Marina- Andromachi Markides u0813841...4.1 TIMBER SOIL AND TREE SOURCING 4.2 CARBON CALCULATION AND...

Marina- Andromachi Markides u0813841URBAN ECOLOGY PROTOTYPE : PLANTER - BENCH

SUSTAINABILITY AND DESIGN 2009-10

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: ABSTRACT:INTRODUCTION: CHAPTER 1: CHOSEN SITE

1.1THE SITE 1.2 CHOSEN LOCATION CHAPTER 2: INITIAL IDEA

2.1 INITIAL PROTOTYPE IDEAS CHAPTER 3 DESIGN PROCESS

3.1 SPECIFIC LOCATION 3.2 DESIGN PROCESS 3.3 TREE PITS3.4 THE OUTCOME CHAPTER 4: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

4.1 TIMBER SOIL AND TREE SOURCING4.2 CARBON CALCULATION AND CO2 OFFSET 4.3: WIDER CITY IMPLICATIONS CONCLUSION: APPENDIX 1: EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS AND CRIME REPORT APPENDIX 2: BANKSIDE URBAN FOREST CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS APPENDIX 3: 3A UNDERGROUND SERVICES INFORMATION 3B ON SITE UNDERGROUND SERVICES INFORMATION APPENDIX 4: CALCULATING CARBON INFORMATIONAPPENDIX 5: INSPIRATIONS AND CASE STUDIES APPENDIX 6: SKETCH MODEL OF PROTOTYPE BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFFERENCES

2345-6567-87-89-169-1010-1415-1616-1718-2118-1919-21222324-252627-2827282930-313233-34



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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

I would like to thank my tutors Sofie Pelsmaker and Alan Chandler for their guidance and sup-port. Also Valerie Beirne from Better Bankside for her helpful input and information, Roland Karthaus and Kayla Friedman for their guest critic participation. Special thanks to Southwark Council and Barcham Tree Nursery for their cooperation.



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ABSTRACT

This report is located in Bankside, an area within London’s central activity zone. It is situated on the North of Southwark Borough of London. Bankside has some of London’s most renowned attrac-tions such as the Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Millennium Bridge that connects it with St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is under major regeneration to meet the high demands of increasing population (1500 residential units/year). Southwark Council has committed to sustainable devel-opment of the area, creating a better living and working environment for its occupants without harming the quality of life for future generations’1. This thesis aims to understand the issues within Bankside and address them with a small-scale design solution that can make a difference in the area and the general environment, strengthening the core area, to mirror the location’s impor-tance to London’s society. This design prototype can alter or vary in shape and size depending on the context is being placed. In this thesis the subject of interest began when the comparison of a high-density, built-up area was placed against the green public open space used for leisure or rest. Therefore the design originated from the disused, large paved public spaces or pavements in an area where the pedestrian traffic is important.

After analyzing the local area, the focus location of the prototype is large existing public paved area. The design prototype is a planter-bench within a city environment, to allow for the current and future users to experience space in a different perspective and to support the Urban street tree strategy of Southwark Council. The proposed design focuses in minimizing waste and carbon production, by re-using the existing pavement and building with it, creating a bench and space for a tree to be planted. It will also support the current London plan to improve biodiversity and green space in the city and to assist the current drainage system. This slowly improves the air qual-ity, upgrades existing public space, which could help to increase street life and has a positive ripple effect to the area.

The final part of this thesis includes a step-by-step analysis explaining the implications in seeing an idea from drawing, to visualization, to building. This takes into account the place of origin of the material, waste production during building construction, the transportation needed to carry materials, as well as topsoil and trees and their point of origin. Keeping these in mind, the implica-tions have to be considered when making decisions related to the design and construction of a building or product (no matter how big or small scale the project may be) as they all have con-sequences. These consequences may be either on the physical, natural or the socioeconomic environment.

1 Southwark Unitary Development Plan – www.southwark.gov.uk

Map 1: London Population Density, 2007Source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/regional_snapshot/RS_Lon.pdf



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INTRODUCTION

Urban Ecology Prototype sets out to develop an innovative and sustainable prototype to ap-ply urban ecology at an ‘Urban Block’ and at a wider city scale. It aims to develop ideas that respond to the particularities of urban context. The intend is to develop and test environmental and material strategies of the building through large scale modelling and the quantification of the environmental implications of the design2 . The location is Bankside, a region in the London Borough of Southwark, an area within London’s central activity zone. London is one of the most multicultural cities in Europe, very densely populated, and one of the greenest cities too. “Lon-doners often take for granted the fact that we live in one of the greenest capital in the world”, says Tony Chadwick the London’s wildlife conservation trust programmes manager3 . London has grown from a relatively low-density, to a very compact one; it has an attractive network of open and green spaces. Nowadays due to urban population growth the city as a whole became very compact, hence London Development Agency’s green infrastructure is planned, located, designed and managed as an integrated part of a wider network of open spaces as shown on map 2. Southwark is one of London’s Boroughs that is included in the plan for regeneration in the future from the London Development Plan as shown on map 3. With that in mind, this report aims to develop a prototype in order to create a design method to challenge the issues an environ-ment, society and urban density of a rapid growing city like London faces. London suffers from several environmental issues such as lack of green spaces, water drainage management, air pollution and more. Social issues that begin from the lack of open and green spaces can lead to local residents alienation. Due to the rapid grow of population the land is being extensively built, overshadowing streets; poorly lit areas as well as covered streets are often unsafe4 . In addition there is a high risk that areas will lose their character and more. This prototype can later on be implemented from a single unique location to separate locations in a wider scale application. The brief is set out from an existing program instructed by Southwark council (Bankside Urban For-est) that aims to improve the quality of the public realm and landscaping in the Bankside area5 . Southwark Council works in association with Better Bankside organisation, the Tate Modern, as well as a group of other architectural companies. Better Bankside exists to improve the quality of the area and enhance the competitiveness of its businesses. It is a company owned, funded and led by employers in the Bankside area of London6 .

2. Urban Ecology prototype introductory brief-Uel Plus

3 www.wildlondon.org.uk

4 http://www.securedbydesign.com/pdfs/safer_places.pdf- London metropolitan police crime prevention methods 5 http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourServices/RegenerationSection/banksideimprovements/frameworks/buf.html 6 www.betterbankside.co.uk

Map 2: open space strategic network

Source: www.london.gov.uk/thelondonplan

Map 3: Areas for regeneration



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Map 4: Southwarks Priority area for regeneration

Map 5: Southwark’s current land use

CHAPTER ONE: CHOSEN SITE

1.1The site

Bankside is an area within the Borough of Southwark on the southern bank of River Thames as shown on map 4. Bankside is heavily populated and is currently has around 50 projects going un-der construction7 . Southwark is one of London’s boroughs currently undergoing major regenera-tion. According to Southwark regeneration plans (map 4) there are a number of issues that need an appropriate response. These include open spaces, parks and local biodiversity to improve the quality of life in residential and commercial sectors as well as transport and crime control (see ap-pendix 1). Currently Southwark has poor quality of green spaces on the north (map 5) and street trees, which is an issue they are trying to resolve by planting more and allocating areas where this can be improved, slowly helping to upgrade the area. Southwark council has increased the num-ber of street trees planted compared to the street trees removed or dead by 9.87% (924 trees) over the past 5 years8 .

Focusing further on this area, a decision was made to emphasis on a specific location starting from Southwark underground station towards the Tate Modern. This part of Bankside is very diverse and every corner looks and feels different than the next. Starting from heavy traffic large roads to small private residential buildings, to large council owned blocks of flats, to small private commercial spaces such as pubs, restaurants, small parks, large new built and existing buildings with very dif-ferent architectural qualities. As well as specific locations where a person can feel “threatened” or overwhelmed by the size of buildings or areas that look very deprived and disused. Exploring the area further, there are very little allocated positions for rest or play, but the few that exist are beautifully kept.

Comparing Bankside from map 5 with other areas in the council, there is an evident lack of open or green spaces on the north. The larger open spaces are located south of the borough due to lack of space, a result of extensive build up in the area and also its being part of the central activ-ity zone and London’s expansion. As discovered further down, these open spaces are often pri-vately owned, hence the urgency for regeneration is eminent and the Council has it as a priority. The importance of this location makes it very attractive for future business and residents; conse-quently most of the new developments in the area offer various uses to keep all parties satisfied. This also attracts very big architectural names to proposed developments for the site and since the demand is so large the bigger the building the better it is. (see appendix 2)

The area’s of interest importance due to existing infrastructure and build conditions is not as ob-vious as it should be (appendix 1). From information taken from London Metropolitan Police this area is also in the heart of crime related activities, due to the dereliction in parts, pure lack of inter-est or simply funds. The state of the existing streetscape, the different size of road pavement and use of the road, the overshadowing from existing buildings, covered streets and arches contribute towards it. The general area between Southwark station and the Tate is not maintained properly and this reflects on the way it is being used. Therefore making the Bankside area a popular place for criminal activity at any given time.

7. The Bankside Urban Forest brief document 8. Chainsaw massacre document UEL library



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1.2 Chosen Location

It is crucial to identify key locations within Bankside that host a number of local business, residents and see huge amounts of people on a daily basis. The route from Southwark Underground Sta-tion towards the Tate Modern Gallery via Great Suffolk Street is one of them. It gives easy access from South to North of the Thames and helps keep pedestrian traffic away from busy roads, it is one of the major urban links in the area9 . It is also significant that it will accommodate a number of new students, permanent residents and new business’ given that the new building schemes in the area are mixed-use offering a variety of uses for everyone. The main route from Southwark Underground Station towards Tate Modern via Great Suffolk street, vital as it is, looks unimportant and Great Suffolk street seems a like a minor route (appendix 1B). There are very few public areas for rest, parks, street benches, street trees or planters, consequently there are very little indications as to the importance of the street, it lacks care. There is very little evidence that this street (and area) sees thousands of people on a daily basis that are there for leisure or business. As shown on diagram 1, the sheer volume of the building plots and their size are enormous, especially if you compare it with green or open spaces in the area. This is what makes the urgency for regenera-tion even greater.

The strategic approach towards these issues is to restructure the existing streetscape. By re-defining the street the necessity of reviving the importance of Great Suffolk street becomes more evident. This will attract more people to stay in the area for longer periods of time, which will have a posi-tive ripple effect to the local business and residents, and also help reduce the high crime rate10 . In addition the presence of people for longer timescales makes the matter for public recreational space more pressing. That it self has another rippling effect on the natural environment since a tree or a flower pot, a bench, a planter or a small park makes our grey routine a little more pleas-ant. Man likes the natural environment (even if it isn’t always evident) and we need the natural environment for survival not only for the human race but also for all the various reliant organisms such as birds, bugs, funguses and many others that are co-dependant to it.

9. Better Bankside Group 10. www. homeoffice.gov.uk & www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk

Diagram 1: Strategic approach for Great Suffolk Street



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CHAPTER TWO: INITIAL IDEA

2.1 Initial prototype ideas

Redefining the street is a huge task, which takes time and planning and will cause problems to existing residents, users and business. There are several other ways that would slowly help upgrade the area starting from small interventions that would have the similar outcomes. The initial idea was to introduce the concept of Urban productive landscapes to the residents by re-using existing spaces that are currently disused. Gambia Street used to be a very heavy commuter area; commuters were using it as a shortcut instead of using Blackfriars road, cre-ating noise pollution and issues to the local residents. Therefore in 2002-04, Eger Architects transformed it to a garden and recreational space (image1). This project was funded by Southwark Council and supported by BOST (Bankside Open Spaces Trust), aiming to pro-vide a better and safer environment for the surrounding residential area. Even though the intentions were good the current outcome is not preferable (image 2), the square is left to weather and the then attractive whale shaped planters did not work as planned. Thus the idea was to remove the top part of the planter creating private planters for residents to use for planting either flowers or vegetables in an effort to sustain part of their daily needs, reduc-ing food miles11 and getting involved with food growing (image 3). Although it is important to learn about food growing and reducing food miles, the area is not big enough to accom-modate neither the amount of people that could be interested nor the sum of fruit or veg-etables to cover a households needs. Additionally to be able to achieve this Gambia Street Square would have to be blocked off and turned into a private space, rather than public open space that is a valuable commodity in the Bankside area. Decreasing the green open and recreational spaces within the area is the exact opposite of the overall strategy for the area. Therefore the design process continued for a more suitable end result.

In an effort to navigate people from Southwark Underground Station to the Tate another strategy was drafted, to focus on the two main routes, through Blackfriars Road and Great Suffolk Street (diagram 2). This would involve the design and construction of a family of plant-ers with the Tate’s logo on pointing the way to and from Tate. For this program to happen the involvement of the local community is necessary. Making local residents contribute to their neighbourhood, a sense of belonging and respect to it is implied. Cultivating these feelings the residents them selves would want to upgrade and protect their area, therefore trying to keep it clean and safe will be a priority for them. These family planters could be attached on buildings and pavements depending on the plants planted. Allowing for planters to be avail-able in different size and place will draw different ages and types of people, from a child to an adult. Getting local people and families active in this program will also raise awareness and educate people in the subject of gardening, plants and biodiversity areas that South-wark Council already is trying to target.

This program depends on people’s initiative and will to help, and because of that it becomes very fragile, since some people might commit themselves and others would not, also plants need care frequently which could be difficult for some. Furthermore, this requires permission from building owners to attach these planters on their property, which can raise disputes

11 The term which refers to the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer. Food miles are

a single factor used when assessing the environmental impact of food. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_miles

Image 1: Initial transformation, whale shaped planters for small plantsSource: http://www.egerarchitects.com/

Image 2: Current condition of planters

Image 3: Proposed transformation of the planter from small plants to food and vegetables.



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within the community as a result. Also Bankside has a big number of student and non-permanent residents, which makes the program even less viable and the responsibility of these planters will fall under the council. Therefore this prototype would not viable for the area, because it depends on factors that cannot be reliable.

The main flaw of both prototypes so far is their dependence on people’s initiative and sense of ownership, as well as needing regular maintenance. Hence the prototype has to be an interven-tion that after built requires very little upkeep. As previously mentioned, to try and redefine and restructure the existing infrastructure of the area is an enormous task. By investing in small-scale interventions there is a higher possibility to raise awareness and slowly integrate new ideas and thinking in people, as well as aiding other problems faced such as pavement decay, water drain-age, waste reductions, CO2 emissions, lack of trees and gardens, threats to biodiversity, air noise pollution, alienation of individuals in a big city etc. Issues that any large city like London has to deal with. Therefore as discussed in chapter three this prototype has to implement the existing infrastructure and environment and be robust.

Diagram 2: Navigation strategy to and from The TateRed route: through Blackfriars RoadBlue Route: through Great Suffolk Street

Image 4: Daddy pot-SketchAttached on the building

Image 5: Mummy pot-SketchHung off the building

Image 6: Baby pot-SketchGround floor level



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Diagram 3: Bankside123 master plan, showing proposed building and landscaping of open public spaces.

Source: www.bankside123.co.uk

CHAPTER THREE: DESIGN PROCESS

3.1 Specific Location:

Great Suffolk Street offers a great opportunity to test ideas on small design interventions that can have a positive reflection towards existing and potential users. It offers variety of spaces and build-ings there are very few allocated positions where a person can sit and enjoy their surroundings, relax, have lunch or even rest. Therefore this intervention has multiple aims:

• Plant street trees • Increase local biodiversity• Improve local environment and living conditions• Assist the existing drainage system • Slowly improve air quality• Low maintenance and upkeep• Work with existing infrastructure

For those reasons a decision was made to remove some existing pavement tiles as well existing paving structure and unnecessary soil with it to allow space for a tree to be planted. By doing this, all of the above become waste material. To minimize waste the intervention proposes that the removed paving tiles shall become part of a bench, which will allow for local residents and tourists to relax and enjoy. Consequently, giving life back to the street which itself will cause a slow reduction in the crime rate and improve living conditions. By allowing nature to “invade” our life and integrating trees and plants to the dense urban environment we live in, the consequence is the implementation of the “Urban Forest” idea.

The chosen location is the large paved area (diagram 3) around the Blue Fin building or Bankside 123, which is a junction between the Tate, Great Suffolk Street and Southwark Street and is very busy in terms of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Allies and Morrisson architects completed the Blue Fin building, in 2006. Diagram 3 clearly indicates street trees locations that were considered on the master plan. Although diagram 3 shows an exaggeration in the amount of trees to be planted image 7 makes it believable. The artist’s impression below (image7) shows how the build-ing and its surrounding plot should look like. Even then, comparing the building plot and the size of this building shows Southwark’s necessity for the increase of population but there was very little consideration towards the open space around the building. However the reality is very different, as shown on images 8-9 after the build the surrounding space is not as imagined. There is a distinct lack of green spaces, sitting areas, or trees, it is clearly different than the impression. Again this is visible on diagram 4 (below) where the green areas around the building are very little in compari-son to the development’s land.

However, to be able to plant a street tree, Southwark Council issued guidelines12 which need be followed:

• Plant native trees. • An awareness of the presence of underground services• Street size• Local resident opinion and area character

12. http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourServices/environment/Trees/NewTrees.html

paved areablue fin building

southwark street

towards Tate



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• The avoidance of future potential problems such as pedestrian access etc.

Research by the University of Leeds states that there is very little knowledge of the underground pipe network since some of it dates 200 years back (see appendix 3A). From a brief research done on the existing services that run around this area (diagram 4 in blue), there are a number of underground services that had been considered, but in such cases the tree can be replaced with a flower bed or a smaller tree or a bush where there is no availability for deep digging. The purpose of this research was to identify locations where a tree could be placed and not disrupt its context. Shown on diagram 4 are potential locations for the prototype to be situated in orange taking into account the whereabouts of existing sewers and services in blue on the paving area. By making the prototype adjustable based on location, orientation and plantation species allows its suitability in different context and needs. The South and West part of the building as diagram 4 indicates in orange are locations more likely for the prototype to be placed, as well as better lighting conditions for any plantation.The understanding of the immediate context and its issues sets out the guidelines for the design of the prototype. Moreover diagram 4 pinpoints exact positions, from this a more structured idea for the prototype arises and starts forming.

3.2 Design process:

Summing up, this prototype intends to increase the amount of street trees and allocate positions for rest within the urban setting of the dense city centre. Adding street trees in an existing paved area and utilizing the waste created by that to build street furniture (bench). This prototype is placed on the large pedestrian areas as seen on image 10.

Diagram 4: Blue Fin Building surrounding paving areaBlue: location of existing underground servicesOrange: Possible locations for the prototype

Image 7: Artist impression

Source: www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=429988Image 8: Current View of Blue Fin Building Image 9: Current View of Blue Fin Building



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For the argument of this thesis the prototype was developed for a specific location and exact size. Image 11 shows a section through the chosen location, in order to begin to understand the impli-cations of the design. Focusing on the paving tiles on Image 10 shows an example of the paving size in the Blue Fin building varies starting from 300x600x65 mm, 600x600x65 mm and 900x600x65 mm, which makes the size of the tree-pit flexible depending on the type of tree planted. Using 5 different tree species and 6 different tree types that are favourable for street trees, strong enough to withstand the difficulties faced in a city environment and support local birds and bugs. London has various soil types as illustrated on map 6 (below), Southwark has various soil types; wet, clay, chalk and acidic, suitable for the trees listed on table 1. As shown on table 1 (below) all trees are hardwood with different growth rate and size, to allow for street diversity and are all supported by Southwark’s tree policy. From a conversation with Southwark Council’s Arboriculture Services manager the trees are sourced from Barcham tree nursery in Cambridgeshire.

During the excavation of the tree pit a large amount of waste is being produced, including exist-ing paving slabs, aggregates, soil, concrete, and subsoil from the street’s infrastructure. The idea is to use the paving tiles to form the base of a bench, to serve street users, shown on diagram 5. For the main body of the bench the decision was made to use timber, which will be varnished and treated to withstand weathering and use. Timber was chosen because is being used in various public places such as timber benches in Golden Square in Soho (London), parks, and more;

Image 11: Section through the existing pavement on the site of Blue Fin BuildingImage 10: Propose site and paving slab size

Map 6: London’s soil typologies



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Table 1: Tree Species information, native to the area

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://www.british-trees.comhttp://www.treeforall.org.uk



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Diagram 5: Bench Built up

Image 13: Bench visualisation

usually used for the sitting body of a bench. For example in Cutty Sark gardens in image 12, large pieces of oak are being used to form the top large bench surface very successfully. Taking in consideration how well the benches on Cutty Sark are being used and kept, a decision was made to use oak sleepers for the sitting part of the bench. At the moment the prototype uses 3 ½ paving tiles that are being removed to allow for the tree pit.

Diagram 5 shows the possible ways for bench build up. The existing paving tiles will be cut to 40cm in width and between 60-120 cm in length, stacking up six paving tiles together will also give the 45cm height needed, since the height of the slab is 65mm and adding the 10mm mortar. Image 13 shows a rough idea of the way the slats are connected to form the bench. This though will only use the existing paving tiles, part of the gravel, soil, subsoil and aggregates will be used to form the tree pit necessary to keep the tree in shape and to control its route expansion, so it does not harm the pavement or any underground services.

Image 12: The use of timber benches in Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, London



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Image 14: Proposed prototype sec-tion (not to scale)

Image 15: Bench planter option 1

Image 16: Bench planter option 2

Initially the slats will be drilled in the middle to place the core metal that connects the tiles with the ground fixing the bench to it as shown on diagram 5. Image 13 demonstrates how the slats would be fixed on the mount created by the rest of the tiles. The tiles create the legs of the bench and part of the sitting surface, the tile being part of the sitting area reminding everyone what the bench is made from. Timber slats will give the sitting section of the bench the warmth it needs and the spacing between the slats will assist to the water flow so it does not sit on the surface. The water collected from the existing surface area and the bench will be collected by an additional drain added on the front edge of the bench to assist with water management. As seen below on image 14 the prototype becomes part of the pavement becoming one with the streetscape and since the paving area around the building it is so large it allows for an intervention of that.

Images 15 and 16 are the two prototype options, although image 16 option 2 is better aestheti-cally image 15 option 1 uses all paving slabs that were removed to create the pit ensuring that there is less waste created. In addition option 1 uses less oak sleepers, which has less embodied energy from materials. In this case the dillema is ethics over aesthetics, choosing a prototype that has less embodied energy or a bench that looks better but has a greater impact to the environ-ment. Considering the above option 1 is more appropriate, since both option have the same purpose but option 1 serves this using less thus having smaller embodied energy.



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Image 17: Existing on site street tree pit.

Image 18: Existing on street tree pit

Diagram 6: Proposed tree pit and bench section

3.3 Tree pits:

Analyzing the existing tree pits in the area gives a point of reference, on size and typology of pro-posed tree pits. In addition in help to identify research issues that are not well known otherwise. Street trees need to be well ventilated to avoid rotting of the roots, and the existing tree pits (im-age 17) have very discreet ventilation slots in comparison with other street pits in London. Also the protection barriers around the tree, image 17, the existing granite pavement on site, on the left and right of the pit, has been penetrated to allow for the ventilation mechanism, where as in other examples (image 18) a plastic pipe was placed at the top, visible from the outside, which makes it look like an afterthought. This might cause problems since the pipe can get blocked, especially during winter periods; heavy rain and leaf fall, adding to the workload of the tree war-dens. Moreover trees have to be confined within certain area to avoid diseases, structural issues to the surrounding environment, but big enough to allow for the tree’s healthy growth. The roots usually feed (98%of the root) from the first 600mm of the tree pit13 , thus trees are usually buried

13.http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/the-distance-at-which-trees-can-affect-a-building-is-quite-significant/130858.article



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around 600-700mm. Shown on diagram 614 the excavation of the tree pit has to be covered with a barrier and then protected with a gravel barrier around 20-50mm to insure stability, aeration and drainage. The need for gravel and aggregates surrounding the tree offers an opportunity for the rest of the waste created during the excavation of the pit to be used. Reducing even more the waste production for this prototype and the necessity for waste transport and disposal as a result.

3.4 The Outcome

The images 18 and 19 below represent the way the prototype sits within the existing paved walk path; it does not become an obstacle for the pedestrians since there is enough space for other activities to happen around it as shown in both images. Image 19 is located on a different part of the area around Blue Fin Building to display the fact that the prototype can be placed in dif-ferent locations, where needed. Moreover as discussed in Chapter 4 we will discover the em-bodied energy and CO2 production of the planter-bench prototype to assess whether or not it contributes towards the local environment apart from greening the street and improving current biodiversity.

14. Section_8-9_and_techincal_sheets.pdf- source: Southwark Arbicultural Services Manager

Image 18: Proposed planter-bench on down Southwark Street



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Image 19: Proposed location for the prototype on the cross road od Great Suffolk Street and Summer street



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CHAPTER FOUR: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

This chapter aims to locate and source materials for building the prototype. The point of this is to understand the consequences of construction and design in the greater context, the prototype’s carbon dioxide production and embodied energy and how long will the tree planted need to off-set the CO2 created. For these, all input was calculated in kilos of CO2. In addition, the embodied energy of the paving slabs is not included since its embodied energy is part of the Blue Fin Build-ing, as well as the energy and CO2 production to turn the rest of the waste into aggregates. It is important to understand the issues that the above are depended upon and what actions can be made to minimise the outcome.

4.1 Timber, Soil and Tree Sourcing:

Timber is one of three elements that have to be brought on site, and its sourcing is very important. Since one of the intentions of this prototype is about re-using materials and trying to reduce its car-bon footprint the initial idea was to use reclaimed timber. Reclaimed timber is usually collected from buildings ready for demolition, the timber planks then are taken to a warehouse, where nails are removed manually, cut to size based on need, air dried or kilned and then treated depend-ing on use. However, it is very difficult to identify where the planks are supplied from, given that none of the companies contacted were unable pinpoint where they got the timber from, and gave vague answers such as Europe, France, UK and could only emphasise on the aesthetic perception reclaimed timber can offer to the interior space15. Not knowing where and how the reclaimed timber is sourced, the fact that it is very expensive and important to the private build-ing sector makes its use for street furniture very questionable. Street furniture has to be robust to withstand extensive use and weathering, hence using new timber, responsibly sourced from Brit-ish well-managed forests approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) UK should be con-sidered. New timber though also needs drying and treating for external use, and also has to be transported, cleaned and cut. There comes an ethical dilemma, which one is best to use, taking into account their impact on the natural environment.

Sustainable forest strategy is to plant a new tree to replace the one cut, which absorbs more CO2 from the atmosphere quicker than older trees 16. When considering sustainable timber sources it is impossible to calculate its full environmental outcome, using reclaimed timber suffers from the same disadvantage. In both cases the only measurable variable is the transportation from the warehouse to the site for installation. So the decision was made to use new timber planks because reclaimed timber is very expensive and more valuable for interior applications. Also because there is the knowledge that the timber did not have to travel from different countries and it also support British business. Therefore the timber of choice is Oak sourced from British sustainable forests, Oak sleepers are naturally durable which makes them one of the best materials for external use.

The topsoil used for the tree pit, will occupy the first 300mm of the pit and the rest will be soil from the excavation of it, which is 0.108 m3 (108 litres). This topsoil will be brought to site in 3 bags (40litres/bag) by a local company that collects soil from recently excavated building sites, cur-rently the company’s merchandise comes from the excavation of Heathrow terminal five and then stored, the soil later gets distributed to locations upon request17 . Due to the unknown bulk

15. telephone conversations with reclaimed timber companies16. http://www.fsc-uk.org/ 17. telephone conversations with top soil merchants



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size of excavated soil from the source the only measurable variable is the transporta-tion of the 3 bags of soil required for the prototype.

After contacting Southwark council, the official street tree provider is Barcham tree nursery in Cambridgeshire 73 miles way from the location. They suggested that a tree between 8-10 years old is suitable for street planting and that a trailer or a small lorry transports it depending on amount and location182. Since the distance is so big, an effort was made to locate other suppliers supported by the council but due to insuf-ficient information, the decision was made to use the nursery. Even though the tree will be brought to site at 10 years old (which is stronger and has more possibilities for healthy growth) its CO2 absorption until then is still accountable to counter act for the CO2 emissions during its transport.

4.2 Carbon Calculation and CO2 offset

All figures below are based on the assumption that these companies are using the specific type of vehicles listed on table 2. No exact figures were calculated sourcing the timber (transport and cut from forest). The only variable taken into consideration was the embodied energy of timber20 (0.46 kg of CO2/kg) and its transportation on site. For each bench there are two oak sleeper slabs needed (75x225x600mm) that are approximately 8.16 kg each, the embodied energy for both pieces is 7.5kg of CO2 per bench. To calculate this embodied energy first we had to know the volume of the Oak slabs (0.017m3) and by using the generic timber density from greenspec (480kg/m3 - based on ‘cradle to gate’) we could determine the weight of each slab. Then us-ing the Rule of Three mathematical method we are able to estimate their embodied energy in carbon. This embodied energy only includes the CO2 production untill the product leaves the factory therefore calculation were added on table 2 regarding the transport of the timber to have more accurate amount of CO2 created using the timber.

The calculations of CO2 emissions were based on the performance of the car’s engine (miles/gallon22). For example: 30xXgallons=3.6miles, thus X=0.12gallon. A gallon of diesel emits 10.1 kg of CO2. Using the same method, the emission of CO2 for 0.12 gallons is 1.2 kg

For the purposes of this thesis the total amount of CO2 production for transportation will be the average of the two estimates, which is 81,6kg. And including the embod-ied energy of the oak sleepers gives a total of 89.1 kg of CO2. This number is not total amount of embodied created by the planter-bench, is only the variables that could be counted upon. Although tree sourcing produces an average of 73.9 kg of CO2, which is the biggest amount. From a brief research made on tree sourcing if the tree was taken from a local farm 10 miles away as shown on table 4 the total production of CO2 would be 18.5 kg which is only a forth of the total amount.

18. http://www.barcham.co.uk19.The words ‘ Carbon’ and ‘CO2’ are interchangeably used in the building industry and are intended to be the same, al-though in chemistry, ‘carbon’ is C and not CO2. For the purpose of this exercise, the construction industry’s phrasing, and not its

chemical definition have been used. 20. http://www.greenspec.co.uk/html/materials/embodied_energy.html21. Based on how much kg of CO2 is consumed per gallon source http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420f05001.htm#carbon - US environmental protection agency22. http://www.mylocalvanhire.co.uk/vansize.php#extralong

Materials transported /Distance Transportation vehicle Fuel consumption: miles

per gallon

CO2 kg

production

Timber (source – site-source)/3.6miles medium ford transit diesel 30-40 1.2-0.93

Soil (source-site-source)/7.4 miles Extra long wheel base van diesel 22-30 3.33-3.3

Tree (source-site-source)/146 miles large truck 20-30 88.8-59.3

Waste(site-source-site)/9.2 miles large ford transit diesel 28-35 3.7-2.65

Total CO2 production (transportat ion) 97.03-66.18

!Table 2: Carbon19 production in transportation of materials, 1 Gallon of diesel= 10.1kg of CO2 emissions 21

Table 3: Total amount of CO2 emissions per bench build, not including energy need for operating machinery transport of people to the site for removing materials and building the bench.

Table 4: Test: amount of CO2 IF THE TREE FARM WAS 10 MILES AWAY.

TOTAL CO2 PRODUCTION PER BENCH IN KG 89.1



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Table 5 specifies trees chosen for planting based on their growth rate, suitability to area and the fact that can be sustained as street trees. They are divided in two groups moderate and fast growth growth rate, which depends upon soil, drainage, water, fertility, light, exposure and more24 . This table also has the CO2 sequestration rate up to the point (the 19th year) at which the CO2 absorption balances against the prototype’s contribution.

Comparing tables 3 (carbon production) with table 5 (carbon sequestration) it would take a fast growing tree 12 years (96.6 kg ) to counter act the CO2 created by the prototype and by the twelfth year the tree will actually have a possitive contribution. For a moderate growing tree it would take 19 years (100.78kg) which by then it will also have a possitive contribution. However no calculations were made to measure the embodied energy of the concrete turned to aggre-gate at the plant, or the energy consumed building the prototype. Overall a huge amount of carbon dioxide emissions were saved by re-using existing materials. Due to the fact that the se-

23. ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/cdrom/pdf/sequester.pdf - U.S department of energy information administration 24.http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/growth.cfm

Table 5: Tree species and sequestration. The carbon sequestration depends if tree is conifer or hardwood and growth rate (slow, moderate, fast) the original table23 was in Lbs and was converted in the metric system (kilos) by the author.



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questration information where taken from an American resource there are not as accurate, since the sequestration 25 depends on:• Tree species growth characteristics• Conditions of tree growth on site • Density of wood ( tree’s biomass)Table 6 shows the total amount of years needed for a tree to absorb the CO2 created by the prototype. Table 7 shows the same if the tree was sourced from a local tree nursery and not the one specified by the council. The comparison of the 2 indicates how important is the sourcing of materials in general since it all adds up to the embodied energy of the product. IF the tree was sourced locally by the twelfth of ninenteenth year (depending on the tree) it would have possitiv-elly contributed to the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere. However this is not the case, and table 6 shows the actual amount of years and CO2 sequestration that counter act the fabrication of the prototype.

Nevertheless table 5 indicates an estimate of tree sequestration per year which is gradually raising untill the tree reaches its 50th year of age25, where then it becomes more stable. Additionally no calculations were made specifically for an individual tree, location and climate. Also the original calculations were not site specific either, but for the purposes of this thesis the calculations on ta-ble 5 are considered correct, since there are many unknown variables. Comparing the amount of the total embodied energy of the prototype with the CO2 sequestration per tree type from table 6 it would take 19 years for a moderate grown tree to achieve carbon balance and a fast grown tree would need 12 years. Therefore a decision was made to use any of the 3 fast growing trees:

• Bird Cherry• London Plane• European Hornbeam

The above tree species support local biodiversity and can achieve carbon balance on a shorter period of time. Nonetheless if a more local tree nursery was used for these calculations the impact would have been smaller and the tree would have had a positive contribution in a shorter period of time. If that was the case all 6 tree species could have been used therefore achieving a better mixture of biodiversity since each tree support different wildlife.

Trying to calculate embodied energy of a product is a rather difficult task. There are very little in-put on materials and what that could involve, the cradle to gate methodology used above and the calculation CO2 emissions created during transport was the most accurate one. Nevertheless the product is an outcome of various procedures, from design stage, to choosing and sourcing materials and finally the build stage. The latter is the most energy hungry one, due to the large number of variables during the build phase calculations can not be relied upon. Therefore there is no set ways to calculate this embodies energy product or a building, but only a rough estimate of it.

However calculating the CO2 absorption from a tree suffers from issues as well, and some were mentioned earlier. Although all calculations were based on best case scenarios; In this case the calculation suffer from the source. The fact that the data is from an American source and there is very little information on climate and growing conditions of a tree, even more so a street tree, makes the data week. Therefore an assumption was made to the accuracy of the data.

25. http://www.treesftf.org/resources/Calculating%20CO2%20Sequestration%20by%20Trees.pdf

Table 6: Tree type and age necessary to absorb the CO2 created by the prototype

Table 7: Tree type and age necessary to absorb the CO2 created by the prototype IF TREE WAS SOURCED LOCALLY

TREE TYPE AGE -years- CO2 SEQUESTRATION

Fast grown rate 12 96.6 kg

Moderate growth rate

19 100.78kg

TREE TYPE AGE -years- CO2 SEQUESTRATION

Fast grown rate 6 22.48 kg

Moderate growth rate

8 21.57kg



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4.3: Wider City implications

The prototype works on the specific location and has relatively small environmental impact. The carbon produced by it can be offset in approximately 4 years after the tree is planted. The theory behind the prototype such as greening areas where needed, increasing sitting areas in public spaces, helping the existing water drainage systems and helping the biodiversity of the local en-vironment can be applied in several sites all over London. However this prototype and materials were designed and sourced for the explicit site. In such cases the prototype might have bigger or smaller embodied energy and waste production. Since less or more soil might be needed or the materials have to travel for longer distances and more waste is produced. For every chosen loca-tion the appropriate research has to be made to source all of the above. The prototype could be placed on Peter’s Hill square (St.Pauls Cathedral) on image 20, which suffers with similar issues or further up Great Suffolk street where pubs or office buildings are located image 21, and will have approximately the same environmental impact.

Image 20: Peter’s Hill Square in St. Pauls

Image 21: Great Suffolk Street, potential locations where public spaces are need



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CONCLUSION

Nowadays thinking about the environmental impact of a building and the long-term conse-quences it could have has become more and more necessary for all building stages from design to construction. By designing even a small scale prototype with the ecology in mind, there were number of issues that are left unanswered mostly because the industry is not well organized yet. Ecology in build environment is not a matter to be taken lightly and unfortunately people still have not grasped the idea fully.

Designing with the general environment (natural, built, social) as a main objective brings opportu-nities in creating space that benefits all. Therefore giving towards the users of an area the leisure space they need, contributing by that to the built and social environment. By designing for nature we get to understand its needs more, respect it and cherish it. In the case of this prototype a street tree is more than a decorative ornament on the side of the pavement, is a living organism the contributes towards better air quality, allows for others to be fed by it, provides shelter from the sun, and gives opportunity for social interaction, it gives more to us that what we give to it.Now we are at a stage that we can measure about 50% or less of what we produce. Towards the end of the design process the realization came that no matter what we do we are never going to be able to counter act our actions, since for small design prototype it would take around a full 14 years for a tree to offset its carbon footprint. The necessity of carefully choosing and sourcing materials and by being careful with the amount of waste produced it could at least reduce the amount of carbon created and just like a tree this will bit by bit help minimise carbon release in the atmosphere. This raises the question of why is Southwark Council sourcing their trees from a nursery so far away, their impact alone is very large. Promoting street trees is a nice idea but it should not be irrelevant where and how these trees come from. The Mayor of London and Southwark issued guidelines for this promotion but they should have included guidelines on street tree sourcing, as well as alternative ways of utilization of the waste generated by it. These could include street fur-niture, or reclaimed tiles and aggregate for future paving projects or re using unnecessary soil for tree planting in gardens and parks.

However ecology is one of three factors that need to be taken into account, as mentioned dif-ferent areas have different needs, social and economical issues always play a big role in every project. The Bankside Urban Forest notion started with the natural and social environment but it is supported by local business for a better tomorrow. Southwark council, the Mayor of London and the people of Bankside are trying to upgrade their area’s natural environment, increase bio-diversity, improve air and living qualities and reduce crime rate. In order to achieve all of these - dedication, the involvement of local people residents or business and hard work is needed. We as architects can only consider the impact that our own designs will have on the local environ-ment, whilst being willing to take into account the data we have on emissions and carbon used to better identify those options that are closer to our ideal of reducing these harmful by-products of our industry.



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APPENDIX 1: Existing site conditions and crime report

Image 21: Existing street conditions, road looks like patchwork the pavement has different dimensions on each site to control direction. Important vista towards the Tate

Image 22: Dark railway arch impossible to avoid if you are going to the Tate, revealing the vista. Lack of sufficient water drainage and management. Again the road resemples a patchwork and road has different levels.

Image 23:Great Suffolk Street leads to isolated, dark and gloomy spaces, interesting light shaft be-tween buildings left to weather



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Image 24 indicates Crime densities in the greater area around Great Suffolk Street and the Blue Fin building. Both of them are situated between areas of both high and average crime rates, which make its visitors and users targets. Currently there is a huge demand of residential units in the area, which makes future occupants vulnerable. Based on information taken from London Metropolitan police a good way to avoid being targeted is keep away dark areas or areas where are not being properly overlooked by people or police. Initial research for this subject was done by Fairuz Adbul Aziz as part of group search.

IImage 24: Crime reports in the areasource: www.met.police.uk



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APPENDIX 2: Bankside Urban Forest current development projects

These are just 2 examples of future developments in the area. They both provide residential units but also retail units on the ground floor. In addition both projects are sky-raised buildings that are going to be part of London’s skyline and the areas character. Dough full though how respectful they are towards area character, at least they are meeting Southwark’s need for more housing units. Cur-rently Herzoq de Meuron are working towards an extension of Tate Modern, on Great Suffolk Street and Bear Lane by Panter Hudspith completed a high quality residential and retail scheme in 2009 any many more.This research was done by Joseph Pawlina as part of group site research

Allies and Morrisson Architects a mixed used scheme from building is a student accommodation that houses 230 students and the back is an office building with re-tail on the ground levelsource: http://www.alliesandmorrison.co.uk/

Neo Bankside by Richard Rogers, will pro-vide 229 residential units and retail units on ground levelSource: www.richardrogers.co.uk



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APPENDIX 3:3A UNDERGROUND SERVICES INFORMATION

Diagram 7: Section from a typical London Street

Article abstract from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4831238.stm



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3B ON SITE UNDERGROUND SERVICES INFORMATION

Diagram 8: locations of services, sewers etc on site. Diagram 9: sketch of cross section through the street



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APPENDIX 4: CALCULATING CARBON INFORMATION

Van images and specifications and engine performance that helped calculated the CO2 output through transportation

Abstract from the US Environmental Protection Agency calculations for CO2 emis-sions from diesel and petrol



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APPENDIX 5: Inspirations and case studies



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APPENDIX 6:

Sketch Models of prototypes.

Final prototype option 1 physical model Secondary prototype option 2 physical model



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BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFFERENCES

BIBLIOGRAPHIES:

1. International Landscape Architecture2. Landscape London3. The design of Urban Space4. Superdutch

OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS AND ESSAYS:

1. Chainsaw Massacre – Uel Library2. 0008 Planting spec - Southwark Environment and Housing Department3. Section 8-9 and technical sheets - Southwark Environment and Housing Department4. BOST open spaces: Bankside Open Spaces Trust5. London tree woodland6. London Development Plan 20087. London Development Plan 20048. London Open Space Strategies: CABE 9. Method of Calculating Carbon Sequestration by Trees, Urban and Suburban Settings- US Department of Energy10. Southwark Research Paper: Study of residential density within the Borough of Southwark January 200511. Southwark Regeneration Plan12. Southwark Development Plan 200813. Bankside Urban Forest project papers14. Borough, Bankside and London Bridge supplementary Planning Document- Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report July 200915. Southwark 2016 Sustainable Community Strategy

WEBSITES/ INTERNET LINKS:

1. www.southwark.gov.uk2. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/27140909/103. http://www.treesforcities.org/files_reports/tfc_bestPractice_streetTrees.pdf4. http://www.cis-streetfurniture.co.uk/masterpages/treeprotection/tree_install_6.html5. http://www.streettreecareltd.co.uk/pavement-protectors.htm6. http://www.islington.gov.uk/Environment/outdoor/parks/in_bloom/islington_in_bloom/treepits.asp7. www.barcham.co.uk8. http://www.alliesandmorrison.co.uk/9. http://www.emilioambaszandassociates.com/10. http://www.heatherwick.com11. www.met.police.uk/12. www.london.gov.uk13. http://www.mylocalvanhire.co.uk/vansize.php#extralong14. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420f05001.htm#carbon15. ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/cdrom/pdf/sequester.pdf16. http://www.bankside123.co.uk/



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17. http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/the-distance-at-which-trees-can-affect-a-build-ing-is-quite-significant/130858.article18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4831238.stm19. http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/mtu/20. http://www.keytonature.eu/wiki/Key_to_common_UK_street_trees21. www.bbc.co.uk22. http://www.greenspec.co.uk/html/materials/embodied_energy.html23. http://www.fsc-uk.org/24. http://www.egerarchitects.com/25. www.homeoffice.gov.uk 26. www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk27. http://www.securebydesign.com/pdfs/safer_places.pdf28. www.richardrogers.co.uk29. www.wildlondon.org.uk

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