Refine that design

Another couple of 1:50 layers (currently being further refined) plus a couple of sketchy elevations done in class on Monday:

Had to stop and consider the planting in greater detail at this point as the excessive vagueness was making it difficult to progress. The planted area between the water and the path has been causing me problems (sorry - opportunities!). Quite possible I've been trying to overcomplicate things, if that's at all believable! New paths also seem to be forming (to access the rocks), the bamboo is contracting and trees seem to be sprouting up all over the place. You really do get a different view at 1:50.

Apols for rubbish pics - had to stand on a chair to take them and nearly had a working at height accident this time - design is dangerous.

Decisions, decisions...

So many ideas, so little time! Not a bad dilemma really, to be fair.

Working on my 1:50 area now, and there's so many bits to make decisions about! The water source feature, a bit of paving sneaking in, wall, ground surface, the bridge, not to mention planting. (Some of these decisions should have been made at 1:200 of course - the scenic route strikes again.) Feeling mildly obsessed - half my attention is constantly on bamboo or water features or marginal plants or 3 billion other things. Amazing anyone's still talking to me really. Currently drinking green tea in a bid to feel intelligent and creative...possibly not as effective as Sid's cava method, but worth a try!

Just like the change from 1:500 to 1:200 I've found I need to draw in (rough) axo or just sketch bits and bobs in order to understand the space better before going back to plan. I need to make a model ideally, but can't see that happening tonight. Want to get thinking about planting a bit more - might just manage to catch up with everyone else for this third module then at least, which would be brilliant.

Some VERY ROUGH sketches exploring the water source feature:

And the first plan layer:

Using colour at this point is really really helpful too. I haven't used it for plans before this project - in fact I've barely used any colour at all until recently, even for perspectives etc. How odd.
:

Design frost

Several more layers later...

1:200 not-quite-frozen design for Dickens Square. Much more comfortable with this - there were quite a few awkward areas which have been smoothed out and the wetland has enlarged again too. I think it's more balanced now, and less fussy.

Still need to draw up and annotate properly, then move onto overlays for hard and soft materials, structural planting, lighting and drainage - time to start considering detail again after forcing myself to let go of such fripperies for the last couple of weeks! Also need to explore the design a bit further with a model, and some sections and sequential sketches.

Permafrost has not quite set in yet then, but the temperature is definitely dropping! And in real life, the sun is out. Good.

Zooming in

First draft 1:200 refinement of the park formerly known as Dickens Square (new title tbc!), drawn yesterday. I was having trouble picturing it just in plan form, so it's a freehand sort-of axo, which really helped. Adding little stick people all over the place did too, as my brain was having trouble adapting to a different scale - gives a bit more life even to a scrawl like this too.

Speaking of scale, you really do get a sense of how massive some of the spaces are when you start zooming in. Which is good for the wetland (which I had thought was too small) and not so good for the giant cafe deck and 7m wide pathways!

Several layers more to go of course, but I'm actually quite pleased with this - what a strange sensation! Maybe it's just the very welcome sense of progress...

28 layers later

Insomnia strikes again, so here's some pics I took earlier of my 1:500 masterplan. Here are the layers on layers on layers...

 

And the draft final (pre-annotation):

I'm slightly confused about where I am in the process - the design is frozen now, but presentation is still definitely draft! And it's more important to move onto 1:200 than do final presentation, and I haven't done sections etc yet either. This is what happens when you take the scenic route I suppose. Happy to still be on any kind of route, but a little bit nervous when I start totting up all the bits that still need doing!

Incidentally, I've never used Promarkers directly onto trace before, and I won't be doing it again - what a mess! Sadly, no A1 printer at home though, so needs must...
 

99 Failures

Browsing structures during a little drawing break...
This is the 99 Failures Pavilion from the Digital Fabrication Lab at the University of Tokyo, so-called after its "...adherence to the idea that repeated failures are the gateway to success".
I think the interwebs are talking to me...I've really held myself back by feeling like drawings even at sketch stage have to be 'right' in some way, or exact, or something, when it's really just the first step of a much longer journey. Bit of a belated revelation, I do realise!  Coloured Sharpies are my new best friends. Off to fail with them again now :-)

Lovely lovely shadows!

More here: http://inhabitat.com/ninety-nine-failures-pavilion-is-built-from-ninja-star-shaped-steel-pillows/99-failures-pavilion-dfl-2/

Sunday night fun!

Oof, I am TOO SLOW! Really irritating myself now. I love this subject so much and am like a snail stuck in concrete. A snail with no spatial awareness at that. VERY FRUSTRATING!!! Just venting...

Some more procraspiration (I am drawing too!) - think I might need more wetland in my wetland. The sound of the rain pummelling my window yet again might be responsible for this thought however!

Camley Street Natural Park; this is behind Kings Cross and, for once, I've actually visited a few times as I used to work very near by and once spent a day painting the boardwalk. It's surrounded by (former) industrial buildings, offices, railway, massive busy roads etc, and isn't very big, but is a real haven in the city and very geared towards community participation, particularly children.

Tanner Springs Park in Portland. A very different style, but I like how the water is the 'ground' in this part. You can go right up to the water's edge, so it feels very open and welcoming. (Not sure how that works for wildlife.) Interesting fencing too.