Vegetation design LSC231

Yu Chen 170209863

Find the balance in Woodthrope Introduction

“Nature is beautiful because it looks like Art; and Art can only be called beautiful if we are conscious of it as Art while yet it looks like Nature.” ― Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgment

A new urban garden with a community library, it transforms from a neglected fire station. This garden will give visitors aesthetics experience through varieties of plants spreading outward from the central library and their long-lasting interest. This place will become a “retreat” away from the city. The design concept is by using gradually changing plants from centre to outside and the different textures that produced by different plant allocation, that the look for the harmony between human and nature, feel the rhythm of nature, find inner peace and comfort. Meanwhile, this area play an important role in linking, it is the new gateway to the new Woodthrope community garden, and it is also a link between the local community and outdoor space.

Amis 1.

Create a harmonious natural space suitable for people to escape from busy life, making people find balance with nature through the design of the environment. Model ourself after natural.

2.

Create a gateway to Woodthorpe parkland which everyone can enjoy. And also encourage potential users. To achieve this, both hard surface wheelchairs accessed paths, and exploratory paths are settled in this garden.

3.

Enhance aesthetic perception with long-lasting interest plants. And strong design concept. But make people feel comfortable when they walk into a well-designed landscape.

4.

Incorporate the library and the outside space.

5.

Low Maintenance landscape

Site Plan 1:500 A2

Dark shady mix + Deciduous woodland : This area is at the most back part of the site, link to new Woodthrope Park. The ground cover is dominated by bluebell woodland cover and with some other dark and sense perennial to ensure long lasting interests. The local deciduous trees like Oak and Elm trees form the tree canopy.

Sunny Perennial Blocks : Full sun perennials blocks with sunny bulbs covered this area just in front of the main library. Reddish perennials with the contrast green evergreen grass gives a dramatic impression.

Semi-sunny Perennial Blocks : It is covered by semi-sunny perennial which are mainly orange and orange color with multistem flowering tree and seating area under them. And the perennials go into the narrow part of the building

Light shady mix + Birch woodland :It is covered by lushy shady perennial mix with evergreen ground cover and woodland bulbs. For upper level, a kind of most white bark trees Betula utilis var. jacquemontii form the tree canopy.

Figure 2 :Vision of the back of the library, see from the bulebell deciduous woodland through grass drift and shady perennial blocks to the out door cafe area.

Figure 1 : Vision of the whole site from one of the side entrance through light birch woodland , grass drift and sunny perennial mix to main library, and the hedges in sunny perennial to block the nosiy from city-road.

Shady Perennial Blocks : This area is at the back side of the library and surround the outdoor cafe, it is dominated by shady tolerant perennial, the color is mainly purple and blue.

Grass Draft : Three kinds of plants mixes which include two grass mix and a semi-sunny perennial mix form this striking grass drift. Multi-stem flowering trees stand in the grass.

Entrance Area: This area is the besides the City road which is covered by the the same Sunny Perennial Blocks with sunny bulbs. The perennial mix has long lasting interest and strong color contrast with scattered evergreen hedges.

Spring/Winter Time

Yu Chen 170209863

Character Elements

A

Sun to Shade Perennial C These three areas seem different but merge and unite to form a garland-like perennial

belt, which echoes the building. The simple

wood and concrete building wall serves as a background board for enriching plants, and the

lively perennial can also be seen through the

floor-to-ceiling glass. It provides a quiet and beautiful environment for the reader.

Let's start this discovery journey HERE. Let’s take a first glimpse at the paths net in the site.

The arrangement of the plants, the three main plant belts are separated by exploratory paths and extend outward from the central library. Then back to the straight and open main roads, people can feel the changes of the three cycles of plants when they walk along. The vegetations were gradually returning to the natural shade of trees by the carefully selected perennial. The flat main roads welcome everyone to visit, include wheelchairs, and some people can choose to walk into these winding roads connect with the main roads, where people can explore the well-designed plants and some seating areas are also placed beside the road under multi-stem trees.

B

C A

C

This area is the closest plant belt to the central library, which is mainly planted with perennial that can maintain year-round interest. These perennial are roughly divided into three areas A, B and C depending on the illumination. Area A direct ice to sunshine and is at the main entrance to the entire site, so the red flowering or reddish foliage perennials are the best choices. Next, area B is on the shady side of the building, so some shade tolerant perennial is placed here, while echoing the bluebell woodland behind, the main colour of this area is blue-violet. At last, the remaining two areas C are in the middle position, which plays a transitional role. The plants here will fuse the first two areas, and the main colour is yellow. Summer and autumn will be the highlight of the plant, but the bulbs and flower heads fill the spring vacancies and give vitality to the spring-cold site. And some structural perennial makes it interesting in winter through their unique shape.

Drass Drift

B Left : Vision of Grass Drift and flowering Amelanchier in Spring

Sunny Perennial Blocks (A)

Right : Vision of Outdoor cafe area with shady perennial blocks.

This area is direct facing the sunlight. The red foliage Cornus alba(dogwood) give the area all year around red colour and strong structure. Sesleria autumnalis give connection to grass draft and keep longtime green. 'Flaming Silver' is a small, erect evergreen shrub; foliage is bright red in spring, then becoming green.Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit is a clump-forming rhizomatous flowering perennial. Accompany with taller summer flowering perennial Digitalis × mertonensis foxglove give multi-layers strong contrast in summer. Expect the evergreen plants, the flowerhead of Achillea millefolium also gives interest.

A

The second circle of the plant ring is mainly composed of long grass. This area is characterized by long grasses drifts. The Deschampsia grass belt alternates with the Sesleria autumnalis to form a drift and mix with Molinia caerulea (a late Season grass, an upright contrast with the mounding of Deschampsia) rich in the structure of the entire grass belt. The effect of this area will be simpler than the internal perennial, reflecting the simple and sophisticated sense of balance. Meanwhile, the semi-sunny perennial mix(mainly includes the species in the perennial circle) in it form a response to the perennial circle, making the change harmony and unity. The multi-stem flowering tree Amelanchier lamarckii gives more layers.and shelter for seating area.

Foliage Interest Structure Interest Flower Interest

SEMI-Sunny Perennial Blocks (C)

B Summer/Autumn Time

WINTER

AUTUMN

This area at the back side of the building, sunlight is not very enough. The plants here mainly have two aims, shady tolerant and echo to dark woodland ground cover. So the main foliage and flower colour are darker, but also abundant.

Sesleria autumnalis and Dryopteris erythrosora keep green in the whole year. Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ and ‘Ball shape” perennial Allium Gladiator will form a lush purple summer.

The rest are lower flowering groundcovers.

SUMMER

Shady Perennial Blocks (B)

SPRING

C

These areas are at right and left side of the building which is partly shady, and connect other two perennial areas. So the selection of the plants here mixes the adjacent area. It also made up by evergreen ground cover and grass; the flowering perennials mainly bloom at summer and autumn. However, the structural plants like Phlomis russeliana and Solidago rugosa also give winter interest. Moreover, the bulbs like Eranthis hyemalis and Narcissus lobularis(Haw.)Schult. & Schult.f. will bloom in ‘empty’ spring.

Yu Chen 170209863

Light Woodland Dark Woodland This area is located at the back of the entire site. As a connection and entrance to the newly built Woodthrope Park. Aim to give people a sudden surprise after passing through this “tree tunnel”.

So the tree canopy is made by some local deciduous trees, mainly are Oak and Elm trees. Their canopy will change colour and shape according to the season, adding fun to the whole site. At the same time, groundcover is made by some plants suitable for planting under the deciduous forest, among which bluebell Imitated the natural bluebell woodland. Asarum europaeum and ferns echo light woodland while ensuring evergreen, Euphobia amygdaloides ‘Purpurea’ plant colour will change with the seasons. The tiny purple flowers of Vinca minor ‘Atropurpurea’ bring some embellishments and echo with the former shady perennial blocks. They join together; there will be a woodland full of natural sense in all seasons.

This area is located on both sides of the site, next to this area is the internal road to the residential area and parking lot to the residential area. The role of this woodland belt is separate the transport and also allow potential users to see through the inside of the site. Therefore, the woodland formed by Betula utilis var. jacquemontii. This is a kind of birch with very white bark. It will become a beautiful transparent landscape.

The seasonal changes in this wooded area are shown in the above picture.

The exposed white trunks bring interest in the spring and winter seasons. In the lower layer, Asarum europaeum gives all year green, the unique colour changes of ferns add more interest, while foliage of Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ light the area. And the flowering perennial and bulbs are all white colour. The different layers join together to form a light and pleasant woodland.

Up: Seasonal Changes of dense deciduous trees and dark groudcover

Foliage Interest Structure Interest Flower Interest

AUTUMN

SUMMER

SPRING

WINTER

AUTUMN

SUMMER

SPRING

WINTER

Up: Explorary path cut through between lightwood area and grass drift with seating area under Amelanchier lamarckii

Yu Chen 170209863

Detailed Planting Plan Light woodland, white birch whit flowering light groundcover in late spring.

Semi-sunny Perennial Blocks with flowering Amelanchier lamarckii

Grass Drift in late spring, the same species from two adjacent plant area create gradually transition

1:50 A2

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