A Ways of Making – Making Spaces

Part 1: Researching locations – City Square

The City Square of Dundee emphasises the grandeur of the Caird Hall – a building erected from 1914-1923. In the heart of the city, the square host a variety of different events from farmers markets to graduations. But it doesn’t have the most pleasant of pasts. In the 19th and the early 20th centuries the very same area was an overcrowded maze of tenements, and in medieval times it was also the site of St. Clement’s Church and graveyard. It was renovated a few years ago, awaiting the opening of the Victoria and Albert museum, to brighten the space and open it up so it could welcome Reform Street.

Part 2: Designing in a public space

It took me a while to decide what to make this week, I decided to sleep on any ideas I had on Monday night to ensure I had the best possible idea of what to create. The brief was to create an “urban public space concept for a connected society.” To achieve this I wanted to look at disconnecting people from their phones and try and bring them outside. I wanted to open up a public space that isn’t typically used by the public when it is open: Slessor Gardens. There are no places for people to sit on this large grass plain so I have designed small booth-like seating areas that are partially enclosed to prevent people from being blown about in their groups whether they are picnic goers, families out for a walk or fitness junkies out for a run. This will hopefully encourage more people to come and use the space as well. The seating “bowls” would ideally have wheels on the base so they can be removed if there are any concerts/events on at the green. Other places where this idea would work are Dudhope park, Magdalen green and the Barnhill rock garden in Broughty Ferry.

Slessor Gardens was designed to be a multifunctional, recreation space named after Mary Slessor, a Christian missionary who travelled to West Africa to rescue children from infanticide and a womens right’s advocate. She was originally from Aberdeen but after contracting malaria she came to Dundee to recover before returning to Calabar. She was selfless and although she was unwell in her later days due to being in contact with malaria previously, she downplayed her symptoms and never went home to Scotland to recover. She is an inspiration to people everywhere and because of her work she has influenced the Hope Waddell Training Institute in Calabar and has had a high school named after her.

The design of the bowls are similar to both the V&A’s layering of the concrete panels and a birds nest which has warm and secure connotations. I have created several concept models to guide me through the making processes and to help me find the final look I am going for with my design.

Above: A simple sketch by Kengo Kuma, the architect of the V&A, this is where I found the inspiration for my seating “bowl” design and for my first model (shown below).

Above: Concept model 1 – Bird nest idea. Flows around the wires and forms an enclosure.

Above: Simple concept models made from cardboard and paper. Layered horizontally to mimic the V&A’s concrete panels.

Above: This model demonstrates my ideas perfectly as the castors and seating area are shown. I thought about maybe including a small table but I think it could pose a problem for those trying to sit down in the booth.

 

Above: Site model to show where my idea could be laid out in the proposed setting – Slessor Gardens.

 

Above: 1 : 100 scale model of seating “bowls” and Slessor Garden’s arcade.