Concept model
Sketches 3.0
Sketches
These sketches are random designs of residential units. They incorporate nature and gardening spaces on the rooftops.
Beginning sketches
Looking at using large spaces, this car park seems to be a good potential site based on my found statistics. Many people in Peckham do not own a car, this space can be utilised to benefit Peckham in a different way.
Taking the use of bridges from the precedent by Kengo Kuma, the bridges in my concept would link different buildings. It would allow direct links to different areas.
To incorporate the use of farming, there could be a floor dedicated to indoor vertical farming and a floor dedicated to outdoor farming. The indoor farms would allow for fruits and vegetables that need a hot climate to be grown all year round.
A unique concept is the first one below. The building could be make up of a unique shape rotated on a single point. These could create steps on the outside of the building leading to the top. There could be bridges to each building with platforms coming off them that can be used for outdoor farming, garden or greenery space.
Eco-Luxury Hotel
A project by Kengo Kuma that has been designed for Paris.
- Unconventional
- Wooden architecture
- Traditional Paris inspired balconies
- Lush vegetation
- Ambitious
- Multifunctional
- Sustainable
- Landmark
- Innovative
- Greenery
- Embraces nature within urban landscape
Vertical Forest
Name: Vertical Forest
Architects: Stefano Boeri
Location: Milan, Italy
Notes:
- Residential building
- Construction was completed in 2014
- 110 and 76 metres tall
- Has 400 condominium units
- Nature within cities
- Embraces Nature
- Equivalent to 30,000 square metres of woodland and undergrowth
- 2500 thousand plants growing on the towers´ balconies
- 5,000 shrubs
- 800 trees
- Wastewater from the building is used to water the plants
- Wastewater is filtered using the energy provided from solar panels
- Self-sufficient
- Architectural biodiversity
- 90 species of plants
- Welcoming wildlife
- New plants have attracted birds and insects
- Allows a relationship between humans and other living species
- The plants filter fine-particle pollution (the city’s traffic)
- The plants produce oxygen and absorbs CO2
Information from: https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/vertical-forest/
Peckham Proposal
My proposal for Peckham would be to introduce more greenery and art areas. It would be beneficial to focus on the commercial areas and how they can be improved through urban agriculture. Can having more nature improve our cities?
Peckham is a very diverse ethnic area, within the area there are many different ethnic restaurants and takeaways. Within the UK, we know that 40% of our food is imported. An idea I want to propose was that there could be communal or private gardens designated to different cuisines. Restaurant or takeaway owners could grow their own ethnic crops right in the area where they sell it or create their dishes. The produce would be fresh, and the owners know exactly where it has come from, and what has gone into the production of these vegetables (chemicals, fertilisers etc). It would be a good opportunity to create new jobs for those who want to employ someone to tend the crops.
With residential communal gardens, it could also be an opportunity to help feed the those in need but also acts as an educational point for the younger generation to learn essential skills. Not only would this bring more exotic foods to the UK, but it would also reduce traffic pollution and lesson the need for long-distance imports.
With growing vegetables in city, it could generate the opportunity for better waste management schemes. Food waste could be used for compost, making natural fertiliser for the crops. It would mean that no grown food goes to waste, it could also generate profit if there is an abundance of fertiliser that can be sold to other companies.
Peckham is a suburban area, so it is dominated by concrete, metal, and brick. There is not much greenery within this area, even where there is empty space. When making the city greener, there would need to be better pathways that are easy to navigate. Thus, making it safer for children and the elderly. More nature would reduce pollution making the air cleaner. An increased amount of green space would encourage exercise and opportunities for pitches and courts to be implemented.
An important aspect of Peckham shops is that they have large openings into the store rather than a small door. This makes the area more inviting and allows the owners to put their goods closer to the public. It engages with the public better than what a small, enclosed space does. This should be an aspect of Peckham that is embraced rather than changed.
Art within Peckham should be embraced. There isn’t a single area in Peckham where you can look and not see artistic expression. Certain areas could be used for design, encouraging the people of the city to express themselves. This can be done by implementing buildings or walls dedicated to expression. If it is displayed in one place it can become and installation artwork area where the work can be appreciated by locals. Perhaps companies can be encouraged to commission local artists to paint relevant images to the shutters on their shops when they are closed.
Peckham is a high traffic area and there are a lot of pedestrians in this area throughout the days. Making safer, perhaps wider pathways would be a safer option. If there are direct links between different places, it would make it safer for pedestrians to navigate different places. If there are less areas for cars, it would reduce potential collisions.
Peckham Solutions
In my previous Design: Major Project blogs (Visiting Peckham and Initial look at the site), I discussed my initial view of the site, my visit to Peckham, what it was like and briefly mentioned what could be changed.
Would it be possible for the people of Peckham to express their creativity more frequently? Could there be certain areas dedicated to graffiti and painting? This could be a space where the community can come together for group projects. It could become a social activity for all ages, meeting to express themselves.
There could be more greenery in Peckham. Nature could be more dominant than man-made roads. It would encourage people to walk and could potentially reduce congestion and pollution. It could make Peckham cleaner with fresher air and greener helping locals mentally. Additionally, due to there being many schools nearby, it would be essential to include these natural areas to give children safer places to play. With larger greenery areas, there could be more play areas, sport courts and pitches that could be made available to clubs and the public.
Peckham is very commercial based, so it is a necessity for small and large businesses to remain. In highstreets, there would need to be spaces above the shops so that the owners of these shops can live close by. For example, if changed to high-rises, shops should be based on the ground floor with the owners being able to live on the first floor directly above their business.
Visiting Peckham
Visiting Peckham has been an important part of this project so far. We needed to visit the site to get an understanding of what is there and who is there. What is it that makes Peckham, Peckham?
It was very different being in Peckham than Portsmouth or Southampton. It seemed to constantly be busy; the street was filled with people, the roads filled with cars. There did not seem to be a quiet moment. My partner drove us to Peckham, so I got to see a comparison of central London and Zone 2 of London. The drivers in London seemed to be quite inpatient and unforgiving. They seemed to know exactly where they were going, and they weren’t going to let anyone get in the way of that. When in central London, you are surrounded by high rise buildings covered in glass and fancy cars. Peckham seemed to be a much more modest version of Central London.
One thing that stood out about Peckham was the artistic expression. In every direction there is graffiti on the walls, some of it was writing and some of it was simply patterns. There did not seem to be a street that was free of graffiti, almost as if the entirety of Peckham was a canvas. Personally, I don’t find anything wrong with graffiti. It shows that there needs to be somewhere in Peckham where people can express themselves and show their creativity. Peckham Levels would be a good example of this, but what if the people of Peckham could take it into their own hands and create the designs they want, wherever they want?
Within Peckham there is one area on the route that is not shown on google maps. Some of the previous structure had been demolished and, in its place, stands Peckham Palms. This building is in an interesting area as you can see old, new, broken and being rebuilt. It doesn’t fit quite fit into its surrounding making it a unique sight. It’s a very modern building in when compared to the buildings that are around it; it seems to not have embraced what is already there.
The Peckham Peace wall is a concept that I have not seen before. All over this wall by Peckham library were little notes based around peace. It was a deep insight to what the local people think of their home and the world surrounding them.
There were a variety of materials within Peckham that I saw ranging from brick, metal, and concrete. The material palette would make for interesting designs, the materials quite obviously aging over time. Perhaps this could be taken advantage of? The buildings could tell a story based on the materials they are made of.
