I decided this week that I needed an intellectual break from landscape issues so decided to buy myself a copy of The New Scientist, which by the way if you are interested at all in science is a jolly good read. The reason I bought this magazine and not National Geographic was the line on the froont of the mag.. 'Dawn of a New Physics: The cosmic number that changes everything.' Now this got the Lowestoft Lass a little excited in the magazine isle in Tesco's, but for good reason.
Basically, a nice chap named John Webb from the University of New South Wales has been looking out into space analysing the light emitted from Quasars from the Heck teleoscope in Hawaii and the Very Large Teleoscope in Chile, both pointing in very different directions out of the Earth.
Now light that was emitted from Quasars passes through certian elemental clouds in space, which absorbs some wavelenghts of light. These wavelengths are calculated using the Alpha number, which was thought to be constant across the entire universe, in line with Einstien's theory of Special Relativity. Only Mr Webb's data shows that the uptake of light by particals differs depending on where you are in the universe, with larger alpha values to the South and smaller ones to the North.
Now what has this got to do with us on Earth? The alpha value on Earth is not likely to change rapidly, the difference between the value from here to Alpha Centuri does not differ by our current techniques, and the observed Quasar from Keck was formed 12 billion years ago, but it poses the question, that if the alpha constant is NOT constant then what other laws are there that change? In the distant future will gravity on our planet still be the same?
So it looks like scientist's search for a unifying theory has either been put back decades or launched forward a giant leap. As this data seems to, in a round about way, support the idea of string theory, as the alpha number may be constant when viewed from all dimensions, rather than just our three or four.
More data needs to be collected before the scientific community runs about waving arms and shouting Eureka! but if correct our current models of the universe we inhabit will be grossly wrong. The artical headline was correct that a new 'breed' of physics would be born, one where the rules of constants are gone and unification could be one tiny step closer?
Please note I am not qualified scientist, this is just a laymans interpretation of the newly found data and the literature published around the findings, please don't go around quoting me I could be very wrong, find a quote from an expert, or even drop Mr Webb a line, he might be busy, he might not.
Monday 25 October 2010
Sunday 24 October 2010
Allegorical Garden - Research Images
So I've been ticking along with my designs for the Allegorical Garden, and I feel like I have firmed up all of my spatial planning and circulation routes around the site, so I have started having a look at some more specific ideas for my planting plans.
Area One - Indirect Pathways and Concealed Seating Areas
For this area I would like to use dense woodland planting to create my concealed social areas, I want each discreet area to feel like you could be in a small camp site in the middle of a forest or jungle. The indirect, curving pathways should entice the user to follow them, adding a sense of mystery to the garden.
As you can see from the above images I would like to use a relatively simple palette of greens, but with varying foliage textures. I would like to use a large number of ferns, as these are found in woodlands and jungles all over the world, which again harks back to my clients elborate and international backstories.
The above picture shows the kind of atmosphere that I wish to achieve with this section of the garden, but with slightly more dense planting to increase the air of secrecy.
Area 2 - Parkland Planting with views to Activity Lawn
I wish to keep this area of the garden as open as possible, to balance the higher density and taller planting within Area 1. I also wanted this area to feel more typically British, using native or naturalised plants, mostly bulbs, as they do not grow too tall to block the views onto the lawn.
Area 3 - Entertainment and Outdoor Kitchen Area
As my clients are rather social people, they need a rather large entertaining area, with areas of seating to accomodate different sized groups. I also wanted to give them a large outdoor kitchen area as the dwelling is not situated on the site, a little difficult when barbequeing for rock star guests.
Area One - Indirect Pathways and Concealed Seating Areas
For this area I would like to use dense woodland planting to create my concealed social areas, I want each discreet area to feel like you could be in a small camp site in the middle of a forest or jungle. The indirect, curving pathways should entice the user to follow them, adding a sense of mystery to the garden.
As you can see from the above images I would like to use a relatively simple palette of greens, but with varying foliage textures. I would like to use a large number of ferns, as these are found in woodlands and jungles all over the world, which again harks back to my clients elborate and international backstories.
Area 2 - Parkland Planting with views to Activity Lawn
I wish to keep this area of the garden as open as possible, to balance the higher density and taller planting within Area 1. I also wanted this area to feel more typically British, using native or naturalised plants, mostly bulbs, as they do not grow too tall to block the views onto the lawn.
Area 3 - Entertainment and Outdoor Kitchen Area
As my clients are rather social people, they need a rather large entertaining area, with areas of seating to accomodate different sized groups. I also wanted to give them a large outdoor kitchen area as the dwelling is not situated on the site, a little difficult when barbequeing for rock star guests.
Please note that I am not the copyright holder for any of the above images, if one of the images belongs to you and you wish for me to remove it please leave a comment and I will remove it as quickly as possible.
Friday 22 October 2010
Allegorical Garden - Site, Initial Thoughts and the Art of War.
One of my projects this semester is to design an allergorical garden for made up clients, which I have based on me and 'The Male' in our old age as a wealthy rock star and critically acclaimed paeleoanthrobiologist, guess who is which? So I had my clients and was then given a rather intesting site.
It is a reasonably large garden site on Writtle College campus, the site is currently used for a street tree viability survey and is quite heavily wooded. It also has historical and archeological significance as it is the site of King John's Hunting Lodge (both of which tie in nicely with my client rather lengthy and elaborate back stories). It is bounded on three sides by an approximatly 2.5 meter deep moat, which contains a small amount of water.
It is a reasonably large garden site on Writtle College campus, the site is currently used for a street tree viability survey and is quite heavily wooded. It also has historical and archeological significance as it is the site of King John's Hunting Lodge (both of which tie in nicely with my client rather lengthy and elaborate back stories). It is bounded on three sides by an approximatly 2.5 meter deep moat, which contains a small amount of water.
Photo taken from the North boundary facing to the South West.
Photo taken from the East boundary facing to the West.
Photo taken from the North West corner facing South.
Photo taken from the North East corner facing West.
A view of the moat from the Northern boundary.
Since I was a child I've always had an affinity with woodland and water (as I lived on an estate with a half mile lake surrounded by marshy woodland), so I feel quite natural and safe working with this kind of environment. I know the trees planted here are not native species and have not be naturalistically planted but they are of a great ecological and aesthetic value, so I wanted to try and keep as many of them as possible in my final design. Also the different densities of planting on the site have already given distinct areas of spaciality, which can give me a base to work with.
As soon as we were on the site and were asked to think of a song, poem or story I knew exactly which book I would use. My client's elaborate backstories and the nature of the site fired me like a bolt from a crossbow to the Art of War by Sun Tzu. I had purchased this book during the summer and after reading became a permanent resident of the *ahem* bathroom cabinet. I don't think that many people have read the Art of War, certainly not in my circles of friends and associates anyway, and I got some pretty odd looks from my contemporaries as we walked around the site.
Now my justification for picking the Art of War is pretty simple as part of the elaborate backstories for my clients was a large portion of time spent in China, where both studied martial arts, and the anthropologist studied the history of martiality in this region of Asia, therefore definatly coming across Sun Tzu's book. The spiritual nature of the text also matches well with the personailities of both the clients.
As the Art of War has been used as a management training tool, as well as the definitive book on war, I found it relatively easy to translate alot of passages about battle formation and scouting patterns into a cohesive guide for spatial design. Also many of the passages about the nature of the commander and the honor and obligations of each officer and warrior could inform basic rules concerning the site and its layered properties.
Hopefully the cohesion between my client brief, site history and context and my chosen text will allow me to create a useful spatial design solution.
Thursday 21 October 2010
Design Process and the Scientific Method
One of the blog questions I have been issued over the past couple of weeks caught my attention more than others. 'If drawing/modelling in design process is about testing and hypothesizing, is it like or unlike scientific method?'
Now this question for me is a pretty straight forward yes. I see the surveying and analysis of a site as the same thing as researching previous scientific theory and method before framing your experiment or thesis' hypothesis. Hypothoses are not plucked from thin air, and neither should concept be, they must be informed by previous analysis, be that cultural or ecological (landscape) or quantifiable or theoretical in the case of science.
A scientific hypothesis can be supported or refuted by experimentation or observation, and is the place where all scientists start before planning the execution of an experiment. This is much the same as the design brief, which is carried out before the pen hits the paper. The design brief is also met (or not) after rigorous experimentation (drawings, computer and material modelling and testing) and observation (of similar spatial arrangements or case studies). Also hypotheses can be disproven, but not proven to be true, which gives us our first difference between scientific and design method. We must always try and meet our design brief or 'prove' it, as it is the framework for a sucessful design, but no design could ever be thought of as perfect by everyone, whereas if a scientific hypothesis is disproven then most intelligent people will accept the data, if it is sufficient in quantity.
With design method there is a circularity between drawing and modelling and revisiting the design brief. The design brief informs the design or experimentation which in turn can subtly alter the brief. Scientific theorum can be looked at in the same manner, each supported or disproven hypothesis will inform the next experimental hypothesis in the same field and so on, until rather than a finalised design, there is enough data to form a theorum.
The main difference between the scientific and design method is that good scientists don't mind too much if a theory is disproved as this gives the opportunity to retest and hypothesise to work towards the ultimate scientific law. I don't know of many designers who would wish for their landscape or building to be disproved or told that it did not meet the design brief.
As mentioned in an above paragraph if the design brief is as a hypothesis, whether the resulting building is exeptional or a failure, much like the support of disproff of scientific hypothesis, it can then inform future 'experiments' or designs helping the design profession move forward from outdated design trend into a new, maybe more scientific future?
Now this question for me is a pretty straight forward yes. I see the surveying and analysis of a site as the same thing as researching previous scientific theory and method before framing your experiment or thesis' hypothesis. Hypothoses are not plucked from thin air, and neither should concept be, they must be informed by previous analysis, be that cultural or ecological (landscape) or quantifiable or theoretical in the case of science.
A scientific hypothesis can be supported or refuted by experimentation or observation, and is the place where all scientists start before planning the execution of an experiment. This is much the same as the design brief, which is carried out before the pen hits the paper. The design brief is also met (or not) after rigorous experimentation (drawings, computer and material modelling and testing) and observation (of similar spatial arrangements or case studies). Also hypotheses can be disproven, but not proven to be true, which gives us our first difference between scientific and design method. We must always try and meet our design brief or 'prove' it, as it is the framework for a sucessful design, but no design could ever be thought of as perfect by everyone, whereas if a scientific hypothesis is disproven then most intelligent people will accept the data, if it is sufficient in quantity.
With design method there is a circularity between drawing and modelling and revisiting the design brief. The design brief informs the design or experimentation which in turn can subtly alter the brief. Scientific theorum can be looked at in the same manner, each supported or disproven hypothesis will inform the next experimental hypothesis in the same field and so on, until rather than a finalised design, there is enough data to form a theorum.
The main difference between the scientific and design method is that good scientists don't mind too much if a theory is disproved as this gives the opportunity to retest and hypothesise to work towards the ultimate scientific law. I don't know of many designers who would wish for their landscape or building to be disproved or told that it did not meet the design brief.
As mentioned in an above paragraph if the design brief is as a hypothesis, whether the resulting building is exeptional or a failure, much like the support of disproff of scientific hypothesis, it can then inform future 'experiments' or designs helping the design profession move forward from outdated design trend into a new, maybe more scientific future?
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