Group 29
THE GLADES

The site is a small patch of woodland on the threshold of the formalised and fenced Victorian bowls courts and the wildlife sanctuary of Moston Brook’s green corridor, in the Oldham Borough of Greater Manchester. This beautiful area is known for its natural diversity, and is used primarily by bird-watchers, dog-walkers and the local community for events. Oldham council have recognised the potential for further public engagement with the site, and aim to produce a scheme that is both educational and interactive for all-ages. There is already a small public intervention near the site creating a fantastical world of mushrooms and doors within a fallen tree trunk. We aim to build on this, providing educational content about the local wildlife in an interactive scheme that encourages people to slow down, meander through the site and take in the natural beauty of this area. Due to the natural diversity and small scale of the site we will be emphasising vibrant representation to express the quality of the scheme. The type of work will include: on-site hands-on designs at 1:1; hand-drawing/painting; digital software such as AutoCAD and Adobe Suite; and physical model making. Collaborator: Oldham Council, Moston Brook Project Project’s Community: Park and Moston Brook users, residents of Park Avenue and the Moston Brook Friends Group

Download Final Report

Ho Ching C / Guy P / Christian BB / Adhvaith G / Tong D

Guy P

Name: Guy
Hometown/Country: High Wycombe, UK
Atelier: Flux
Undergrad: Oxford Brookes
Working Experience: BPTW (London)
Why I chose this group: I find the hands-on nature of the project exciting and am inspired by the potential for public engagement. Having grown up in the countryside, I am a great believer in the physical and mental health benefits of the natural environment, and therefore think this site has the potential to provide substantial value to the local community.

Posted 12 Mar 2023 21:22

Guy P

Hometown/Country: Coimbatore, India
Atelier: Some Kind of Nature
Undergrad: BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore
Working Experience: Khosla Associates, Bangalore / Studio Taan, Bangalore
Why I chose this group: Having always had an affinity towards Nature and Wildlife, I found that this project was an ideal place for me to take part in due to my interests. From experiencing the British wildlife and natural environments, to being able to create an outlet for the local community to experience being in the great outdoors, I believe we play a great role in creating this connection.

Posted 12 Mar 2023 21:22

Guy P

Name: Christian
Hometown/Country: Cambridge, UK
Atelier: Some Kind of Nature
Undergrad: Manchester School of Architecture
Working Experience: Moses Cameron Williams, Sheppard Robson
Why I chose this group: I believe having the chance to explore and engage with nature as a child is of huge importance. This project aims to encourage kids to get out in nature, something which is becoming increasingly rare in urban areas. Getting the chance to gain hands-on practical experience, while also bringing about positive change and increasing children’s appreciation of nature is an exciting prospect.

Posted 12 Mar 2023 21:23

Guy P

Name: Ulrica
Hometown/Country: Hong Kong
Atelier: Flux
Undergrad: South China University of Technology
Working Experience: Aedas (Hong Kong)
Why I chose this group: Engaging with nature is an important part of building a sustainable environment. Living with an element of the outdoors is physically and mentally beneficial to human health. This project has the potential to help people of all ages explore nature more seamlessly. It also provides an opportunity for us to collaborate with the community, in order to stimulate the reimagining of the relationship between humans and nature.

Posted 12 Mar 2023 21:23

Guy P

Name: Rita
Hometown/Country: Sichuan/ China
Atelier: &rchitecture
Undergrad: Wenzhou-Kean University
Working Experience: No working experience
Why I chose this group: The Moston Brook project is a great opportunity to get in touch with nature. It is worth thinking about how to promote the connection between animals and children and guide people back to nature.

Posted 12 Mar 2023 21:24

Guy P

Name: Tong Dai
Hometown/Country: Beijing/China
Atelier: Infra Space
Undergrad: University of Liverpool
Working Experience: No working experience
Why I chose this group: The Moston Brook project emphasized the impact of parks as the infrastructure on people, which provided me with a new perspective. This project is in a unique position, it is at the balance point of the interface between nature and people - Moston Brook as a green corridor with a nature reserve provides people with the opportunity to contact with nature, while Lower Memorial Park as a park allows people to explore Pure leisure and socializing. How to deal with the border section between humans and nature is a broad question in contemporary times. By participating in this project, I believe I can rethink the role of green spaces in cities and the connection between humans and nature.

Posted 12 Mar 2023 21:25

Adhvaith G

Moston Brook has a vast variation in habitats that include marshy grasslands, woodlands and reed beds. It has become an oasis for wildlife to escape the bustle of the city. The rare wildlife that can be seen here are mink, snipes and kestrels. During our site visits, we came across longtails, robins, bluetits, jackdaws, goldfinches, magpies, sparrows and blackbirds. At the end of this project, we intend to continue to boost the biodiversity at the brooks. We plan to create bird boxes to help create a safe atmosphere for the birdlife in the site.

Posted 13 Mar 2023 16:00

Adhvaith G

The main agenda of this project is to create an exploratory play space for children to have a first-hand experience with nature at Moston Brook. Located close to a school, it becomes an ideal location for kids to explore nature. We will be developing a masterplan for the wider area, but also working on-site to create pathways, bridges and locally sourced wicker dens for children to play with.

Posted 13 Mar 2023 16:02

Tong D

Output: According to the collaborator's proposal, the team will present the final output with a set of drawings and visualizations, supplemented by on-site construction of simple facilities such as wicker dens as the practice of the strategy. The drawings will include a detailed design strategy and master plan.
Benefit: You will be able to choose one group you are interested in in the parts of 2d drawing, 3d modelling, physical model making and hands-on construction to explore how to apply the corresponding knowledge and skills in practice. Through the cooperation of the whole group, you will be able to gain a better understanding of how these parts affect each other in the whole workflow and adjust accordingly to get the final satisfactory result.
Software: We'll cover the many benefits and tips of the software to increase your efficiency.

Posted 13 Mar 2023 20:10

Tong D

Our project will create an exploratory space at the border section of Moston Brook and Lower Memorial Park, a safe place for children from the community and nearby schools to take risks to explore nature. The enhanced visual connection between the woodland and the park will attract nearby residents, especially families, to engage in the green space together to enjoy nature and observe wildlife. More complete introductions of wildlife will enhance the fun for tourists during their self-led walking, letting them be familiar with the wild animals they might come across by using rich forms.
At the same time, the overall route of the park will also be improved. Accessibility to this park will be much easier for nearby residents, and the road improvements will attract more visitors to explore the further afield of the park.

Posted 13 Mar 2023 20:11

Ho Ching C

DAY 1 Site Visit

On the first day after the site visit, the group had a brainstorming session to discuss observations made during the visit and idea of the design.

Posted 15 May 2023 15:10

Christian BB

Having explored Moston Brook and the Glade as a group, we headed to Failsworth Townhall. We have arranged with our collaborator to make use of the Townhall during the live project. During the afternoon we formally introduced the students to the project and brief. Following this we split into groups to begin considering potential interventions and design proposals for the Glades.

Posted 15 May 2023 15:26

Christian BB

#
On the previous day we asked the group members to keep an eye out for any materials we could reuse for the project. On day 2 we struck gold. A construction site near one of the group members flat was willing to give us four used timber pallets. We cut the pallets in half and just about managed to fit them in the back of the Punto (as you can see above). Following this success, the pallets were broken down into individual timbers to be used for the various interventions across the site. The pile of timber boards we had collected were finally dropped off at B15 workshop to be transformed in the following days.

Posted 15 May 2023 15:27

Ho Ching C

DAY 2 Workshop - Concept Drawings and Masterplan Design

This day was dedicated to concept development, initial design ideas and masterplan design. The design was developed through collages, mind-maps, precedent studies and sketches. This workshop firmly established the mystical forest concept and suggested interventions such as birdhouses, ornamental gnomes, mushrooms and ‘fairy doors’, and informative signs to describe the local wildlife.

Posted 15 May 2023 20:19

Ho Ching C

DAY 3 Birdhouse designs and publication preparation

While the on-site team worked towards completing the initial practical jobs at the Glade, the proposal team carried out design development. The goal was to design a series of engaging interventions across the site that children taking part in the woodland school could interact with. Together, we started to conceptualise bird houses, bug boxes, arches, informational signs, and fantastical decorations which could be placed onto the site as a series of interventions. We also began to consider which interventions could be feasibly completed within the two week span of the project and which should be included as part of the future proposal for the Glades.

Posted 15 May 2023 20:24

Ho Ching C

DAY 3 Mulching of General Area

A team of five people went to site to meet Oldham Council and discuss the Glade locations and pathway arrangements. The group then started to formalise these layouts with mulch provided by the council. As the specific location of trees and pathways were largely speculative up until this point, this helped to formalise the layout and suggested further possible uses of the space. The group could then decide on locations and quantities of birdhouses and signs for the workshop group to start building.

Posted 17 May 2023 15:08

Ho Ching C

DAY 4 Precedent Studies and Publication Preparation

Once the on-site spaces were arranged and formalized, we were able to establish a clearer idea of how many birdhouses and signs were needed and determine whether further material was needed to create these. Diagrams, collages, and axonometric site-analysis drawings were developed alongside precedent studies and an early iteration of the publication. This too was helpful in clarifying the outputs, both on-site and for the publication.

Posted 17 May 2023 15:08

Ho Ching C

DAY 4 Birdhouse Construction and Laser Engraving

Following the NSPCB specifications for birdhouse designs and the conceptual birdhouse designs on day 3, the workshop team started work on 3 birdhouses and 2 bee boxes to encourage wildlife inhabitation of the site. This involved sanding down and gluing the pallets together to form 150mm wide planks. These were then cut, drilled for the nesting holes and nailed together to form the birdhouses. Both the birdhouses and bee boxes were stained a dark brown to be blend in with the natural surroundings. The bee boxes followed a similar process with small holes drilled in large offcuts. Some of the remaining pallets were laser cut to create signages describing the local wildlife. Wires and posts were attached to allow for easy placement around the site.

Posted 17 May 2023 15:09

Ho Ching C

DAY 5 Masterplan Design – Signages and Gnomes Making

Two students showed initiative in developing the mystical theme present on the existing Brook. One student created a windchime from Metal offcuts and a wooden block. Another student spent several days building gnomes and mushrooms to place around the site. These were painted and varnished to make them weather resistant. The gnomes are intended to be kept by the council and used during activity days. Meanwhile, the classroom group marked pathways on-site, plotted trees and started the masterplan drawing in preparation for the mulching of the pathways on day 6. The workshop group continued working on the birdhouses and fairy doors on day 5.

Posted 17 May 2023 15:09

Ho Ching C

DAY 6 Mulching Pathway

On day 6, the on-site group began mulching pathways to connect the glade areas and establish a route through the woodland.

Posted 17 May 2023 15:09

Ho Ching C

DAY 6 Finishing touches on birdhouses and engraving

The workshop group continued working to create more ornamental and functional elements to be placed around the site. These included a small bench and a fairy door, which were both made from the found pallets. The birdhouses were stained and the remaining signs were laser cut, with stakes and screws added to allow easy placement on site.

Posted 17 May 2023 15:10

Ho Ching C

DAY 7 Publication Preparation

On day 7, the groups prepared the publication, compiling information from all groups to create a clear and concise narrative describing the design and construction process.

Posted 17 May 2023 15:10