Where is the time going?
As with most of the students on the OCGD course, I have spent the weekend re-designing our first project. The critique session, where we all had to show and explain our designs for project 1, was as I expected enlightening! I think we were pretty much all guilty of designing a garden as opposed to designing the space. With designing the space the structure of the design is paramount, with strong interlocking shapes. Once the hard structure is in place then you can "decorate it," which is what makes it a garden. Sounds easy! The thing everyone wants to do is get that Wow factor in the design, which is not easy in a relatively small space. Anyway I have now drawn up plan B. I have also modelled the design into 3D with google sketchup to help give a visual appreciation of the design.
I have also prepared a "mood board" to help give a feel for the design. The mood board is made up of various photographs of materials and plants etc that I have based in the design.
I have only printed it off on A3 plain paper expecting the dreaded Red Pen treatment with the rest of the design at this weeks critique. But that's what learning is all about and what we've paid our money for!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Week 3
Day 2: Week 3.
Today has included a site visit to measure up our first garden project. This morning's lectures outlined the format to adopt and the information we needed to gather whilst on site. The emphasis being that professionally you get one chance of gathering all the information so that you don't have to return to site or ring the customer to "just measure this for me!"
The plot size albeit not large, was not easy to measure, with out of square fences, an overhead balcony and overgrown roses and shrubs to tackle with, whilst trying to keep the tape taught and straight.
The fact that there were about 14 Garden Design Students all falling over each other grovelling through shrubs and plants made the afternoon very entertaining and I am sure highly ammusing for the the 3 lecturers watching. Fortunately the weather was superb, bright sunshine and very warm. I think it would have been horrendous if it had been raining.
The client has given us a brief of the design requirements he wants us to consider, so the next stage will be to draw up the site to scale then start the design process. Tomorrow will be interesting to see if the measurements from the various students tally up with each other.
I am not holding my breath!!!
Whats the client's phone number?
Today has included a site visit to measure up our first garden project. This morning's lectures outlined the format to adopt and the information we needed to gather whilst on site. The emphasis being that professionally you get one chance of gathering all the information so that you don't have to return to site or ring the customer to "just measure this for me!"
The plot size albeit not large, was not easy to measure, with out of square fences, an overhead balcony and overgrown roses and shrubs to tackle with, whilst trying to keep the tape taught and straight.
The fact that there were about 14 Garden Design Students all falling over each other grovelling through shrubs and plants made the afternoon very entertaining and I am sure highly ammusing for the the 3 lecturers watching. Fortunately the weather was superb, bright sunshine and very warm. I think it would have been horrendous if it had been raining.
The client has given us a brief of the design requirements he wants us to consider, so the next stage will be to draw up the site to scale then start the design process. Tomorrow will be interesting to see if the measurements from the various students tally up with each other.
I am not holding my breath!!!
Whats the client's phone number?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Week 2 - Day 1
Day 1 complete already.
We spent the day at Blenheim Palace and Rousham Gardens, both of which were very interesting. Weather dull but warm enough. Took plenty of photographs which I shall be up loading to my Flickr site www.flickr.com/photos/pauloward as soon as I get time. Blenheim was very interesting as we got a guided tour of the gardens. The guide was very informative with a sense of humour which helped make the visit all the better. See the panorama photo above that I took. It shows the view from the Palace to the north, landscaped by Capability Brown, one of the famous landscape gardeners that helped design the gardens.
As a budding Garden and Landscape Designer learning the trade it makes you realise what can be done, given the imagination, funds and opportunity.
Maybe one day!!!!
Rousham was a much less formal setup, being privately owned and run, but with gardens well worth visiting. I must admit I had never heard of Rousham prior to enrolling on the OCGD course but would recommend it to anyone.
Many thanks to Amanda for organising the trip and welcome to Oliver who joined for the first time today, having missed last week.
Signing off for today.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Week 2
Well week 2 is here, it has just merged in from week 1. I guess the start of a tough few months learning to be a Garden designer which I am looking forward to and sure I am going to enjoy, I just hope I have time to "smell the roses" on the way.
This being my first blog is a milestone for me, being a true "I.T. dinosaur". I am pleased that I am being pushed down the route of getting up todate with technology. Like all things, it usually just needs somebody to help start you off.
So roll on this week's work.
This being my first blog is a milestone for me, being a true "I.T. dinosaur". I am pleased that I am being pushed down the route of getting up todate with technology. Like all things, it usually just needs somebody to help start you off.
So roll on this week's work.
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