Ben wayles Landscape Architecture / 1st year portfolio

landscape architecture student ben wayles

education - 2011 - 2014 / ba in graphic arts and design - 2016 -present / masters in landscape architecture

ben wayles t:- 07411505755 e:- ben.wayles@stu.mmu.ac.uk

achievements

- honorary mention from the landscape institute for work presented at 2017 mmu final degree show - re:alm prize awarded for innovative and challenging ideas presented at 2017 mmu final degree show

developed skills

- adobe photoshop - adobe illustrator - adobe indesign - sketchup - hand drawing & collage - model making

developing skills

- autocad - adobe suite - render and 3D software

employment

- jun 15 -aug 15 / urban outfitters - visual coordinator - jul 13 -oct 13 / temp studio - head creative and organiser

contents contact & cv salford meadow / project one berlin study tour / project two ordsall waterfront / project three further works

design intentions & contents

during my first year as a landscape architecture student, i have explored the idea of adaption of a sites existing elements to inform the design process. exploring minimal design interventions of these elements whether topography or ruderal growth, a site can be completely revitalised for new use & experience. this minimal approach will limit the clutter of objects that currently crowd our landscapes. i am also interested in the quality of materials & hows its age is reflected in a space, whether a slightly worn, or even lower cost material makes people feel more comfortable & encourages interaction comparative to sites that are overly clad and reliant on persistent maintenance to retain there quality. the work displayed is intended to show the various sites, scales, observations and responses from a variety of projects i have worked on over the last year. i aim to constantly update and adapt this with new projects and experiences whilst i develop my skills in the coming year

salford meadow

salford meadow the meadow is a patch of disused grassland, enclosed on by a meandering waterway, trees & a new housing development that has filled a section of vacant land. the brief asked us to re-design the site with the aim of enticing people to visit, i focused on the potential of the sites openness as a initial design directive

53°29’05.5”N 2°16’04.2”W

salford meadow

drawings depicting the current views out of the site around the meadow. the site is below street level, giving selective views of buildings beyond its tree line, aiding the feeling of seclusion from the city. the photos are elements from my initial visit to inform design, whilst the collage was a way of visualising the meadow in an abstract way. giving a further understanding the make-up of the site as each elements represents possibilities and the shadow its boundaries unprescribed for imaginative use

industrial material palette

access to water

salford meadow

making a model helped with the spatial understanding of the site to inform layouts and the design strategy. the model along with the site visit highlighted that the site and in turn its community, was disconnected from most of the surrounding area. access became the main priority for the design, whilst retaining the unprescribed space so that people can interpret their own functionality was also key. i began to draw access routes through the site from the main road that would bring you into the site, but also into the wider community giving it an opportunity to develop its own identity and business from new visitors. utilising the surrounding waterway would allow for private spaces amongst the openness, i drew quick visuals of potential design outcomes

salford meadow Wild grass land mixture of seed, reeds near rivers edge

Wooden bridges and pathways across site

Stepped banking from new access on the left of site

Existing tree coverage, varied species

Individual trees inset into central pathway

Low shrubs and smaller plants

Watercourse

Boulders of varying size

Buildings

Roadway

Boulder re-worked into low seating

Path with access to new bridge and views off the weir

Weir, 1m drop

Path through new tree line

Existing tree line and newly planted trees at top left of site

1m drop in site over 5m gradient to new central space

refining the sketches and visuals, my final design is represented at 1:500 scale. centrally is a circular section, sunken by 1m with a 40m radius. within the sunken area are clusters of boulders that have multiple intended functionalities, such as seating or climbing. the circle itself represents a stage for these activities as this area is intended to be the focal point to draw you into the site as you come in through one of the four new access points. at the top of the site you will enter through an extended woodland enhancing the view as you emerge from the trees. to the left there is a bridge that initially snakes down the embankment, aligning across the site with the bridge to the right leading to the dwellings currently under construction. the main access point runs as a spine across the whole site, with a bridge that allows seating and views down the river and the raised walkway that creates views into the sunken area and a quick route to the main road for the local community. towards the bottom another walkway can be seen that gives access to the water and diverts pedestrians away from the road for a short time, whilst the existing trees and meadow will be encouraged to grow

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N 1:1250

The Meadow Ben Wayles

berlin study tour

berlin study tour as a course we visited berlin to explore the methodology and implementation of landscape design in germany. we visited various sites including the iga 2017 and gleisdreieck park, i have created collages and photo sets of elements and sites i found most interesting

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brandenburg gate as a memorial the brandenburg gate is a large and imposing structure visited by thousands each day. often viewed from a distance, i found that the texture of it’s materials gave a better understanding to berlins history. the pillars and facade have been repaired in patchworks after the damage of war and time. it shows reflection of past events

52°30’58.5”N 13°22’39.7”E

various

local play park there were many small play areas within the local communities. they respond to their surrounddings in individual ways. here, using the tree for protection over the bench, whilst wrapping it around to give either inward privacy or outward engagement. placing these spaces in the community, whilst making them individual creates a sense of ownership

natur-park s체dgel채nde s체dgel채nde captivated me the most out of all of the places we visited. it reflects on what has happened to the site since its dereliction, preserving pockets of natural processes that have developed. exisitng structures create paths, whilst new walkways hover over the vegetation, it helped me develop a new response to exisiting systems

landscapes

gleisdreieck park gleisdreieck is another space that was adapted from a derelict state. it uses the historic existing elements to create new functions. some of these are defined like the paths bordered by railway tracks and some that are intended to evoke the imagination, like the railway sleepers as climbing apparatus in the play area. the later opens up the space to opportunistic use

iga berlin 2017 the international garden exhibition held in berlin, showcased a mix of small scale spaces by designers from all over the world, as well as large scale builds, re-development projects and new technologies. reflecting on the event it was an invaluable experience, being able to see combinations of the above elements helped inform what i valued in design and the landscape. that being a prioritisation of functionality, comfort and social inclusion in a space, with a minimal design to reduce clutter, encourage use and growth. observing design in berlin i gained a lot of insight into how to design longevity into a site, as well as utilising existing elements to reinterpret a space

52°31’54.4”N 13°35’22.9”E

ordsall waterfront

ordsall waterfront after the close of the docks on pomona, the community has experienced industrialisation & dereliction. the brief asked us to create a masterplan using set perimeter blocks to create a new development along a 100m by 1000m strecth of post-industrial land

53°28’15.2”N 2°16’20.7”W

ordsall waterfront

access to waterfront

graffiti reanimating industrial places

sculptural quality of everyday objects

thriving vegetation

pedestrian movement

green space vehicle movement

vehicle movement vehicle movement

pedestrianmovement movement pedestrian

ordsall ordsall park park

mounds of rubble creating topography

priority is given to vehicles along straight roads, increasing the speed of movement through the site negatively. these roads create barriers limiting movement and separating commercial and residential. views at the waters edge are unobstructed across to pomona island, whilst warehouses and newer apartments block views for the older housing estate. ordsall hall once owned all of the surrounding land using it as hunting forests and formal gardens. green pedestrian space is movement limited to a small patch around the old hall, a grass cut through at the end of the street and ordsall park at the back of the estate green space

ordsall park

ordsall park

pomona island

pomona island

pomona island ship canal soapworks

pomona island

sight lines vehicle movement sight lines

Water ways

waterways pedestrian movement land uses Water ways

sight lines

greenspace space green sight lines

land uses

ordsall waterfront

from this strategy i drew a initial design plan as an axonometric at 1:1250 scale

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new blocks building retention

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modified vehicle route waterfront extension

after analysing the site i began to develop a strategic plan to accomplish my aims of slowing vehicle traffic and creating links to the existing community. the road was a major barrier but by diverting it, it would be possible to slow traffic giving priority to the pedestrian and bringing people to the new and existing sites. the perimeter blocks are arranged to give optimum light and views, but also allow social inclusion in what would usually be gated private space. the current canal side walk would be renovated to allow access down to the water’s edge creating new opportunities for recreation and transport. retaining the brownfield site and a other buildings at the centre of the site will create further cross over points for the communities to take ownership of

water

ordsall waterfront nine acre courts 18 storey housing block renovated in 2013 amongst housing estate

moving down a scale to 1:500 following the wider strategy, varying elements start to become important aspects of the overall design. the brownfield became the centre of the site, encouraging access, making use of the existing topography and allowing interpretation instead of defined areas of use. the perimeter blocks open up allowing access for residents and public as the base of the block would be commercial, with areas for the community to use. the block is also split into different function zones labeled below. whilst all paving and roadways become level, as the site around this main hub will be mixed use. all of these elements aim to make a site that is accessible and is taken ownership of by its residents

designed perimetre block allowing access through the whole site

brownfield site adapting the exisiting topography and natural processes

pomona island on the other side of the manchester ship canal, exhibits further ruderal growth

brownfield development

existing residential

mixed use

community focused area

residential

existing green space

community function

private spaces

commercial

waterfront access

services cultural hub

open space

paths & roadways

buildings

ordsall waterfront

paving

raised walkway

mound topography

textured paving

concrete

viewing platform

mound material

rain garden

ground cover

lighting

soft edge

moving to 1:200 details can be represented on the design. this is a small section of a larger drawing but it shows the adapted brownfield, waterfront platform and mixed use paving. atop of the mounds i designed an accessible walkway using large steel mesh to allow plant life to permeate and continue grow, whilst people walk above the ground level. creating bridged walkways and platforms, this mesh also reaches across the site creating paths that raise and lower creating varying experiences. the waterfront walkways also uses this mesh in places to allow water to permeate in flood situations, the concrete steps create seating to look out across pomona. the paving stretches under and through the perimeter blocks and across roadways varying in texture to highlight the different areas. trees line the vehicle routes to enclose and slow traffic, but everything is on a single level as to remove hierarchy from vehicle use

ordsall waterfront

this construction detail shows how the waterfront section would be made from a larger steel frame, with mesh and concrete insert. on posts that would be piled into the shallow waters of the ship canal banks

visualising the space i tried to show a sense of openness within the site. whether atop the mound, on a path or walking through the smaller shrubs and grass the function is defined by the person experiencing the space. the implemented planting was focused on trees that would survive amongst the anthropogenic debris of industry. they were arranged in small clusters to create shaded areas, but were also placed close to the mounds so people could experience the textural impression of the bark and leaves as they pass by

exhibition boards

ADAPTING REMNANT LANDSCAPES

53°28'15.5"N 2°16'20.5"W

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+24.880

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my exhibition board is intended to show visually how i interpret a site and explore the possibilities of existing elements. the collage works through scales from large elements like the pre-existing mounds of rubble at the top of the page to the miniature scale of individual elements at the bottom. all of these represent elements to be retained or adapted such as the mounds covered by mesh walkways, or mere objects of inspiration & insight, from the spontaneous vegetation, structural forms & splashes of colour from graffiti. as well as informing design decisions, these elements can give an insight into the current and past function of a particular site giving a wider understanding to the surrounding communities & habitats. for this reason i want to highlight the importance of these often overlooked elements in site design

BEN WAY

further works

further works i aim to keep expanding this portfolio with projects and competition work from the year ahead. this section is a collection of sketches, photographs and collages representing various places as a brief look at my observations

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sketches 52°27’47.2”N 13°21’34.02”E trees

ground cover

rubble

elements

structural layers

natur-park südgelände

53°26’7.1”N 2°16’9.0”W

44°51’59.8”N 13°50’58.5”E

35°36’32.3”N 23°34’51.1”E