Weekly Watcher: STOSS

 Having watched the short weekly 'watcher' on STOSS Landscape Urbanism, I decided to comment on the video, and their projects on my blog, and to consider on how I could use this as inspiration for current and future projects. In terms of the video, I found it visially intriguing how most of the visuals were in simple line form, and predominantly in black and white/greyscale. I feel this put more emphasis on the actual lines and forms being shown, as well as causing the sections that were in colour/more detailed to be more eye catching and draw more attention to them. When looking at their projects, it is interesting seeing that the general shapes of design elements are geometric shapes. The edges of each component are also curvaceous/organic and simultaneously geometric which I believe could be something beneficial to explore in future projects and designs, and to discover what effect these shapes and techniques might have on the usability and feel of the spaces.

Following watching this video, I decided to further look on the STOSS website to explore their other projects and work. One of their projects which stood out to me was the Triangle Park Urban Forest in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This project demonstrates both geometric shapes and forms, alongside softer, natural forms in the form of planting, and some curvaceous and softer edges to the hard landscaping. The heavy tree cover and urban woodland style is something I could take away and consider something similar for the North Place site I am working on at the moment. I also think the "urban grove" idea with seating below is a concept which could be explored for North Place as a social and meeting place for the local community, while also creating somewhere which feels more safe and intimate using planting (trees) as the main feature. (More info available here: https://www.stoss.net/projects/downtown-plazas/triangle-park)

Video Available at: https://vimeo.com/732206479



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

North Place: Sketchbook Site Layout Idea Sketches

Image
 I decided to get some early, rough sketches down in my sketchbook with regards to ideas for the North Place site in Cheltenham. These were done using both ballpoint pen and colouring pencils. These sketches are by no means developed or deeply thought out ideas, these were simply me roughly sketching the site and thinking about what could work with the placement, and rough sizes of compononents. I used the brief's design criteria to try and ensure all components were integrated, even at this early stage of the process. The green in these sketches not only represents green space and green 'corridors' through the site, but also the potential flows/paths/movements of people through the space. The main missing component from this sketch idea which I would like to integrate as I develop ideas is a bus/coach exchange or station where groups of people can easily access the site. This could also be useful as people who store their bicycles or cars at this facility could use the bus...
Read more

Reader Reflection: In a Nutshell

 "Make every tree a wanted tree." The quote above (Sinden, 1989, p. 10) really stood out to me when reading an extract of In a Nutshell:  Manifesto for Trees and a Guide to Growing and Protecting Them. This reader certainly reiterates my own feelings towards protecting and valuing trees more than our society already does. Many people simply do not understand the value of trees, not only ecologically, but to the people who've lived their lives around these trees. You can also consider, 'how many historical events has this tree seen?'. Although trees don't have eyes or nervous systems (that we know of!), I believe that considering how many historical events or generations they have loved through is a great way of giving trees personality and ensuring people value them enough to care for and keep them. Another point in this reader which many people don't consider is reducing their paper usage and recycling it where possible. We still, even in the digital age,...
Read more

Sketching in the French Alps

Image
 Below is an example of a 0.5mm ballpoint pen sketch which I did while on a ski holiday in Flaine, France over the Christmas break. I am happy with this sketch as I believe it accurately represents the view from outside of the hotel where we were staying. I think that this is well proportioned and perspectived on the whole.
Read more