Detail with overlays

Progress to date is the final design with planting and hard materials overlays.



They are still very general, as time is of a premium.

The legalities of being a Garden Designer!

I can summarise the above with one sentence;

WHAT IS THE POINT?

If you are not intimidated by the sexist contractors out to trip up your every move,then there is the client who is waiting to stitch you up at the first opportunity. Apparently you can be sued for idle drunken chit-chat at a party (not that I ever go to any parties these days, or actually anywhere!)

What I am currently thinking is 'Why has it taken them nearly four years to tell us this?'

I think I may sue!!

Mini break in Cornwall

I have just realised that my blog entries are becoming very texty, so I thought I would share some of the photos from my trip to Cornwall last week - it beats doing Garden History, which is what I should be doing now!
Ony had time to go to the lost gardens of Heligan and the Eden project.

Isn't law a gas?

Had our first 'Professional Studies' lesson today. It's great to learn that if you don't predict every eventuality and calamity that might befall your wonderful designs, and inform everyone you could possibly think of, you could have the pants sued off your backside!

Can't wait for the next two days lessons!! It really makes you want to become a designer.

Never ending!

Another week over - with another crit! Loads of work to do - finish Garden History Illustrated notebook for 6th March, materials strategy, planting strategy with palette of plants, mood board of just five images to explain 'what our drawings don't' and a rework on the detail design. AND three days of Professional studies. HOW?

It's half term?

Yes, life does exist outside of College! With a heavy work schedule this week I am off on a mini break to Cornwall. Don't know how its all going to work though? What with spending time with my family, sight seeing, sketching, Garden History(that's for the journeys) and final resolution for the detail design, plus interesting sections plus mood boards/precedents when I will be no where near a computer or drawing board.
But that's just life, isn't it??

Rain stop play!

Was going to pop back to Hadlow today, to make a note of ALL the shrubs in my detail area! However, as it has rained persistently since the moment of my waking, the thought of slopping around in the mud has redirected my focus back to Garden History!!
Will return to Hadlow at a later, drier date!

Final design overlay!

This is overlay version 4. They have all been a variation on a theme, so with abit of tweaking here and there, this is the one for Monday.

Constructive criticism please!

Theme words: Reflection, textural, experimental.



This is the first pass of my three overlays. I know at this size its hard to read, so I'll explain.
The large circle is a smallish plaza (approx 20m) with a contemporary sculpture in the centre and a rill leading left to the lake.
Two types of woodland below the plaza. The smaller trees (maybe Birch, maybe not) link to the rest of the area with a serpentine line of single trees.
The lake has three islands and a reed bed at the left edge. Access to two of them via boardwalks. Two hides are placed amongst wetland grasses around the lake. The small circles at the bottom are an extension to the Alnus glutinosa trees currently on site. To the left the lines are of hedging, some current plus new, mix of decid and evergreen.
Below the Design studio is an area for experimental design gardens and ornamental gardens - the new look Broad View gardens. To the right and linking back with the plaza is an avenue of Limes, which on the masterplan led to the garden festival area. Ornamental screening plants to the right to hide the residential buildings.
If you haven't fallen asleep yet, all comments will be most welcomed, as I currently don't know what to do next!

Three overlays

Got home yesterday feeling daunted by the task ahead of detailing my area 100 x 120m. I've looked at it so many times and now I have decided I don't like any of it.

Thought about what was said during Monday's session and have come to the conclusion I AM JUST THICK!
Anyway....moving on!
I decided to go back to the masterplan and review my aims and objectives. I had thought during our tutorial that none of them were relevant to this detailed area. BUT most of them are!
Feeling rather elated at this, I have done my 'Spanish Meal' and am about to embark on the first overlay!

'Nice' images

Was looking through 'International Landcape Design' by Robert Holden, and found some inspiring images which might just fit into my detail design area. The trouble is I have spent all week doing Tom's stuff there has been very little time to think where my design is going - I need a 30 hour day with no sleep!

Why does everything take so long?

Made a start on the Detail Survey today, and what I thought was easy is turning out into an epic!
Found out I made a big blunder - the OS map had what looked like building shapes to the rear of the Garden Nursery, in my detail area. Only when I have started drawing up I realise that they are infact related to NOTHING! So its back up to Hadlow tomorrow to fill the VOID that has been left!

Detail design survey

Went to Hadlow today and guess what? It was foggy - again! Is there any point in trying to work out good views when for a quarter of the year you can't see two metres infront of your nose. And there were a few flurries of snow. Is Hadlow the Syberia of Kent? It certainly felt like it today.
Anyway filled the camera up with lots of misty photos, some of which you can see, and then thawed out on the way home.
Time to draw it all up now - I just hope I haven't forgotten anything!
As for the blog incident - I don't care who reads mine really....because its all drivel!!

Don't know where the time goes!

Oh my god its Wednesday already and I still have loads to do! I haven't got anything to post, as I have had my head stuck in Garden History. Back to Hadlow on Friday, hopefully abit less foggy than of late. Will post some minorly interesting stuff after that?