Focus Week 10.03.2008

I visited London Open City Exhibition at Somerset House to learn more about the landscape projects and strategies currently taking place in London. The work displayed looked at efficient and creative ways of using public space. It includes the Mayors 100 new public spaces and the East London Green Grid, which are schemes aiming to create a network of enriched public spaces which have easy access to them- more aimed at the pedestrian than private vehicles so it is more sustainable and will also encourage people to use public transport.

Above: A screen shot of a moving image illustrating the need for more pedestrian pathways across busy roads in the city.

I also visited the Natural Stone Show at the ExCel to learn about different types of stone and what they can be used for for different landscapes. There were many companies from different countries exhibiting at the show including Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, Japan, and China.

Barcelona March '08

I travelled to Barcelona in March and stayed for 5 days to explore the City and its Olympic landscapes. I wanted to compare its success to London's aims for the 2012 Olympics which will help me write my extended essay on regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley.

Above: Rambla del Mar in Port Vell. This boarded promenade stretches across the harbour to the MareMagnum shopping mall and the aquarium. It was really packed this day as the sun was shining. It is centrally located along the waterfront adjacent to the Ramblas so many people are able to access it.

Above is Anella Olympica adjacent to the Olympic Stadium. When i visited using the Bus Turistic, it was nice to see people still using the landscape 16 years after the Games were there. A class of school children were playing football on the grass in the background and other tourists roamed the site taking pictures. This place was amazing. It had breath-taking views, situated on the highest part of Montjuic with 360-degree views of the sea below and mountains behind. The yellow chimney like columns de-humanizes the space, as they are so huge in scale.

I took this photograph at Port Olympica. This green sits on top of an underground car park, an effective way of keeping public space on ground level and diverting the cars underneath so city space is not compromised. I wanted to capture the old men sitting on top of the car park entrance looking over to the waterfront. It must be their local spot to socialise and relax!

Above: Port Forum. This part of the project I thought was really well designed. The yellow wall and the boarded walkway bring out the colours in the sandstone tiles. The sea water is then linked through with the blue rendered wall, typical sea side colours but they are made contemporary when laid next to the Sandstone (Indian?). The herbatious planting in the centre softens the level drop between the two pathways and adds a softer texture to the hard landscaping that surrounds. In the distance the Forum Esplanade (a landmark energy centre) has a sculptural concrete structure with a simple plane of photovoltaic floating off four concrete supports. In order to maximize solar exposure throughout the year, the panel faces south and is tilted at a 35° angle. It generates approx. 554 MWh a year.