MA Student Shortlisted for LI Green Infrastructure Competition

A proposal by Scott Badham (in close collaboration with Ian Fisher) reconceiving London's transport arteries as key elements in the city's Green Infrastructure, has been shortlisted for the LI's Green Infrastructure Competition.

[RE] Structure

We have opened a toolbox whose contents fix the separation of anthropocentric and biocentric (Infra) structures, by fusing what at first appear to be divergent conditions of operational activity.

Utilising the key public transport arteries, which define London as a city, these are (re)envisioned both as mobile and grounded elements, which provide direct ecological connectivity throughout the urban structure.

Biocentric “mats” and “sleeves” define this approach. In this example these have been layered on to existing formal elements of public transport infrastructure (bus and the DLR) but are potentially extendable to all public utilities.

In particular the mobility of the bus, with its “mat” of vegetation, specially selected to maximize surface area and absorb particulate (PM10”s) and gaseous pollution, acts as a local and urban infrastructural conditioner.

The “sleeve” is staged as a medium for algal growth, which acts as a biocentric engine, cleansing run off and producing a rich array of by-products, which are looped in to the infrastructure as an unseen element to support further ecological connectivity.

The universal nature of this toolbox reinforces London’s position as a centre of innovation, but at the same time through its application to the local transport infrastructure, provides a unique identity to the city.

Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award

"The IFLA Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award is the highest honor that the International Federation of Landscape Architects can bestow upon a landscape architect. The Award recognizes a living landscape architect whose lifetime achievements and contributions have had a unique and lasting impact on the welfare of society and the environment and on the promotion of the profession of landscape architecture"  (IFLA)

This year one of my highly respected Hungarian professors, Mihály Mőcsényi, has been awarded whose work has inspired hundreds of landscape architecture students, widened our view about the profession, and shaped our way of thinking. 

If you would like to find out more about the Award and Professor Mőcsényi, please visit:

http://www.iflaonline.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=82

http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/2012-sir-geoffrey-jellicoe-award-goes-to-mihaly-mocsenyi/#.UFgquVQu1br

http://www.toposmagazine.com/blog/sir-geoffrey-jellicoe-award-2012-goes-to-mihaly-moecsenyi.html

Photo (by Sándor Bardóczi): Desiree Martínez (president of IFLA), Dr. Mihály Mőcsényi (Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award recipient, 2012), Ilya Michailov (General Secretary of IFLA)

The National Trust Natural Childhood Report

In the news today there was an article (link here) about the National Trust's Natural Childhood Report. This is about how parents are not allowing their children outside to play like they used to because of fears over health and safety, mainly 'stranger danger' and worries about road traffic. The report says that as a result children are not only loosing touch with nature but their social, mental and physical development is being affected leading to problems in later life.

 I thought this was a very important thing to consider as landscape architects; to create safer streets and neighbourhoods with accessible green spaces, especially important in cities where nature can sometimes be scarce. So below I've done a little brainstorm of some of the points from the report.

 
Sophie Thompson
(More on my blog)

A Perfect Union

The Marriage of Horticulture and Architecture

The Society of Garden Designers are hosting their biannual conference this Autumn, bringing together the themes of horticulture and architecture. With eminent speakers including Kate Baker (Dip. Arch), Patrick Blanc, John Brookes (MBE, FSGD), Andrea Cochran (FASLA) and chaired by Brita von Schoenaich (Dip Hort Kew, MLI) this is a fantastic opportunity. Hearing the stories of successful professionals can be a real source of inspiration as well as showing us the human side and helping us keep in touch with reality. Conferences are a great way to network with kindred spirits who share our aspirations and passion for Landscape Architecture at it's best.

To find out more about the speakers please click here.

© Marion Brenner

Sian Bury - Landscape Architecture Student

IFLA Student Design Competition

IFLA student design competition

IFLA have announced their prestigious annual student design competition. The deadline is 30th November and the title is:

'Redemptive Landscape Architecture'

http://www.ifla2013.com/student-competition/

Students are encouraged to enter. If you would like to, please let your year tutor know and we will try to form a single student team. It would be great if this were possible.

Major changes to Oxford Road

As part of the Oxford Road corridor project, a significant change to access along the university stretch of the road is planned.  All are invited to comment on the link provided in the text below or by attending one of the consultation events. Please make your voices - as landscape architects with a very local interest - heard!

CONSULTATION began this week on major changes to traffic on Oxford Road proposed by Transport for Greater Manchester.

Views are being sought on the ‘bus priority package’ which affects movements around All Saints and Elizabeth Gaskell and prioritises public transport and cycling over car use.
Under the proposals Oxford Road would be car-free from the Capitol Theatre/Grosvenor Street corner, south as far as Hathersage Road, open only to buses, bikes, black cabs, and emergency vehicles.
Car traffic would be diverted along Upper Brook Street, Lloyd Street North, Cambridge Street, and only allowed to travel north along the Mancunian Way section of Oxford Road.
Cambridge Street
Other proposals up for discussion, include cycle lane along Cambridge Street and higher Cambridge Street and new pedestrian crossings at the junction of Cambridge Street and Cavendish Street.
A four-week consultation runs until October 3 when anyone with a view can contact TfGM buspriority@tfgm.com, or alternatively you can attend public events at:
- Monday, 17 September 2 – 7pm at Greenheys Adult Learning Centre, Upper Lloyd Street, M14 4AZ
- Monday, 24 September 2 -7 pm at The Lounge, The Deaf Centre, Crawford House, Booth Street East, M13 9GH.

Budapest Summer school

Summer School in Budapest 2012

 Summer school 2012 in Budapest was two fantastic weeks that went by very fast. The first week was excellent, going around Hungry, really getting to know the country and all its character. We got to really explore the surroundings and have some free time in the evenings, where we got to taste the local foods. It was not all a walk in the park and a holiday, which we found out in the second week. We were set a lot of work, but it was interesting and thought provoking. We had to work with various different nationalities and learn how to work in new ways. There was a lot of work set to complete in a small space of time, but it pushed us to produce our best work under pressure.

I really enjoyed the summer school and I would definitely do it all again!

Budapest Summer School pt.2

It was an intensive, yet enjoyable couple of weeks on the Budapest Corvinus Summer School. The first week was spent traveling to various Hungarian landscapes and participating in workshops and lectures. This orientated us within the approach of Hungarian landscape design and the cultural landscape uses that the climate allows.



The second week focused on the project area, Normafa, which has a complex and unique history, and variety of historical and current leisure uses. This allowed a design process of arranging facilities/uses and making visible the historical layers of the site to ease orientation and use, this was invaluable to my experience of landscape design, which had previously focused on creating new uses for existing sites. It was refreshing to engage with a multinational team and understand the different approaches of each landscape school as well as that of Corvinus, gaining new ideas, techniques and friends.

Amber Roberts (MIRIAD student)

Budapest, Summer School

Corvinus University, Budapest, Summer School 2012,

Hear the words Summer School and you think “Are you crazy? Why would you go to school in the summer?” But the 2012 Summer School organised by the Landscape Architecture department of Corvinus University was a great opportunity to meet and work with landscape students from across Europe in the wonderful city of Budapest, so full of history and culture – how could you say no?? The two week programme included lectures both from the university professors and visiting professors, tours and visits around Budapest, a two day excursion to Lake Balaton and a landscape project to finish. With evening activities such as wine tasting, traditional Hungarian dancing and sampling Budapest’s wide selection of bars there was plenty of opportunity for socialising and, sorry for the cliché, making friends. This jam packed programme with both the day and night activities gave us a rich education not just on the landscape of Budapest and Hungary but also its culture, history and people. Although challenging (due to the heat and the project work) the experience was undoubtedly enriching and if asked to attend another summer school the answer would be igen köszönöm! Alice Murphy (below a selection of images from the two weeks, a few of my favourites)

SUMMER SCHOOL 2012, HUNGARY

In July 2012, the Corvinus University of Budapest organised a summer school on ’Landscape Protection and Management Techniques’. The purpose of the course was to inform students about landscape protection and management principles and techniques in Hungary, through lectures, site visits, and tutorials. Four students from Manchester, Alice Murphy, Amber Roberts, Craig Mitchell and Stuart Walker took successfully part in the programme, together with other landscape students from all around Europe. Their reports will be posted soon!

Call for Slic representative

At SLIC (the student committee of the LI) we are looking for another MMU student to join our very friendly committee. So what do we do at SLIC? SLIC unites students across the UK. It is a forum for engaging students with the LI and each other via events, competitions and activities. We are the student voice of the LI and our universities and we meet about 3-4 times a year to discuss matters which are of interest/concern to students, network and socialise. Our main objective is to annually organise the student conference with lots of interesting speakers, activities and social events. It is a very friendly bunch of people and a great opportunity to meet like minded folk, cv building etc. To be eligible you have to be enrolled in the next academic year and be an LI student member. Our first meeting will be on the 22.09 from 9am until around 17.00. The LI reimburses you for travel and lunch. If you like to join please drop me an email slicmmu@gmail.com

The photos shown were taken at this years SLIC conference.

Las Médulas

A few images of a recent visit to this astonishing world heritage landscape in El Bierzo, north west Spain. The area was the largest gold mine in the Roman Empire and vast tracts of land were carved out by a dramatic process of 'hydraulic mining', through flooding tunnels bored under mountains. The landscape this has created today is a deep forested bowl, overlooked by gigantic red sandstone teeth. Vast, hollowed out tree skeletons add to the sense of invading a lost world.

"What happens is far beyond the work of giants. The mountains are bored with corridors and galleries made by lamplight with a duration that is used to measure the shifts. For months, the miners cannot see the sunlight and many of them die inside the tunnels. This type of mine has been given the name of 'ruina montium'. How dangerous we have made the Earth!" 

From: 'Natural History', Pliny the Elder

Manchester in a Day

Have a look at this wonderful, poetic film of the changing light and weather over central Manchester, over 24 hours earlier this year, taken from high up in Piccadilly Place.

vimeo.com/44390317