Archeology at Spitalfields

As part of the street life module, level 5 students were asked to work in groups of three and research and analyse an existing project in the east end of London chosen by Ed (tutor). The site chosen for us was Spitalfields Market. We had to study material and planting specification and note anything that was of personal interest to us for future analysis and evaluation . Each group member had to visit the site and record things of interest and organise our findings into a coherent format ready for presentation. One thing I was particularly interested in was the archeology of the site. When I was researching, I found that the area of Spitalfields was rich in Roman and Medieval history. The area had been very important throughout the ages firstly because of the Roman tomb that was discovered encasing the remains of a woman, then a market having existed since the 13th century.

 

The charnel house, one of only four such dedicated medieval buildings in England, was built in the early 1300s as the crypt of a chapel that stood in the cemetery of St Mary Spital priory. For more than 200 years it was a repository for bones disturbed when gravediggers buried new bodies in the hospital churchyard.

The charnel house has now been restored and repaired by Holden Conservation and is currently in a protective box during the main construction phase of new offices for Allen and Overy.

 http:
//www.museumoflondonarchaeology.org.uk/English/ComLearn/Outsites/CharnelHouse.htm  

I was interested in these discoveries so I've shown you what I have found. Below is an article from the Museum of London showcasing the Roman woman found at Spitalfields."This lady lived in Londinium between AD300 and 400. Archaeologists found her remains in a Roman cemetery at Spitalfields in 1999.” “Her family had buried her in a lead coffin inside a limestone sarcophagus. The two coffins kept out the air and helped to preserve her bones. The museum's experts have learnt a lot about her by analysing her remains. From the skull and pelvic bones we know she was female. When she died she was probably 20-25 years old. From the length of her leg bones we think she was about 164cm tall. Tests on the chemicals in her teeth suggest she grew up somewhere warm. Her DNA is like that of people in modern Spain. She was buried with cloth made of wool, silk and gold thread. Only these tiny fragments survived. This cloth, the two coffins and the ornaments buried with her suggest her family was rich.

Archeology - Roman Woman at Spitalfields * http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/learning/features_facts/digging/people/o1.html

Urban examples of surface managment

One day in the year level 5 students travelled to the centre of London to see first hand the examples of how landscape projects cope with the chanllages of water drainage. We looked at various surface textures and methods of water drainage. Here are some pictures;

Here is an example of texture warnings on the surface of the ground that mark a change in level. These groves warn people who may be blind, of steps and/or changes in surface level.

When two different types of surface meet, their edges have to 'offset' each other to create a structured engagement. An example of what I mean is when a brick layer is laying bricks on top of each other, he would position the centre point of a brick within the meeting point of the two bricks below it to create a stronger structure. Heres a picture of a brick wall as an example.












Theseis anouther example of surface texture before a set of stairs to warn people of the change in level.















Below is an example of how the designers of the paving have tackled the challange of water drainage by dividing the paving up so that water finds its way easier and sloping the paving towards the chanal and then to a drain. It can look very messy if not designed properly.



















Here is an example of a low profile port of some description. For example, this 'port' could hide some kind of feature that contributed to a design. Perhabs it could be revealed at certain times to play its role. This is a clever feature because the space can be used for a variety of activities.














I enjoyed the first hand experience at seeing the variety of ways to tackle water drainage within a site and learning about texture change in surfaces and understanding the factors to consider when designing a site.

AR3004 City Sights Extended Essay/ Report

On May 13th 2009, everyone from level 5 landscape architecture was given a short presentation and a paper handout introducing the chance to embark on a personal extended essay/report. The class was asked to pair up and talk about anything interesting that related to the course. The point of this was to increase the likelihood of being employed by improving your individual profile as a landscape architect. One thing that I am interested in is urban agriculture. I find this area of sustainability very tangible and a way of society becoming more resourceful. I have always believed in the idea of resourcefulness and I find sustainable design is becoming more approachable and increasingly important within urban environments. As it happens I have recently been studying a project in East London called Spitalfields which has an area within it called Bishops Square. In Bishops Square are modern feats of architecture and sustainable technology such as solar panels, roof gardens and urban agriculture. When I was visiting the site I found the occupants of the buildings where planting, growing and consuming vegetables on the same site they worked at. I was amazed to see it first hand and get an idea about how it could benefit urban developers and society as a whole.
Virticle Gardens proposed by Andrew Kranis at Columbia University and Gordon Graff at the University of Waterloo.

Eco-Pirates Seize Island on the River Thames

On Saturday 24th of May 2009, I was casually walking along the river side in Kingston when a girl approached me and asked me If I knew about this proposal being planned for a dis-used Island on the Thames near Hampton Court. She explained who she was and that she worked with a team of people going by the name of 'Ravens Ait'. I mentioned that I did landscape architecture which happened to be a bonus in their shceme of things. She invited me onto her narrowboat and introduced me to some of her team. I got talking to Rick, one of the self-styled “Eco-Pirates” who explained their perpose. I was interested to see what the outcome could be so I provided my name and email address and I'm looking forward to a reply. I think this is a good oppotunity to pursue an important caurse, so Im interested to see how it turns out. I looked up this development online to show you in detail what exactly is being proposed and what 'Ravens Ait' want to prohibit.
http://www.ecosalon.com/thames-pirates/

" There are all sorts of pirates around these days. There are the pirates of Somalia who hijack ships, there are the Pirates of the Carribean who entertain us in the movies, and then there are the eco-pirates of Raven’s Ait.

These self-proclaimed eco-pirates, a diverse group of ecologists and green squatters, have been occupying the small island of Raven’s Ait, located just down river from Hampton Court (one of England’s royal palaces), since February.

Raven’s Ait was previously used by a wedding and conference company for events, but when the company went under, the eco-pirates moved in with the idea of transforming the island into an eco conference center showcasing green ideas and promoting sustainable development.

So far, there is only one small wind turbine in action. The tallest tree now houses a wooden tree house, and weekend workshops focus on natural healing methods and massage.

They are, by the way, a friendly bunch of eco-pirates who, if you give them a wave from the banks of the river Thames, will send over a boat and offer a visit to Raven’s Ait to see what they are achieving.

Formal plans for this eco conference center have been submitted to the local council. But the Kingston upon Thames council, which holds the freehold to the island, doesn’t appear all that keen. They’ve since issued an eviction notice and say that no discussion of any plan will occur while they remain on the island.

Faced with such an ultimatum, the eco-pirates will have no choice but to surrender the island to the council. Let’s just hope that the council doesn’t then surrender Raven’s Ait to developers looking to be anything but eco-friendly."

I would recommend visiting the website below which goes into detail about this @ http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/271814

Wey & Arun Proposal

This was my proposal for the Wey & Arun project which was to provide a navigable canal through an area between Cranleigh and Bramley in Guilford, Surrey. My design was based around the new economic developments that was going to take place within the area. I proposed a recreational park/marina which will serve the growing area as it becomes more popular. Canal users have the opportunity to 'moor up' and enjoy the space and public facilities in the park like barbecue facilities and shaded outdoor canopy's.

Wey & Arun Field Trip

During October of 2008 Landscape architecture students across 4 levels set out on a 4 day educational and inspirational endeavor in the area of Guildford, Surrey. Our mission was to navigate to specific points along the canal and operate the locks as we went. There where 12 narrow boats altogether so that gave everyone an ideal chance to meet one another. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the canal and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a go at trying to operate a narrowboat! All in all I learned alot from the experience from understanding how locks work and listening to people who wanted to restore areas of the canal for future generations, to the history of the canal revolution. The trip was well worth it and I made some more friends in the process and partisipated in teamwork which is always rewarding.