006_works

This is final installment for my edible garden project and The Right to the City (That is in relation to the exhibition, with a little luck the garden will survive for many more weeks, months and even years).
So, I'll start off with the only part of the garden I didn't build entirely myself. Stage 3, the vertical garden. I managed to get two of my lovely volunteers to use coffee sacks as a soil storage medium. In this garden we planted: lemon thyme, basil, coriander and mint. The coriander didn't last long, i'm not entirely sure what ate it, now we're just left with stalks. (haha)

The vertical garden was definitely the crowd favourite.
I've included some of my sketches amongst the next few images as a comparison of concept and realisation.
This is shows the fourth and final stage of the garden, the 'eclectic' plot as i've been calling it as it was originally supposed to be composed of many pots donated by volunteers, staff etc.. In the end I used coffee sacks which I planted out with a range of plants, from herbs (of course!) to veggies and citrus trees. There are carrots and a few other veggies which won't have reached maturity by the end of the exhibition, which will hopefully give the garden a bit more longevity.

This is one of my favourite parts of the whole project, it anchors the garden to the site. Makes it as though the garden has a place in the courtyard rather than just being wheeled in place for the exhibition. This is my recycled downpipe and gutter setup. Clamps allowed for quick installation on the day, and and easy bump out in the future.

The final part of the project is the DIY hydroponic garden. This consists of milk crates (found in the street), old newspaper, milk bottles and egg cartons collected from work. A big thanks to JD for coming up with this scheme. It adds a nice rustic touch to the whole garden.

To finish off I included an original sketch of how I wanted to pallet garden to work as well as the final result. It was so exciting to see everyone's positive reactions to the garden on opening night. A couple of people said that the garden was their favourite part of the whole exhibition (the people didn't even know that I had played a role in it's creation).

I'll keep you posted on the life of the garden after the exhibition ends.
If the garden is actually going to have some significance and be more than just a token effort that's when I'll find out. This is not the end...

006_inspiration

This firm has to be one of my biggest inspirations to date.
Monday night I went to a talk given by Luis Callejas from Paisajes Emergentes, spanish for "Emerging Landscapes". The firm consists of 3 young Colombian architects (they're all in their late 20s).  The work Luis showed was so beautifully thought through and meticuliously realised, both in terms of physical construction and (predominantly) competition entries.
Recently the Colombian government has introduced laws to reduce corruption, this has manifested itself in the form of architectural competitions open too all firms rather the exclusivist mentality that previously existed.
Here are some examples of works by Paisajes Emergentes:

Firstly a competition as part of an attempt to prevent Heathrow from constructing a third runway in the middle of the surrounding suburbs. Paisajes explored the British laws allowing people to utilise the airspace above their homes. 

Second is another competition that required an existing airport to be converted into a water park. Paisajes used the existing runway as the basis for the 'lake', with various types of water park from swampland to recreational activity lake.

Finally, is one of Paisajes's few built works. A pool complex in their home town in Colombia. They were asked to produce the traditional type of massive building with pools inside. What was produced were outdoor gardens and pools. Beautiful.

Make sure to check out the Paisajas Emergentes website.

005_works

URBAN FARM_PART 2_The No-Dig Method

The No-Dig garden was developed by a Sydney gardener Esther Dean in the 1970's.
As part of the edible garden for The Right to the City I established an experimental bed using this method. I found a great description of the method on the Gardening Australia website. For my own No-Dig garden I used pea straw, chicken manure and compost out of a worm farm. I once again planted various herbs and lettuces such that I could compare the results with the conventional garden I put together at the start of the garden project.

 

 I've included some images of the process above, as well as a photoshopped image that I put together for fun. It was perfect really, once the garden was all put together and smelling of fresh manure a fire alarm forced the inhabitants of the building to evacuate and fill the forecourt. People were somewhat forced to look at the next stage of the garden. Great!

Stay tuned for more updates...

005_inspiration

While looking through BLDGBLOG the other day I came across this amazing video. It is so beautifully shot and elegant in it's simplicity. To think it's an ad for a mobile phone.
If only more ads were this unoffensive and sophisticated.



I've watched this so many times. Bach never sounded so good.
It was put together for a Japanese mobile phone company called Docomo by Drill Inc. Drill Inc's website is slightly annoying to use however it is well worth a look.


For the whole article check it out at BLDGBLOG.