Further Development

From an educational perspective, I believe the project could be developed further by studying the solar impact of the proposed scheme on the existing site. Having done several solar analysis in the previous semester I have implemented the conclusions into developing the final form of the extensions allowing maximum natural light penetration. More advanced solar analysis would allow to optimise the overall form even further as well as facilitate the placement of amenity spaces among the flats [eg. allowing the farming areas to be located on the south facing side]. This could also be applied to the ground level landscaping when assigning the areas dedicated to farming, leisure and retail.

Another direction of further development would be the exploration of the idea of retrofit to the existing flats by designing a system allowing the existing residents to adapt their home sizes as well as incorporate the farming aspect into the existing structure. I believe this would allow to avoid creating a group of ‘second-class’ existing residents who would have less opportunity compared to their neighbours while still having to endure the construction above their homes.

Furthermore, I would be intrigued to consider theoretical possibilities for the project had it been approved for construction. Due to its kit-of-parts nature, the proposal is adaptable for a variety of sites housing devalued and mismanaged modernist council estates. It would be interesting to investigate how the scheme of Draper Farm transforms when applied to other structures.

The proposed end goal of the scheme is to transform the ‘modernist islands’ of devalued estates into green, growing farms intertwined within London’s urban fabric.

The photographs below show how the process of form experimentation allowed to optimise the placement of the flats and amenity areas within the load bearing frame. This was an early attempt to incorporate the desktop solar analysis into the design using sketch models.