Exploring connectivity: Sport

Sport is defentitly another way to connect to a landscape, for example sports like rock climbing and kayaking  able to feel the site and perceive it in many different ways. I think these sports should be encouraged more often in urban environments instead of being reserved for the country side. Walls can be equipped for rock climbing anywhere and old viaduct are brilliant! 

Large scale river regeneration project by TLS/KVA, Minneapolis, US

http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/mrdc-stoss-landscape-urbanism-streamlines/

Floating wetland, Singapore, China

Here's an example of a floating wetland that could be put in place in a deep section of a culverted river, therefor not only helping cleanse the water but also could encourage sediments to settle and get caught up in the roots of plants creating a sort of artificial island.

http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/singapore-opens-large-floating-wetland/

Sound connection

An interesting building design to absorb sound by making it bounce of certain surfaces into others but maybe some of these technics can be used to increase sound an make it travel further along the river bed. Festival Pavilion of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany 

http://www.detail.de/artikel_coop-himmelblau-munich-festival-pavilion_26389_En.htm

I love the way the Oslo Opera house is connected to the city, Oslo, Norway.

The Opera house is built in the port of Oslo and is cut off from the city center by a busy highway, to connect the two they have built a pedestrian bridge but it is not straight and has grill on one side so you can't see the building or the end of the bridge, as you get to the near end you get a brilliant view of the port and the fjord, eventually when you get to the end of the bridge the Opera house is reviled and you think you're there but you're not, you then have to go down a stairs, cross a smaller road, then a bridge over water that gives the feeling of being in the port.    

Soft and hard materials connected together, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US.

http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/erie-street-plaza-milwaukee-wisconsin-stoss-landscape-urbanism/

I find this can be seen as a form of connectivity because here we have a different relationship with some species of plants that wouldn't usually be seen growing in this way, Grand-Métis, Québec, Canada.

http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/double-serpent-nature-walk-legge-lewis-legge-grand-metis-canada/

A connection with nature and city dwellers, upstate New York, US

http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/a-walk-in-the-woods-hillsdale-new-york-jon-piasecki/

The concept: Connectivity

Talking about connectivity, due to it's shape I just find this structure looks completely "connected" to the ground its on by looking like it's sinking, a national park in Norway

http://www.journal-du-design.fr/index.php/architecture/toilettes-en-norvege-par-lars-j-burge-21519/

Not sure about this in Birmingham, but what a fantastic experience eating there with your feet the cool water and the spray from the waterfall, Villa Escudero, Philippines

http://www.journal-du-design.fr/index.php/urban-life/labassin-waterfall-restaurant-aux-philippines-21745/

ChonGae Canal Point Source Park, Seoul, South Korea

http://www.asla.org/sustainablelandscapes/chongae.html

I like the way this project is built around the possible change in water levels and flood just becomes an event like we've been talking about.

Perhaps over the River Rea !?

http://www.numen.eu/installations/net-z33/

Urban sustainability

http://www.asla.org/sustainablelandscapes/Vid_UrbanForests.html#

Waterfront in Toronto, Canada, by West 8

http://www.west8.nl/projects/all/simcoe_wavedeck/

An example of some street art that could be done on a damp wall

http://www.journal-du-design.fr/index.php/urban-life/street-art-par-strook-20810/

Precedent studies

Green stream to encourage a larger biodiversity in the center of Bâle, Switzerland.

Naturalized River Akerselva in the old industrial area of Oslo, Norway.

Recent project to encourage swimmers in the River Rhone, city center of Geneva, Switzerland. 

 Distraction from surrounding elements, making a place more attractive using sound or "scaring people" on a rope bridge for example.
















The musical sound of dripping water onto 
different seized metal plates to create various 
sounds, Lausanne, Switzerland.
more on: http://www.lausannejardins.ch/ 

Historical maps

Digbeth 1731

Digbeth 1880s

Digbeth 1920s

Digbeth 1960s

Site analysis

Site feeling map 

Site vegetation map

Open space map

Site activity map

Site circulation map

River Rea flood map