THE LIFE PROJECT

The first stage of a botanical garden is researching the plants that are desired to be planted inside. This can be determined by there physical presence or by the scent that they may give out. Another factor to take into consideration when determining the plants is the environment that it may required to thrive in. If a the environment inside the botanical garden needs to change drastically so that the plants inside can thrive

After the plants have been chosen the next step is acquiring the seeds or plants. Botanical gardens are normally more than happy to share their seedlings and plants with other gardens as there is normally an informal relationship between different gardens. Benefits of acquiring seedlings are that they are lightweight and easy to transport disadvantages are that certain desirable features such as flower colour may not be guaranteed and also they take longer to reach maturity than vegetatively propagated plants. On the other hand the benefits of acquiring the plant instead of the seed are that the plant species can be easy to identify compared to as seeds, plants which are easily propagated can make large number of plants at a overwhelming rate which can help increase the collection and mature plants means that the botanical gardens can be created instantly. The disadvantages are that plants may be more difficult to transport and more care may be needed to be taken and also more equipment for propagation may be required.

The plant propagation takes place in plant nursers. The propagation process can be done in different methods form seeds, cuttings, grafting, layering, division and tissue culture. This all depends on the plant species. Then the plant needs to be prepared by pruning to remove any dead leaves and branches and diseased parts. Next the propagation medium needs to be chosen such as vermiculite or perite which work well with cuttings, there may be some soil based mixtures for seeds and sterile nutrient media for tissue culture. After that the next step is taking cuttings from the parent plants and then dipping the cuttings in rooting hormones to encourage root growth.

After the propagation has taken place, the next stages is finally planting the plans. The plants need to be sited to their growing requirements. Key conditions need to be provided for the plants to thrive. These include the environmental conditions such as the maximum and minimum temperatures, the soil type and also the required watering needed for the plants. There is always a preparation of the site to make sure everything is ready prior to the plants being planted. This may include preparation of the soil for example by adding more organic matter and minerals.

After everything has been prepared the plants are then planted into the site. A lot of care needs to be taken during this process to make sure the plants is not damaged.

Once the plants have all been planted the next stages are regular maintenance of the plants to make sure they are all surviving and growing healthily. This will include regular irrigation depending on the plant species, pruning and also pests disease and weed control.

The site is Royal Albert Docks, in the London Borough of Newham, more commonly known as Albert Island.

In the north side of the site there an existing Royal Docks Pumping Station.

The east is the River Thames

To the south there is the Royal Docks management building and also there is a new residential mixed-use development Gallons Point residential development.

To the west there is the King George V Dock and also the London City Airport.

The site was chosen because it is currently London’s only Enterprise zone. This means there will be great tax breaks and other business incentives. There’s already been over £314 million invested into acceleration the transformation of the Royal Docks by the mayor of London, with around £8billion of investments to follow over a course of 20 years.

It has great views from the water front which can be utilised.

The site also currently offers great transport links is situated between two London Boroughs, meaning there will be chance to gain customers from both sides of the river.

My site is surrounded by water. The river Thames creates a boundary on the eastern part of the site, with The Galleons Point Marina in the north, a body of water which separates the site from London City Airport in the west and also working locks in the south which separate the site from a strip of land which has the new residential area known as Gallions Estate.

Second Level

Basement Level

1. The deceased body would arrive to the site

2. The body will then get prepared for the ceremony

3. The ceremony would take place

4. The body would then be prepared for storage

5. The body would be stored in the decomposition chambers and processed for 3 months

6. Once decomposition has finished, the compost will then be laid to rest in the compost storage area

7. Family members will be given the opportunity to come collect their loved ones compost

8. The left over compost will then be used on the site to help the plants grow

9. If there is still an excess of compost the rest will be transported and used on nature reserves or sold to garden centers