Quick Sequence Sketches, first attemp

Played around with Pro Makers on Trace. Constructive crit on images, darker outline on the foreground (cheers Alick) and fade on the distance.

So played a bit in  Photoshop, with layers of low opacity white, various filters and image enhancements.

Enclosure

Revelation

Noise of waterfall, glass viewing platform reflecting the water. 

Two different speeds of water, thus channeled in different ways

The Choice

Well after an intense crit ,'the panel' decided on Alternative. I wanted to do Connection.  The issues with connection are the shadow the 'flyover' creates. Also maybe too much dominance of the axis on the space.
The attraction of alternative was due to the valley idea, as well as maybe the general setting out. Though the large circular area's of grass where not appreciated, which on reflection i can see that there is not enough difference in the sizes as well as maybe a bit strong on the basic geometric shape.

Thanks to all who made comments, 5 for Connective, 1 for Education and 1 for Alternative.

Sketch Designs

What a diverse bunch we are, from extreme wow ,noisy, party, to calm considered and conservative. I noticed that nearly all of us had a phrase  that our favoured design seem to spring from, even if we did not know it before presenting. You have to go with your own personality and how you see the world to get passion, otherwise its just 'another job'. There was plenty of passion yesterday.


I will not tell you which one was chosen to develop yet, so that if any viewers would like to comment then there is no bias. An initial idea sketch followed by a more detailed sketch. The three words they are inspired by are Connective, Educational and Alternative.

Click on image to enlarge.

The big idea is to re-connect Tunbridge wells with the Park (known as the grounds really needs to changed as it congers up the wrong picture as one thinks of sport, not leisure). So when some one says Tunbridge Wells they would think Calverley Park. Connect with people and their every day life, whether using its direct routes as a more pleasant walk from one end of town to another or stopping for a cup of coffee and a rest whilst admiring the views, promising to come back another day to explore further. Connect Business so that they have a vested interest in the park staying well maintained (through Business rates). Concert venue, water and ice, fantastic planting scheme, restaurants, circular walk/run, all designed to pull visitors and regulars into the park. It should be part of the day when in Tunbridge Wells. 

Education about food. Local schools, colleges and higher education, to use the facilities and be hand on. Local markets to sell produce on the site. All the cafe's and restaurants to have a theme of fresh produce, cooked on site (no boil in the bag) and reasonable pricing to show good food does not have to be expensive. Large play area with bespoke designed equipment for the process of education through play. Circular walks of woodland and amazing planting.

Simular themes of connection and leisure incorporated in the design. User groups to have a say in the running of the park, so to attain adoption from the start.

An alternative experience of the landscape. Using the topography to our advantage, rather than being frightened of the challenges it throws up. Cutting into the landscape creating a valley with high sides, making and enclosure. The navigation is not obvious and is rewarded with surprise views of the park plus some enclosed viewing points over the lake. A contrast is the large grassed area's, very formal for play and relaxation. A concert stage cut into the hill looking over the lake (facing S/E). On the south facing side superb planting schemes to draw people in for a more meandering walk, exploring scent, colour and texture.

Upper area restaurant with fountains and ice rink in the winter. Water fall working its way down to the lake. Circular walk for the dog walkers and runners. Adoption as above encouraged.

So there we  have it, three big idea's, one choice. Your thoughts would be gratefully received. Still more development needed but its a start.

Quick post

Its late and probably like everyone else been at it solid for two days.

What i have learnt.

Pressure is both a good and bad thing. On the plus side it gets stuff down on paper, on the negative side , the improvement of the design is so great between the three designs that you want to start the first one again!!!

At least these are still at sketch stage. I can see sooooooo many  faults, a case of more speed less haste.

Rendering on trace with pro markers is like using paint, you can mix on the paper which is really handy to getaway from the formal look.

I can see so much detail justification that has to be sorted out. Plus lighting so much new stuff out there really want to make sure i don't miss anything as a lit space is a whole different world, just listen to Adele.

Bed and then face the music tomorrow!

Mind map when thinking about 'alternative.'

Materials; got as far as dismantling the 'Ark Royal', old communication satellites, Concorde and submarines.

Uses; ended up with time travel, the theory of space folding so that one could leap from one side to the other in an instant, or is that 'Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy', not sure, but some of these idea's were used , which is frightening for any visitor.

Light is Everything

Going stir crazy, so went out for a run, snow, clear sky and sunset with frosty mist rising from the snow. Soooooo pleased i took my camera. Best click on them to actually see. No alterations in colour, merged in PS for panoramas

Panasonic LX3

Galleries

Cropped,

http://gallery.me.com/hixondesign#100665&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Panoramas

http://gallery.me.com/hixondesign#100689&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Wigglesworth looks at Robin Hood rescue | News | Building Design

Following suggested links via Christine, toms regular contributor on his not insubstantial ( or is that a double negative, i am trying Joey) web site. I eneded reading about the proposed demolition of Robin Hood Gardens, and as usual got all hot under the collar (saves on heating bills) and 'shared' my thoughts on the subject. Not that anyone will ever take any notice, but its one step better than talking to yourself. Yes that's right, shhhhhh somebody may hear.

Wigglesworth looks at Robin Hood rescue | News | Building Design

Where on earth do they get their prices from? £70-100k pet unit, Coming form the construction industry that really is a load of tosh. This argument is put forward all the time and nobody ever challenges it.

As for what is replacing it, spot the difference? nope neither can I. The lessons from the 60's about not listening to communities and bulldozing on are alive and well by the sounds of it. Its so reassuring having our betters to do the thinking for us, m'Lord.

The core of the subject is people, place people with opportunities to better themselves in a community, you get the Barbican. Take away those opportunities and tell them they will lucky to get a job and if they do they should be satisfied with minimum wage, dump them on an estate, bingo! sink estate! A building is never going to solve how people see the world, opportunity and hope are the way out. As people take pride in themselves, then pride in their surroundings follows. This is were the modernists got it wrong (i love modernist buildings, and i am not an architect) people are not machines. Can we learn from this? Yes but foundations first, and recently the raising of student fee's (and its not only the young who go to University) has in one swoop put us back 40 years, degree's will now be privilege of the wealthy. Politicians hang your heads in shame.

I think the real issue is being brushed under the carpet. So whether Robin Hood stays or goes the issues in that area will remain. What a bloody waste.

What makes a great space?

Or what makes a space were people want to meet. Found this worth a look, as at the end of the day if one forgets about people during the bustle of trying to create a cool design then it will be an empty space and the first place were local councils will reduce budgets when times are tough. 

Though to be fair, we seem to have covered most of the words with our brain storming.

Spent a lot of time thinking (and commenting on other peoples sites) instead of working (paid work). Now have three days to put something down on paper.

So need to do some sketching. So do it!!!

Psychology of the Crowd

Talking to Joey yesterday about, yep you guessed it, politics. Reminded me of a series that was shown on the BBC a few years ago called 'The Century of the Self'.

It goes into the black art of Public Relations or its proper title Propaganda. And how successive governments and corporations have used this line of mass control to get us to purchase product not out of need, but desire. (Episodes on Google video really worth viewing alas low quality stream, but its about the content).

So how does this relate to our Projects? Well if you can understand the aspirations (desires conscious or subconscious) of the end users then there is more of a chance of the park being 'adopted' by said people. In the marketing of the park(s) at the beginning and end, always keeping our eyes on the end user. If you feel that they won't get 'it', then its about communication/education/marketing and ultimately changing their viewpoint/desire. You could link it to the change and acceptance of abstract art in our everyday life. There was a point when it was laughed out of town as  fraud, but now as a group we accept it. Education/manipulation/fashion who knows, but we want to be associated with it, and therefore our association with it we assume it will make us seem more cultured/intelligent to others, which could be seen as an advantage amongst our piers. This proves the point that 'new' need not necessarily be bad, its about 'viewpoint' and what benefit is it to the force that is 'self interest'

Self interest, what or how can it benefit 'me' as an end user, because if they (as groups of individuals) don't see a benefit to themselves we will have an abandoned space, again. With little maintenance and thus the snow balling effect of decline will run its course, again. It all rests on adoption/love of the people for the parks. Think, Angel of the North, adopted and loved, by the local community. Who want to be associated with it as its considered to represent them as a sophisticated community, Manipulation? who knows, but they feel good about themselves, when we visit and say how wonderful it is.

Big Picture, not the ego of the designer (or as Tom would put it Nester rather than Hunter).

Its not really about Fraud, but about Edward Bernays the father of the Public Relations movement, really frightening how easy it is,if you know how.


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6111922724894802811#docid=6718420906413643126

Edward Bernays

Off my soap box for another few days, Back to work!

Original idea?...nah don't exist!

Had an idea a for Calverley Grounds whizzing round my head for three weeks, then Jamie blurts it out!!!! DOH!!! I think i will still use it as one of my idea's, but as the saying goes 'nothing new under the sun'.

This next section does sound daunting, proper big school, no hiding behind the comfort of Hadlow College now.

What have i learnt this week? I am an internationalist by nature and my fear of nationalism also makes me suspicious of localism, thus (if) i have a design style then it would be along the lines of an international style, with a hint of local, but outward looking rather than inward, future looking rather than too much to the past as we should celebrate the now and not be downtrodden by the past and its design statements. That does not mean that we don't learn from the past, just don't mimic it. Confidence not timidity. High quality and grades of materials. Skilled tradesmen to construct with management systems that help not hinder.
And a high budget for ongoing maintenance, after all we all know that Park Citroen could be sooooo much better with some TLC.

Conclusion: we are all driven by our baggage ,not necessarily a bad thing, but worth being aware of nonetheless.

Babble over, Photojobo sent these photo's through, Will never see curry in quite the same way. A case of 'small is more'. Click on them to get the full effect.

Spilt milk

Post Adobe anger managment

Well what a day. Worked like the proverbial dog (as all of us) and bloody Adobe (or my ignorance in fairness) and image quality. So have sussed it (thanks to Jamie, as usual), well at least I think so, i will steam into it tomorrow.
Talking to Isabelle about music and in particular Classical and my personal struggle with pre mid 19th century classical music, i always see the issues of the time and thus judge the music by the issues as i see them.
I was recommended this album by a classical musician in a very high end hi-fi shop (appointment only, those were the days when i had money) when asked were should i start with Classical music, with no hesitation, Faure Requiem. Purchased that day and at first struggled with the pace, but as with any good music (or wine) it matures and gets into your Soul.
So when ever it all gets to much, this is the album that puts it all into perspective. A definite 'Desert island Disc'.
Calverley park designed with this as a theme, i can so see the Tunbridge Wells Choral Society loving this.You don't have to be an intellectual understand something that hits your soul. I was 24 at the time, so its not necessarily about age either (just in case you were thinking, old git).

http://listen.grooveshark.com

Then copy and paste in the search box

Faure: Requiem;Op48

If i had to rescue one track on my desert island as the other seven were washed out to sea,then it would be 'In Paradisum'

As for Jazz the place to start 'Kind of Blue' (Miles Davis). After many years of jazz, this album still holds its own.

Can you design around a musical theme?

The Garden Design Course started on an autoCAD theme (sorry a bit of me, me, me, going on here) to design for a bench for Hadlow college. My effort was around the context (in my opinion) of a 60's building, cool students (or so we think), a quick break in the area next to the canteen and to represent Hadlow College.

Dave Brubeck's, 'Take 5' (as in a 5 min break between lectures) a classic jazz standard from the sixtes.

So as a further tool for design idea's and spring boards?

How about 'God save the Queen' by the Sex Pistols for Jubilee Gardens?Connection Queens Silver Jubilee 1977.
After all its a 'fascist regime' apparently according to the late Mr Rotten.

Google it if you are not familiar, after the watershed though!

Happy Editing all!

Grant

Todays fashion is tomorrows disaster?

As i have been glued to buildings and materials this past couple of weeks (and most of my life building them), it struck me how fickle tastes are. Love the Tunbridge Wells Town Hall, and actually like the Axa Building opposite (along with the much maligned 'Barbican'). So why? I think time has an effect on softening our views and maybe understanding what the original concept was before it got lost amongst all the clatter of the baying 'heritage' mob.
I suppose its a case of the present mood, the optimism of the post war years for a fresh start gave us brash and bold design, not really thinking about the consequences when people had to actually live and work amongst these bold statements for new living. The point i think i am winding my way to is that a desire to create timeless pieces that are adopted by people. The Gherkin building in London for example is now an accepted part of the skyline.
How is it done? Who knows, but Faith and conviction play a major part along with a thick skin!
And with our present Tutors i am sure we are all developing a leather like shell.

Talking of a thick skin, a man who knew his brick bonds and would quite happily talk for hours about brickwork, Not sure Cameron would understand the joys of actually building rather than tearing down.

The Greatest Bricklayer of them all Winston Churchill, on a nice bit of 18" (450mm) brickwork.

Mystic Meg visits car park

When leaving late one evening from Avery Hill, noticed how a bit cold of mist can effect the haze of lighting. Very spooky, but enclosed by the darkness of the sky in contrast to the effective downlighting (to avoid light pollution) of the white lights (high pressure sodium i believe), compared to the orange (low pressure sodium, more efficient for luminosity to power consumed than the high pressure ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_efficacy). 

The white is more up lifting and 'safer' in a car park situation, but putting that aside for the moment, the white just looks better due to ability to bring out the green (ie white spectrum compared to orange) in the planting. Thoughts for both parks. I know blue works well with humans in low light as it works well with our non colour sensors (what ever they are called) in the back of our eyes. Which i believe are there for low light (ie the less light the more grey and white landscape we see) or is my school boy memory playing tricks again? Normal back of post card please.

Getting 'A back to the Future' flash back, expecting a Delorian to come screaming out of know were doing 80mph+ with maybe a long haired version of Tom Turner at the wheel after an adventure in some Renaissance carriage park (or should that be stable yard), he would so love that.

Hey Marvin..'Whats Going On'?

A bit peeved i missed the smashing fun at Tory HQ, and thank God i started the course when i did, as £6-9K per year would've been out of the question, so this policy is not Elitist then, my arse!

Back to the gentler world of Floristry, and friend who is at Hadlow asked me to give her some drawing/colouring in (rendering) lessons, at least she learnt how NOT to do it. The usual 1n(or so) glasses of wine for inspiration, m'lord.

Gauche, and some ink when dry. Usual style done in a matter of minutes, more on her expensive dinning table than on paper, but have to say a lot of fun. And i am keeping the day Job.

Dish cloth Flower.

                                    Vase and who knows what.


Found a park similar to Calverley, I used to live near it and the topography is very similar, so plenty of winter injuries tobogganing down the steep slope. The picture is overlaid in the same scale (no cheating, honest), with some photoshop reduction in opacity to let Calverley bleed through.

Black Magic

CS5 latest 'Bloody Hell' trick is called 'Content Aware'.

 Photomerged pictures in photoshop, nice. But to fill in the gaps?

Magnetic tool, invert, edit, fill, content aware,ok......wait, bloody hell!

Tidy up any little marks including school kids.

Sequence or Rhythm?.... as long as it's got that swing

Well I am sure I am not the only one who struggled with this. Enjoyed thinking about space and placement etc, but is it Rhythm? Only when i reached the last two I came to a conclusion, rhythm is a sequence, but lots of them. Sequence is part of the rhythm picture/groove. I purposely did not look at a dictionary to see if i could work it out by doing and thinking. Am I wrong? Find out Monday, oh it is already! Not a plane crash if I am wrong, enjoyed the challenge, the journey and all that.

Thinking about the Funky Drummer and how i could draw the beat in 8 squares (emphasis on the 4th beat according to James Brown, who am I to argue))

I have come to the conclusion they are all sequence apart from no 9

1 2

                                                  

3 4

               Autumn sycamore          Space Lab

 5 6

                                                         Traffic

       7

       Butterflys

 8

  8 is the strongest in my opinion. Had the thought of 'The Machine Age' and a certain scene from the film 'Metropolis' (silent and made i think in the twenty's). Not the kind of film that would go down to well with your Torygraph reading 'T Wellian'.

9

Rendering..good or bad?

Its not modern (1945) and its not clever, but i really like the simplicity of it. Back to my Janet and John view of T/Wells. The simplicity means that the idea is immediate rather than trying to look past fancy rendering covering up an average design (i am very much speaking to my self here). i am not saying i like the utilitarian design (form follows function), but there is a certain honesty about it. Plus the instructive Gill Sans font, very 'KEEP OFF THE GRASS'.

Or am i talking blather?

Harry Wingfield illustrated books of the period, very idealistic. 

A4 Quick Sketch Designs.. a bit mad.

A couple of sketch designs, a quick style with pro markers, and some photoshop filters to make it look a bit more abstract.

As for doing a proper m/plan still not found a style, but i don't really like the realistic look at it dictates whereas an abstract style adds atmosphere (depending on the style of abstraction or should it be impression, well you get my point).

 

 

Line Path

 Had a go and understood the more i did it. A hilly bit of woodland. The feel rather depends on the time of year. Summer hard, compacted and dusty. Winter wet, slippery or rock hard. Seasons colours, sounds and smells. All very poetic, but relevant.

Had a thought about a windy day. A lot to remember for future surveys.

Scanned colour sheet...Results

Promarker pens, all the warm greys. The greens and other colours I tend to use.
Scanned then printed.
As expected the vibrance has gone and it seems blue added making the warm greys colder.
Will have a go with other media.