Callum Suttle - BA3

There is an increasing and global abundance of post-industrial structures left abandoned. These landscapes are left to deteriorate. This essay investigates how shifting aesthetic sensibilities, akin to those of the Romantic era, as well as deliberate placemaking, might re-cast these structures as beneficial elements within our urban space. Placemaking maximises the potential for public space by identifying physical existing assets such as heritage buildings, infrastructure and greenery, each commonly found in post-industrial sites. This essay evaluates current examples, and provides a guide for future architects, covering a range of post-industrial typologies and commenting on their potential to be repurposed as a public landscape. As well as operating at this typological level, the essay applies the various strategies explored in this study to a local example of post-industrial ruin in Leeds. The methodologies are applied with the aim of establishing quality public realm while simultaneously preserving the post-industrial ruin as a new staple of cultural heritage.

Joe Mills - MArch2

This paper explores the history of managed forestry methods adopted by humanity and the relationship between forestry as a capitalist commodity and current global politics. This study looks briefly at the contemporary global timber industry in addition to an in-depth analysis of the domestic timber market and import/export market in the United Kingdom. This study also investigates how the left-wing political ideology of socialism could offer a proposed renewed platform for managed forestry, and a radical shift towards a global, digitally managed forestry coalition defined as neo-forests

In addition, this study investigates the environmental impact caused by the commoditisation of forestry and the knock-on effects monoculture timber crops have on their ecosystems. This study also compares re-wilding and conservationism as methods to return dwindling biodiversity to our forests and natural land whilst exploring the question; ‘is it humanity’s place to continue to reprogramme nature, or should we aim to reverse the environmental damage caused within the Anthropocene?’

This study scrutinizes the realities of forestry ownership in the United Kingdom and the inevitable power and control that is attached to land possession. This study questions the moral implications of land as inheritance and explores the current rights afforded to the British public to explore our forests and wild areas. This study also explores the controversial subject of land and wealth redistribution as a tool to enhance and protect our natural world.

Finally, this study concludes that a new global forestry platform is needed and that neo-forests could be the answer; a shared global resource to heal and protect our wild spaces whilst ensuring access to forest resources are maintained. This study also establishes that neo-forests as a platform would be immensely beneficial to architecture and the construction industry as a means to provide accurate data for a projects environmental impact, before a project even commences.

Trudi Entwhistle

How can artistic intervention address problems of fluvial damage to landscape while emphasising its natural beauty? Focusing on the South Pennines, Watershed occupies an area where ecology and aesthetics meet, its understanding of landscape drawn from interdisciplinary approaches.

Facilitated by a £12,000 Leverhulme residency, Watershed was a culmination of site-specific fieldwork whose outputs – Upstream (2014), Ripple (2014), and Hebden Water (2016) – entailed working with professionals from various sectors: scientists from water@Leeds, University of Leeds (UK’s largest centre for water research); engineers from Yorkshire Water; and local farmers. A meditation on surface and reflection, Ripple employed fertiliser to etch geometric undulations into vegetation, producing different rates of growth; Hebden Water (produced with sound artist Paul Ratcliff) was an audio-visual depiction of how water shapes landscape and culture; while the exhibition Upstream assembled several works exploring the impact of human activity on water as it issues from its moorland source.

Ripple and Hebden Water were showcased in two further exhibitions at the National Trust’s Gibson Mill (2014, 2017), and presented at the conferences ‘Places for Art and Art for Places’ (Hebden Bridge, 2014); and ‘Arts, Farmers and Philosophers’ (Bowes Museum, Teesdale, 2017). Ripple was commissioned by Yorkshire Water and Pennine Prospects for the Tour De France’s Grand depart, viewed by 3.5 million spectators. Ripple featured in The Times (‘Follow the scenic route at this year’s Tour de France’, 10 June) and The Yorkshire Evening Post (‘Artists helping to transform fields into living canvas’, 10 May).

Watershed’s contribution to discourses on land use, water quality and flooding comes from direct hydrographic experience. By blurring distinctions between the landscape’s aesthetic and ecological character, it inculcates the mindset required to address a situation in which ‘Climate change projections suggest the frequency and severity of flooding is likely to increase over the next century’ (IPCC, 2014).

Mohammad Taleghani, Nazarin Nasrollahi, Yasaman Namazi

This study investigated the role of urban geometry and urban shading in improving the pedestrians’ thermal comfort in hot climate of Ahvaz, Iran. Six urban canyons are selected in Ahvaz. To determine the outdoor thermal comfort range, micrometeorological measurements and questionnaire survey were conducted in July 2018. ENVI-met is used to investigate the role of urban geometry and urban shadings. To evaluate the outdoor thermal comfort, physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) is calculated using RayMan. Using the results of the field studies, the outdoor thermal comfort range in Ahvaz is obtained within 19.6 °C to 30.9 °C PET. Simulation results show that the closer the canyon orientation is to the north-south direction, the lower the air temperature (Ta) and mean radiant temperature (MRT) are. Also, by reducing the canyon aspect ratio, PET increases as well. Urban shadings decreased MRT and PET up to 34 °C and 17.6 °C, respectively. In contrast, shadings did not affect the air temperature, significantly. PET reduction caused by shadings is more notable in east-west canyons, as well as in wider canyons. MRT and PET in all cases are highly correlated to SVF. The observations showed no strong correlation between Ta, relative humidity, and wind speed, with SVF in all canyons.

Panel including Dr Alia Fadel

Although the concepts of Biophilia have been around since the 1970’s it’s only now that many of us are learning about this compelling nature-based design ethos to create happier healthier spaces for both people and planet.

In the first of Planted’s panel discussions we bring together a diverse group of academics, educators, and architects to investigate why Biophilic design is rising up the built environment agenda right now. The panel discussion will cover: its origins and benefits as an evolutionary design-based system; how it can appeal to the body’s senses to aid stress reduction and recuperation; what’s changed in our lives and cities to make it so essential in a post pandemic world; how best to implement it in the many cramped urban spaces we inhabit; how to overcome the barriers to implementation with an evidence-based business case; why it’s an essential consideration to create regenerative solutions; what the future holds for biophilic cities

Dr Alia Fadel

College students are vulnerable to many stressful stimuli. The accumulating nature of stress intensifies its negative effects, contributing to the growing concerns underlying psychological and emotional health in academia. Since student stress and associated consequences are part of collegiate life, on-campus and curricular restorative opportunities are crucial to support student health, resilience, and productivity. Anchored in the growing evidence verifying the restorative value of contact with nature, this paper introduces the paradigm of Interval Biophilic Restoration as a teaching pedagogy to integrate physical and intellectual healing opportunities within collegiate education. It proposes ethnographic observation methodology to weave structured intervals for student multisensory engagement with nature. This dynamic process inspires students to pause-and-capture much more than what they simply see through momentary, yet effective, multisensory observation. It embodies the potentials to stimulate student self-healing and positive responses within collegiate cycles of daily activities due to the innate restorative qualities of nature.