Where will I be aiming to go from the previous project? What aspects will be transferred across, what will not? Within my previous project, my main themes were urban agriculture and self-sufficiency. These themes are integral to the next stage of this project.
The aim of this new project is to design a hybrid building. My personal aim would be to design a multi-functional building that incorporates ideas of urban farming, greenery, energy producing, minimal waste schemes in an attempt to be self-sufficient.
As mentioned within my previous blog, a main aspect of this project is focusing on urban growth and the increase in population that is inevitable within cities. Urban agriculture would be essential to help provide food to local residents and markets. Increasing food production within cities will help resolve issues such as: traffic pollution from transporting crops, air pollution from introducing additional greenery and feeding the population. Through this, encouraging minimal waste, implementing energy producing strategies, the buildings we design can become self-sufficient. With additional greenery and also an opportunity to return to our roots, it can help increase quality of life, encourage exercise, improve mental health and provides opportunity for education on agriculture.
Aim: To design a hybrid building taking into consideration a variety of factors.
Factors:
Population growth/minimal space: With an increase in population within our cities, “global population living in cities is set to increase to 68% by 2050”, we will need to consider not wasting any space. With limited spaces within condensed cities, how can we design buildings to make the most of the surrounding space? How can we accommodate more residents without inflicting on quality of life?
Climate change/sustainability: When designing for the future, we need to ensure that there is a minimum impact on the surrounding environment. How will the buildings we design withhold in the future? They need to be designed to be sustainable and have a low carbon footprint. With climate change rapidly changing our Earth, how can we design to ensure that there will be a positive impact on the environment?
Multiple facilities: How can different functions be united to create our designs? What facilities will be essential now and in the future? We need to include additional facilities that will overall improve residential areas and local life.
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.
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.
