest materials and ‘us’ as consumers building flat-packed furniture to give a few examples.
Contextual research into craft and also investigative experimentation in to forms of making allowed this design thesis to position itself within themes of exclusivity, bespoke design, mystery, materiality, detail and rarity. I believe that validated crafts that have survived over time and are still manufacturing deserve to be defined by the word ‘craft’. I felt that in our society the words such as handmade, artisan, and craft had been overused to such an extent that the definition had become lost and diluted.
This particular design thesis was interested in the creation of AURUM: The Foundation of Jewellers located within central Bath, United Kingdom. It explored the notion that craft as a means of making is set above other forms of manufacturing and is therefore considered as a luxury process.
With this in mind I wanted to further my own understanding of master-craftsmanship and moving forward, create a greater understanding and appreciation for true crafts. David Pye once said that it is important more than ever that craft and ‘workmanship is understood and appreciated for the art it is, or our environment will lose much of the quality it still retains’.
DESIGN THESIS | MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE PROJECT SECOND YEAR OF STUDY | 2017-18 WELSH SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, WALES The physical architecture designed within this project was done so in a way which would facilitate the promotion, education and experimentation of jewellery-craft. The programme for this project and also the spaces designed were both created to respond to my position on craft as a topic. I wanted to create a holistic luxurious building experience which allowed all building users to indulge in space which does more than meets requirements. The buildings that were designed for this project consisted of a boutique hotel which was situated in the existing grade II property on site whilst a purpose built facility which consisted of jewellery workshops, a restaurant, a cafe and large exhibition space.
DETAILED DESIGN BUILDING PROPOSAL
The design for this project started to take shape after countless iterations and maquette experimentations. The final building design took inspiration from simple post-modernist design in regards to the strong geometric shape and use of concrete as the primary construction material which was left exposed throughout the interior of the building as well.
AURUM: THE FOUNDATION FOR JEWELLERS LANDSCAPING
The building itself is considerably smaller than the existing 1970’s YMCA extension and this was done to be more respectful to the neighbouring buildings. The proposal was designed to be more in line with the Georgian terraced building heights. It paid homage to the former craftworks on site by featuring a large light-well courtyard on the south boundary. Many building which sit on Walcot Street have rear courtyards that due to the level changes here are sunken and the proposal wanted to use this characteristic as a feature. The façades were designed in a way which responded to the boundary locations as the different criteria for each boundary had been noted early on during the site analysis. The eastern boundary was set back at an angle not only to provide more privacy to a new main entrance but also to set it back away from vehicular noise and pollution. This facade also allowed for the neighbouring listed buildings to be viewed in a more holistic way and allowed for the proposal to gradually contrast in this elevation. The western boundary was designed to join to the existing and proposed vegetation within the courtyard and was designed to be more lightweight and segregated to be respectful to the neighbouring properties.
BUILDING PROPOSAL
AURUM: THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL AURUM: THE FOUNDATION FOR JEWELLERS LANDSCAPING
BUILDING PROPOSAL IN-SITU
AURUM: THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL AURUM: THE FOUNDATION FOR JEWELLERS LANDSCAPING
LOWER GROUND FLOOR LEVEL
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17 15
18 16
14 13
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12
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4 8
3 2 1
AURUM: THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL
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PLANT ROOM WC’S ADMIN OFFICE LAUNDRY ROOM CLEANING STORE ACCESS POINT
AURUM: THE FOUNDATION FOR JEWELLERS 7 STORE 8 PLANT ROOM 9 WC’S 10 ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE & LIFT) 11 COURTYARD GARDEN 12 ENTRANCE LOBBY 13 SHOWROOM 14 STAFF WC’S 15 STAFF AREA (KITCHEN & SEATING) 16 RECEPTION & GIFT SHOP 17 ACCESS POINT (LIFT & DUMB WAITOR) 18 SAFE 19 ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE) 20 SERVICE COURTYARD (BIN-STORE & FIRE ESCAPE)
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GROUND FLOOR LEVEL
37 36 34
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29 32 24
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22 21
AURUM: THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
ENTRANCE SEATING AREA SEATING AREA & WORKSPACE COFFEE POINT FRONT DESK WC’S ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE & LIFT) TERRACE
AURUM: THE FOUNDATION FOR JEWELLERS 29 POCKET PARK/CAFE SEATING AREA 30 CAFE ENTRANCE 31 ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE & LIFT) 32 CAFE SEATING AREA & WORKSPACE 33 CAFE SERVING AREA 34 KITCHEN 35 WC’S 36 ACCESS POINT (LIFT & DUMB WAITOR) 37 ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE)
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25 23
31 26
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FIRST FLOOR LEVEL
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51 49 48
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47 45 39
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40 41
AURUM: THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL
38 39 40 41 42 43 44
HOTEL BEDROOM 1 EN-SUITE BATHROOM 1 HOTEL BEDROOM 2 EN-SUITE BATHROOM 3 HOTEL BEDROOM 3 EN-SUITE BATHROOM 3 ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE & LIFT)
AURUM: THE FOUNDATION FOR JEWELLERS 45 RESTAURANT TERRACE/SEATING AREA 46 ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE & LIFT) 47 RESTAURANT SEATING AREA 48 BAR 49 KITCHEN 50 WC’S 51 ACCESS POINT (LIFT & DUMB WAITOR) 52 ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE)
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SECOND FLOOR LEVEL
68 69
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66 70 65
60 64 61
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54 53
58 56
AURUM: THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL
53 54 55 56 57 58 59
HOTEL BEDROOM 4 EN-SUITE BATHROOM 4 HOTEL BEDROOM 5 EN-SUITE BATHROOM 5 HOTEL BEDROOM 6 EN-SUITE BATHROOM 6 ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE & LIFT)
AURUM: THE FOUNDATION FOR JEWELLERS 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72
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COMMUNAL WORKSHOP SPACE 1 TEACHING ROOM MATERIAL STORE ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE & LIFT) CLIENT LIAISON SPACE MATERIAL STORE & LIBRARY CLIENT WC’S ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE) PRINTING AREA (3D PRINTER) COMPUTER SUITE COMMUNAL WORKSHOP SPACE 2 COMMUNAL KITCHEN & LOUNGE AREA WC’S
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62
71
THIRD FLOOR LEVEL
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83 80 84
73 85
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AURUM: THE FOUNDATION FOR JEWELLERS
73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87
PRIVATE WORKSHOP SPACE 1 PRIVATE WORKSHOP SPACE 2 PRIVATE WORKSHOP SPACE 3 PRIVATE WORKSHOP SPACE 4 PRIVATE WORKSHOP SPACE 5 ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE & LIFT) WAITING AREA CLIENT WC ACCESS POINT (STAIRCASE) PRIVATE WORKSHOP SPACE 6 PRIVATE WORKSHOP SPACE 7 PRIVATE WORKSHOP SPACE 8 PRIVATE WORKSHOP SPACE 9 COMMUNAL KITCHEN & LOUNGE WC’S
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TECHNICAL DESIGN ROOF GREEN (SEDUM ROOF) WITH FITTED ROOF LIGHTS OVER KEY SPACES
The chosen part of this building I decided to take further to a technical design stage was that of the facade on the eastern boundary. This facade contains translucent concrete tiles which are attached to a steel framework with added curtain walling as well. As this is the main entrance facade for my building I wanted to ensure that I understood exactly how the materials would work together in order to achieve a seamless and well detailed finish. Having contacted specialist manufacturers and researched the necessary connections I was able to detail the front facade. A green roof was chosen in order to allow the pocket park to blend on to the building. The pocket park would be such an added luxury in terms of well-being and also aesthetically to this part of the city that taking the greenery and vegetation on to the roof seemed the right design decision. In terms of maintenance green roofs are relatively easy to keep which was an important factor for this project as I wanted to keep maintenance within the building to a minimum as I believe that if tradespeople were seen to be constantly fixing aspects around the proposal this would diminish the luxurious aspect. This is also the reason why such hardwearing construction materials were chosen such as the in-situ concrete frame.
SERVICES ALL SERVICES TO BE HIDDEN ABOVE THE SUSPENDED CEILING
CEILING SUSPENDED CEILING TO BE FITTED WITH SPECIFIC ENTRANCE POINTS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN SERVICE PIPES
Pile foundations were also chosen due to soil makeup found in Bath as a location. Bath is found in a valley and sites which are close to the River Avon such as mine need to look at surveys in a great deal to show what type of soil makeup is below. I consulted two nearby boar holes which had data dating back very far which confirmed that piles could be specified.
THIRD FLOOR
SECOND FLOOR
WEST BOUNDARY FACADE
FIRST FLOOR
BRISE SOLEIL - STEEL MULLION SYSTEM WITH MATURE FOLIAGE INTRODUCED TO CRAWL UP IT
GROUND FLOOR
EXTERIOR WALLS IN-SITU CONCRETE WALLING SYSTEM
LOWER GROUND FLOOR REAR TO HOUSE PLANT ROOM, BOILER ROOM, HEAT PUMP AREA FOR GROUND HEAT SOURCE
EAST BOUNDARY FACADE TRANSLUCENT CONCRETE FACADE WITH STEEL MULLION FRAME SYSTEM GLAZING PANELS (CURTAIN WALLING SYSTEM) FITTED WITHIN THE STEEL MULLION FRAME SYSTEM
1. Engineered Soil below e e e Planting 2. Filter Layer 3. Drainage Layer 4. Protection Mat & Waterproof n Membrane 5. Rigid Insulation 6. Vapour Control Layer 7. Plywood Deck 8. Parapet Wall - with w Aluminium Flashing 9. Aluminium Gutter 10. Translucent Concrete Panel 11. Natural Stone Anchor Fitting 12. Steel Beam to Mullion c f f 2-piece Connector 13. Mullion Frame 150 x b 150mm 14. 600x 600mm Suspended nn Ceiling System
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1. Floor Build Up Polished Concrete Steel-fibre Reinforced j j j Screed 2. Anchor Bolts & Steel Connection Plate 3. Reinforced Concrete Ground j Beam 4. Exterior Floor Gutter 5. Waterproof Membrane 6. Capillary Break above Reinforced Concrete Pile Cap 7. Reinforced Concrete Pile Foundation
MASTERS OF ARCHITECTURE PROJECT FIRST YEAR OF STUDY | 2016-17 WELSH SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, WALES
THE SHED
The Shed is the name of the project proposal that I created whilst studying the first year of my masters at The Welsh School of Architecture. This project was undertaken whilst still working in practice. This was as part of the module for the year sensibly called Design in Practice. Having already worked in practice for a year prior to my masters it was comforting in some way that I was going to continue working for another year whilst studying as well. Within this year, due to the fact that were not studying at Cardiff University full time, three short courses were set up each term. The first short course which took place at the beginning of the year in September 2016 acted as an introduction to the project we were going to be set. We discovered that the project was going to be located in a suburb of Cardiff called Grangetown and was in partnership with NHS Wales. The brief for this project was to design a
multi-use community centre which had a specific focus around another subject which would improve public health in Cardiff. The difference between this university project to others that I completed during my undergraduate degree was the obvious influence of real practice life. Studying and working at the same time provided this project with a great deal of insight into a range of project particulars such as budget, potential partners and stakeholders, site access, phasing and actual construction. The brief for this module was a lot more detailed and specific than previous university ones I had come across. This was done in order to recreate an actual brief that may be given to us in a practice setting. There were another two short courses at the university during the year which made three in total. These were held later in the year and took the form of presentation crits in order for us to
receive feedback from our tutors. This was demanding as you can expect as I and most of the year group were working full time as part 1 architectural assistants and finding the extra time to work on a whole project was challenging. It took a great deal of organisation and time management but also communication with the practice you were working for. We were also given the contact information for external tutors that visited our practice in between short courses to provide us with more feedback on our emerging proposals. My final project proposal is therefore known as The Shed and the vision for this was to create a community-led not-for-profit cafe, bike workshop with multi-use event space alongside an NHS facility which would specialise in physiotherapy. The whole centre was designed to be inclusive for all people and promoted the idea of outdoor well-being. The Shed is a
DETAILED DESIGN
community centre which supports people who love cycling but also those who want to start being involved with a new activity and consequently improve their quality of life through adopting a healthier lifestyle. The centre was designed in a way that brings the outdoors inside and creates a non-threatening environment. The bike workshop was designed to provide local people with the chance to learn new DIY skills as well as act as a place for more keen and avid bike riders to fix or build their own bicycles. The Shed will be facility which allows classes on DIY and basic engineering to take place and this may also provide a form of revenue for the project as rates could be charged by mechanics in order to fix broken bicycles. The classes may also lead to employment opportunities to those who are more deprived in this area.
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The multi-use event space will also hopefully attract a wide range of local residents. The hall has been designed with large storage facilities in order to attract all types of community groups that need space to use. This space will be able to be rented out for competitive prices as another revenue stream for the building. It was designed in the hope that the space would attract a range of inclusive activities such as art exhibitions, music events or even just simple meeting spaces.
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The NHS facilities of The Shed have been designed to be in a more separate and consequently private area of the building. The facilities will be used by physiotherapists, dietitians & nutritionists and occupational therapists. The programme of this building would also encourage the healthcare professionals to make connections with other building users by possibly giving small lectures or hold group discussions on a number of health topics as the best way to prevent healthcare issues is to educate.
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INTERNAL SPACE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
ENTRANCE LOBBY RECEPTION WC’S PLANT ROOM MULTI-USE HALL BREAK-OFF AREA DISABLED WC STORAGE PLANT ROOM RECEPTION/OFFICE WAITING ROOM ENTRANCE LOBBY WC CONSULTATION ROOM 1 CONSULTATION ROOM 2 BIKE STORAGE BIKE WORKSHOP SEATING AREA CAFE & KITCHEN DISABLED WC MALE WC PLANT ROOM FEMALE WC BIN STORE BIKE STORAGE
EXTERNAL SPACE
26 27
SUNK GARDEN COURTYARD TERRACE
GREEN SPACE TREES/LARGE VEGETATION PAVING BIKE STORAGE
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22 24
26
23
13
RED CEDAR SHAKE CLADDING
WELSH SLATE CLADDING
NHS PHYSIO THERAPY BLOCK
CHARRED TIMBER CLADDING SERVICES BLOCK
MULTI-USE HALL BLOCK
ENGLISH LARCH CLADDING CAFE & BIKE WORKSHOP
GALVANISED CORRUGATED ALUMINIUM CLADDING ENTRANCE/RECEPTION BLOCK
DETAILED DESIGN
Due to the fact that the brief for this project was set in a very real life context we as designers were also given a strict budget. The budget for this project was set fairly modestly due to the fact that the stakeholders are community groups with not a great deal of funding themselves. With this in mind decisions had to be made at where spending would be the beneficial. I decided to design a building which could be constructed fairly simply. This was also decided due to the location of the site as well which was mostly pedestrian and the nearest roads were on small residential streets. The chosen construction material of SIP’s were chosen due to the ease of transporting these materials to site. Prefabrication of building materials would mean that less man power is needed on site which automatically cuts initial costs as well. Due to the parts being fabricated in a factory it also means that less waste material is produced, this means that this material is extremely cost efficient.
As part of the technical design of this project I wanted to make a conscious effort to fully understand all materials I was wanting to use. I have already discussed the reasons why I specified the main construction material I specified however I wanted to pay a great deal of attention to every single material in order to create a blend of textures and colours which worked together. I believe that this is an important task for architects as a seamless transition between external and internal space is paramount, especially for this particular project. The design of the separate blocks in this proposal was done in a very particular way and as much as each one needed to be distinguishable I also wanted continuity between some materials especially internally. The main internal material I specified for this project was that of plywood sheet. This material was the starting point for all of my mood boards which I compiled for each block. The plywood was chosen to create a holistic atmosphere which was
hard-wearing but also warm and welcoming.
The information shown on this page refers to the reception/entrance block and as you can see there is an emphasis on the colour yellow due to the psychology of this colour making you feel healthy and happy. The rest of the palette for this block is kept warm and neutral to complement the quite striking corrugated aluminium cladding which was specified with a highly metallic silver finish. This was done to draw attention to this block as it is the main entrance and each block leads off from here. I paid a great deal of attention on detailing each block as I wanted to fully understand the connections of each of the cladding materials I had chosen as they were all different.
Furnishings: CAMIRA, Main Line Flax, Goldhawk MLF31
CAMIRA, Main Line Flax, tooting, MLF17
Entrance Mat: Coir Matting
Entrance Lobby Wall Cladding: Altro Whiterock, Chameleon, Taxi Cab W160/6636
Facade Cladding: Profiled Aluminium, Metallic Silver
Reception Desk Formica Laminate, Portico Marble, F3460
Flooring: Altro Screed 4mm Standard Variant, White Yorkstone
Interior Cladding: Plywood Sheet, 18mm
RECEPTION/ENTRANCE BLOCK
6 | GLAZING
The curtain walling glass links are then added at the very end of the construction process. Some will be bespoke but valued alternatives can also be used if appropriate.
5 | ROOF SYSTEM
The same cladding types have been designed to be carried along the roof. Specialised membrane layers have been specified in order to make sure that the building is completely water tight. Concealed gutters are also added.
4 | CEILING SYSTEM
Similar panels as the walls are then transported onto site and used as the roof panels. The same joinery techniques are used.
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3 | INTERIOR WALLS & CLADDING
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Interior walls are added which reach to the ceiling to provide the building with large void spaces. The insulation in the SIPs provide very good ratings in not only insulation but also acoustics. Cladding and waterproof membrane is added to the SIP’s.
1 | WALL & ROOF BUILD UP
32mm aluminium profiled sheeting 50mm battens with waterproof layer 60mm counter-battens with 40mm mineral-wool insulation 170mm structural insulated panel with mineral-wool insulation between 15mm strandboard 18mm plywood sheet
2 | WALL SYSTEM
Prefabricated SIPs are brought to site on a lorry and like a jigsaw puzzle are put together using Kingspan’s joining technique which include specialised nails and brackets.
2 | DOOR
Sliding barn style shutter door 19mm softwood boarding 10mm vertical larch wood boarding (to match that of the workshop block)
3 | FLOOR BUILD UP 3
1 | CONCRETE SLAB
Underfloor heating provisions are made at this stage.
15mm epoxy resin flooring 10mm bed of mortar 65mm screed with heating runs 30mm polyurethane insulation 90mm polystyrene insulation Sealing layer 200mm reinforced concrete floor slab
THORNBOROUGH GROUNDS | PRIVATE DWELLING
Thornborough Grounds became a very important project for me as it was the first planning application I was given whole responsibility for. I was trusted to create all planning drawings for the final application and liaise with the planning officer. The project in simple terms is a barn conversation which looked at transforming three disused agricultural barns into a large private dwelling in Buckinghamshire. This was the first full planning application that I had been solely responsible for and it provided me with a great deal of insight into the processes involved with taking a project proposal through planning. I felt that this project gave me great experience in designing a luxury large dwelling and understanding what kind of bespoke features some clients can want in their dwellings. I understood that this was a very unique project to be involved with
but in hindsight the factors I learnt from this project did in fact help influence other large dwelling proposals I was involved with later in my career. For this planning application I created all drawings on Revit which was another first for me on this project. Prior to being appointed to work on this project I had been going through tutorials on using Revit as it was a desired skill that the practice wanted me to develop. I then made the decision to use this program to complete the drawings as I felt the scale of this proposal gave me just enough scope to explore how to use this software. Using Revit for first time did present some challenges mostly due to the fact that these old agricultural barns, as with all old buildings, had moved and become increasingly uneven over
SUTTON GRIFFIN ARCHITECTS PRIVATE DWELLING | BUCKINGHAMSHIRE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE | 2015-2016 FEASIBILITY STUDIES & FULL SUCCESSFUL PLANNING APPLICATION time. I found Revit to be very user friendly when dealing with newer designs which can be created with ease however adjusting different heights and odd angles when creating the existing Revit model was increasingly difficult. I am happy to say that this proposal was successfully accepted by the Buckinghamshire council and I was proud of myself for learning quickly but also applying my own knowledge to this project. This planning application helped me grow in confidence and also allowed me to discuss issues I had with Revit with other more experienced architects in the practice.
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
GROUND FLOOR
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CHILD ROOM 1 CHILD ROOM - EN SUITE 1 CHILD ROOM 2 CHILD ROOM - EN SUITE 2 MASTER SUITE BATHROOM DRESSER GUEST SUITE 1 GUEST SUITE - EN SUITE 1 GUEST SUITE 2 GUEST SUITE - EN SUITE 2 LIVING ROOM BAR RECEPTION/ENTRANCE WC UTILITY ROOM PLAY ROOM STUDY 1 STUDY 2 WINE STORAGE LARDER KITCHEN DINING ROOM SNUG
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A
MATERIALS KEY 3
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SOUTH ELEVATION (SECTION A-A)
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EXISTING MASONRY
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EXISTING/RECLAIMED TILES
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PROFILED METAL ROOF
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METAL FRAMED GLAZING
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TIMBER CLADDING
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BRICK
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EAST ELEVATION (SECTION B-B)
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STRAWBERRY HILL MEDICAL CENTRE
This particular project was one that I felt a great sense of accomplishment when completed. It is located in the town centre of Newbury and was one of the NHS’s first new medical centre concepts. This project saw the joining of the two GP surgeries in the town into a state-of-theart medical centre which would contain consultation rooms where small procedures could be performed. This medical centre would also be a great deal larger than traditional town centre GP surgeries in order to meet increasing demand on the NHS. When I was appointed to work on this project it was at a later construction phase. With the completion date fast approaching one of my tasks was to liaise with both of the original GP spokespersons and create interior finishes mood boards. This task was one that appealed to me greatly due to my interest with interiors however it was more challenging than I initially expected. Due to the fact that the new proposed medical centre was going to house two GP organisations it was necessary to divide the proposed building into two sectors. Each section was to have a separate reception and waiting room alongside consultation rooms, WC’s and store services. In order to successfully distinguish between the two areas I was asked to create a series of mood boards to present to the GP’s. The interior finishes mood boards had to be consistent in their material types but had to differ in aesthetic. This was a challenging task as each GP had very different views on what they wanted and in order for this new medical centre to work as a building as a whole it was important to have a level of consistency in some sort of way. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working on this project as I was able to meet with the clients and also due work stage of this project I was able to see my finishes be fitted. During the fitting of the finishes I was also asked to assist the project architect in the site inspections. I attended the weekly site visits until the project reached completion. It was a great experience to learn what ‘snagging’ especially in a building where hygiene is paramount as all finishes therefore had to be fitted to the highest standard. It was very rewarding being on site and seeing this project through to completion. I also learnt about the politics and logistics that can appear when a project does not reach the agreed completion date which was a side of a project which I had not been exposed to.
SUTTON GRIFFIN ARCHITECTS MEDICAL CENTRE | WEST BERKSHIRE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE | 2015-2016 INTERIOR MOOD BOARDS & CONSTRUCTION INSPECTIONS
MORSE WEBB ARCHITECTS PRIVATE DWELLING | BUCKINGHAMSHIRE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE | 2016-2017 DETAILED LANDSCAPE DRAWINGS
MARLOW | PRIVATE DWELLING
One of the most recent projects I have been involved with was the construction of a private dwelling located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. This particular project was reaching completion when I was added into the design team. The dwelling itself is located on a hillside road surrounded by modest 1970’s mansions. The area is very conservative thus designing and constructing a modern property like this came under criticism during the planning stages and during the later work stages whilst the property was being built. Problems such as site accessibility, noise disturbance, hidden pipework on site and boundary queries between neighbours became apparent.
from concept and would see it through to completion. I was given jobs which looked at the landscaping of the building context as the whole garden was a crucial element in order to maintain the amount of detail on this project that the client wanted. The proximity of this project to its neighbours was a factor which time and time again needed to be addressed. My work on this project looked at returning the site entrances and exits to their former state when the tradesmen no longer needed large pieces of machinery in the rear garden. I also worked alongside the landscape gardener that the client had appointed to create continuity between our practice’s drawings and hers.
I was appointed into the design team during the later construction phases of this project. My tasks for this project were given to me by the project architect that had worked on this job
Issues which needed to be addressed between the landscape gardener and us included level heights (terraced levels), retaining walls which were built on site due to the ground becoming
weak in areas during construction and other bespoke luxury features such as outdoor speakers built into the hard landscape around the pool. This project taught me a great deal about working for clients with very particular desires and also how important it is to liaise with all members of the design team. In this case I became the middle man and communicator between the contractor, sub-contractors and the landscape gardener in order for a seamless and beautifully detailed end product to be produced.