status update
Mike and I met the Headmistress of All Souls Primary yesterday and it's good news. not only is she really keen that we use their roof to do a joint project for LFA, but she also really liked the ideas that we already had:
she loved the idea of a rooftop allotment as not only does the school not have any green space, but nor do most of the kids as they all live in flats locally (something that I hadn't considered up till now).
she was also very keen on the idea of providing some sort of canopy/enclosure over the roof so that they can use this space in bad weather - it is essentially the only play area that the school has and so when it rains the kids have nowhere to let off steam and it is a 'nightmare'.
the only caveat she had was that the roof must still be usable as play-space for the kids (e.g. to have small games of football, netball etc) but this is what we have envisaged from the start and just serves to reiterate that it is our intention to find supplementary not alternative uses for the roof - hence our focus on retractable structures.
finally, she suggested that it might be possible to organise a design workshop with the teachers and the older pupils to get a better idea of how the space might work etc
so, all good
jago
Core idea
From the very beginning of the project we have been very keen to collaborate with All Souls to try to find a way for them to fully exploit this rooftop space. We have taken care that whatever we consider does not conflict with its role as a playground/sports pitch – we are looking for supplementary, not alternative, uses for this space.
Bearing this in mind, the core of our proposal is to create a rooftop allotment that can be easily retracted to the perimeter of the site, leaving the playing area free. We intend to use the pre-existing ‘cage’ as a trellis to grow runner beans, vines, tomatoes etc. on, before building retractable allotment boxes, similar to chests of drawers, in which they can grow ‘low rise’ vegetables and herbs. We envisage a scenario in which each class is given a plot to tend, perhaps growing the vegetables for school dinners. In the long term, we intend to build a wormery to produce compost from the school’s own food waste.
We believe that there is a great deal of scope for this to become a model for other inner city schools to follow, providing a fun way for young urban children to learn more about nature and the environment, what constitutes a healthy diet and the importance of food waste, while also significantly increasing the local biodiversity.
For the duration of the Festival, we plan to celebrate these ideals by transforming the rooftop into a fruit and veg jungle that the children can explore and get lost in.
state of play
michael's sent another email to the head, suggesting that a few of us drop round to the school to show them what we've come up with so far, so this would seem to be a good moment to take stock of where we are.
complementary use of space:
our central idea is to find a way for the school to fully exploit their rooftop without depriving the children of their playground. therefore we are looking at structures/street furniture that are retractable or which leave the majority of the space free for the children to play in.
green space:
this area of london is horribly short of green space, leading to the idea of some form of roof garden. however, this might seem to get in the way of the kids using the roof to play football/kiss-chase, so we get to the idea of a retractable rooftop allotment (a hanging garden might also be feasible, but raises lots of issues about how it would be tended, what clearance would be necessary, planning issues, etc.).
retractable allotment:
our core idea. this ties together elements of vertical city farms, hydroponics (possibly), complementary usage, urban greenery, retractable structure (c.f. retractable seating but with fewer, deeper layers), as well as being a great learning resource for the school: e.g. each class has its own plot which they have to tend, teaching them about biology, the environment, diet, etc. in short, it's got everything. we need to do a bit of research into what plants/vegetables you can grow with very little head room - lettuce, carrots and cabbage being obvious examples.
enclosure:
supplementary to the rooftop allotment, it would be nice if we could make some form of enclosure for the roof, whether temporary or retractable, to clearly define it as a new space, rather than just an object in the same space. this would provide further benefit in terms of maximising this resource (the rooftop) by allowing it to be used in all weathers. for more details on this, see earlier blog titled 'enclosure'
feel free to add to this if I've missed anything
michael's sent another email to the head, suggesting that a few of us drop round to the school to show them what we've come up with so far, so this would seem to be a good moment to take stock of where we are.
complementary use of space:
our central idea is to find a way for the school to fully exploit their rooftop without depriving the children of their playground. therefore we are looking at structures/street furniture that are retractable or which leave the majority of the space free for the children to play in.
green space:
this area of london is horribly short of green space, leading to the idea of some form of roof garden. however, this might seem to get in the way of the kids using the roof to play football/kiss-chase, so we get to the idea of a retractable rooftop allotment (a hanging garden might also be feasible, but raises lots of issues about how it would be tended, what clearance would be necessary, planning issues, etc.).
retractable allotment:
our core idea. this ties together elements of vertical city farms, hydroponics (possibly), complementary usage, urban greenery, retractable structure (c.f. retractable seating but with fewer, deeper layers), as well as being a great learning resource for the school: e.g. each class has its own plot which they have to tend, teaching them about biology, the environment, diet, etc. in short, it's got everything. we need to do a bit of research into what plants/vegetables you can grow with very little head room - lettuce, carrots and cabbage being obvious examples.
enclosure:
supplementary to the rooftop allotment, it would be nice if we could make some form of enclosure for the roof, whether temporary or retractable, to clearly define it as a new space, rather than just an object in the same space. this would provide further benefit in terms of maximising this resource (the rooftop) by allowing it to be used in all weathers. for more details on this, see earlier blog titled 'enclosure'
feel free to add to this if I've missed anything
street party
pending further contact from the school, I think we need to be prepared for the possibility that we only have the space for the weekend, not all week. in this case it might be worth thinking about organising some kind of event to go alongside/celebrate our project (rooftop allotment).
taking my cue from the location and the fact that this is jubilee year I'm thinking of a street-in-the-sky party. it is also the 40th anniversary of the completion of the (soon to be demolished) robin hood gardens estate in poplar, designed by the smithsons - the originators of the whole streets-in the-sky concept:
combining the idea of a rooftop allotment with the smithsons' streets-in-the-sky would seem to lead directly to this, the new york high line - another project all about finding new uses for dead inner-city spaces while also inserting much needed greenery into the urban fabric:
(see also le coulee vert/promenade plantee)
finally, if we did choose to go down this route, and particularly if the school is against the idea of building a permanent structure on the roof, then we might be able to use the bunting+balloons+streamers+etc to delineate a kind of temporary enclosure and create a self-contained space of the roof:
as you can see, I'm thinking of something nice and kitch, all 1970's and vicky sponge
pending further contact from the school, I think we need to be prepared for the possibility that we only have the space for the weekend, not all week. in this case it might be worth thinking about organising some kind of event to go alongside/celebrate our project (rooftop allotment).
taking my cue from the location and the fact that this is jubilee year I'm thinking of a street-in-the-sky party. it is also the 40th anniversary of the completion of the (soon to be demolished) robin hood gardens estate in poplar, designed by the smithsons - the originators of the whole streets-in the-sky concept:
combining the idea of a rooftop allotment with the smithsons' streets-in-the-sky would seem to lead directly to this, the new york high line - another project all about finding new uses for dead inner-city spaces while also inserting much needed greenery into the urban fabric:
(see also le coulee vert/promenade plantee)
finally, if we did choose to go down this route, and particularly if the school is against the idea of building a permanent structure on the roof, then we might be able to use the bunting+balloons+streamers+etc to delineate a kind of temporary enclosure and create a self-contained space of the roof:
as you can see, I'm thinking of something nice and kitch, all 1970's and vicky sponge
Enclosure - Concept Sketches
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| Polytunnel and Retractable Canopy Concepts |
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| Polytunnel View 1 |
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| Polytunnel View 2 |
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| Polytunnel View 3 |
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| Polytunnel View 4 |
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| Retractable Canopy View 1 |
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| Retractable Canopy View 2 |
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| Retractable Canopy View 3 |
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