THE BRIEF

We will put together a pack of feasibility drawings for an initial design proposal for the Manchester Botanical gardens. The proposal will be a mixture of new build and renovation work. The design will then be submitted by the client to grant and funding schemes such as the national lottery to try and raise funding for the project.
We understand that the proposal must include:
1. Temperature controlled greenhouses along the side of the grade II listed wall to be removed and replaced in the same location due to certain plants.
2. New purpose built space to host visitors such as members of the public and school groups.
3. Existing staff building to either be replaced or renovated to make fit for purpose. Space to include mess room and an office big enough for 3 people.
4. A lockable store where landscaping and gardening equipment can be housed - please indicate what equipment would need to be stored so we can allow enough space.
5. New boiler house to be smaller and can be relocated on site.
6. Large open garages to be removed.
7. Dark, damp greenhouse at back of site to be renovated.

Landscaping:
8. A connection and access route to be made between Botanical gardens and the Chancellor’s hotel so that spaces can be used in conjunction for functions such as weddings.
9. A new pond to be relocated on site.
10. A woodland walk to support shade loving plants.
11. A variety of different planting beds.

FUNDING

The client is looking to fund the project through grant schemes. They will apply to the Wellcome Trust, National Lottery fund and internally at the University of Manchester. In order to win funding from these bodies we had to look at what the funding requirements were. They all stressed the importance of providing something for the local community.
The criteria for the National Lottery funding states that it looks for projects that:
• bring people together and build strong relationships in and across communities
• improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
• help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage.

It is with these considerations in mind that we shaped the brief in order to give the client the best chance of winning funding.

PRECEDENT STUDY: FLETCHER MOSS BOTANICAL GARDENS

In order to get inspiration for this project we decided to do a precedence study trip to a local botanical gardens. Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens in Didsbury, Greater Manchester is a good example of a popular botanical garden. It also has some of the features we hope to include in our design for this project, for example a woodland walk and water features. There is also a strong connection to the community with spaces where local artists can display their work and social clubs can meet, for example yoga classes take place in the onsite community building.
We decided to go have a look at the gardens before taking the undergraduate students there to assess the practicalities and usefulness of a trip to this site. After visiting we felt this would be a good place to take BA students so that they could develop a strong understanding of what a botanical garden is and also start thinking of concept ideas and get inspired for when we reached the design phase of the project.