P L A N N I N G I S S U E S
The project location in the Lower Lea Valley is situated in East London. This area comes under four boroughs of London consisting of the Borough of Hackney to the northwest, Newham to the southeast, Tower Hamlets to the southwest, Waltham Forest to the northeast. There are two sites to the project, the location of each site means they fall into two boroughs, Tower Hamlets to the southwest and Newham to the southeast, the two are separated by the River Lee.
A Local Planning Framework including a master plan, a phasing schedule and an investment strategy, worked up by a partnership of landowners, developers the GLA (Greater London Authority) , TFL (Traffic For London), LDA (London Development Agency) , LTGDC (London Thames Gateway Development Corporation) and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets/Newham would indicate how the development proposals are delivered at a local level. It provides certainty that the required infrastructure will be delivered at the appropriate time. The Local Planning Framework could also define further the precise scope and scale of potential land use change, including the ability to reconfigure existing land uses and introduce new types of activity as appropriate. The planning application would be dealt with the Greater London Authority, who would be in consultation with the two boroughs.
The site is referred as London's next biggest redevelopment area. Presently the area is characterised by industrial dereliction , poor housing and unused waterways. The 2012 summer Olympic park and Westfield's retail park have transformed areas from dereliction into an area of mass redevelopment. The area is under the control of " Green Enterprise District" , which is a regeneration project of the Major of London, with aims to create a low- carbon economy region in Greater London. A new planning framework aims to transform the Lea Valley into a sustainable and mixed use district, the framework is in conjunction with the Canal and River Trust and GLA.
The project responds and critiques the 14 day license of the Constant Cruiser, a license that was put in place by the Canal and River Trust to maintain the waterways free of congestion and regulate its users. Currently facilities available to moorings are limited and there are only 2,000 mooring spaces available for approximately 3,000 boats using the waterways in London. Permanent residential moorings are extremely hard to find, often resulting in a waiting list of several years before a mooring becomes available. Because of this, the Constant Cruiser license is being abused, resulting in overcrowding for the necessity to remain in central locations. The project tackles these issues and challenges the legislation by offering new mooring spots and facilities that provide for the Continuous Cruiser. The architecture acts as an infrastructure to support the demands of this particular life style.
D E V L O P M E N T & A P P R A I S A L S C E N A R I O
As the area is recognised as a regeneration ' hot spot', many governing bodies have developed proposals to redevelop parts of the valley, the key opportunity for the area is provided through managed releases of existing industrial land. This steady and managed releasing ensures that the new developments are sustainable and constructed to high environmental and design standards.
The current plan which is lead by The LLV Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF) envisages 173 hectares of existing derelict land being redeveloped. This amount of developed land would create up to 40,000 new homes and 50,000 new jobs. A quote from the OAPF framework report comments:
" vibrant, high quality and sustainable mixed use city district, that is fully integrated into the urban fabric of London and is set within an unrivalled landscape that contains new high quality parkland and a unique network of waterways ". -OAPF
The project would be funded by the government, with support from local organisations such as Canal and River Trust and The LLV Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF). The architecture will be benefitting the canals and revitalising the existing waterways, therefore the Canal and River Trust would partially financially support the project, the project would also be funded by the local Councils and Government, as part as the Lower Lea Valley redevelopment plan.
The London Waterways, which belongs to the Canal and River Trust would have an integral role in the development of the project, as the project directly responds to the existing canal conditions, both physically and socially. The project critiques the existing mooring legislation by creating an infrastructure for living on the canal, it aims to eliminate the stresses of the Continuous Cruising life style , thus making it easier for the canal residents resulting in a socially rich and dynamic community along the canal edge.
P R O C U R E M E N T & R I S K
The construction of the project would be carried out by a regional contractor with adequate workforce and resources to deal with the scale of the project. All construction materials will be brought to site via the canal systems. This will create a sustainable method of transportation of materials and is also reminiscent of how canals were used through history.
The scheme will generate new jobs and trades for the canal and local residents. The main jobs will be in narrow boat construction and maintenance. Providing jobs and educational programs is integral to the project as it will generate income for its users and the area. The project also deals with issues relating the canal users on a wider level, parts of the architectural program will travel along the canal and service other canal communities. With all projects there is a level of risk that has to be considered throughout the construction phases, particular risks have been identified with respect to confined spaces, working at height , working next to deep water surroundings and lifting of heavy materials. In mitigating these healthy and safety risks the contractor will provide relevant health and safety awareness, special training for working in confined spaces. The employment of specialist banks man and each individual should pass a current and up to date health and safety awareness with chosen individuals trained in the skills of first aid. All training shall be recorded in the contractors quality plan and be made available to HSE inspectors when desired.
For this project, it would be advisable to have a cost consultant responsible for the tendering of all specialist elements and risks associated built into the costs. And also to ensure that a sufficient level of detail informs the subcontractors and specialist contractors. Some specialist contractors may well be chosen ahead of the construction works as preferred contractors due their experience on similar complex works. Provisional research shows that whilst the structure will perform both a structural element and an architectural element with the construction of the accommodation likely to be manufactured off site and transported in modular form to the site. My estimates are that this project is a form of hybrid and would place it in the upper band of institutional, educational and commercial facilities and equate to a square meter rate of between £2,500 - £3,500 per square meter, according to Spon's Estimating Cost Guides construction, material and labour costs.
A R C H I T E C T U R A L P R A C T I S E
The Architectural services associated with an Architects can vary from project to project, not all commissions are the same, for instance; some commissions may involve part design, leaving the detail design to be completed by the contractor.
The design will be further developed in detail (Stage 2) with the inputs by other professional design services such as Structural and Mechanical Engineers, at this stage the design will not allow for accurate project budget costing this is usually at the next level at Stage 3.
Stage 3 will be the preparation of the detailed analysis of the project and the elements that both make up the project and inform the design team as to the complexity of the project with the likely budget costing which the client may expect in a tender situation, but these costs are usually variable and may fluctuate with more accuracy as the design is more understood, together with the likely programme and specialist elements. Stage 4 includes activities such as construction information, tender documentation and packages. Followed by stage 5 with the activities to follow including Construction and In Use.
Office Resourcing is structured according to the size and complexity of the project, the project will be overseen by a senior member of staff with experience, with support being made available to the Project Leader in terms of Project Architect, Architectural Assistants and Technicians. All the progress is managed by the Project Architect and reviewed by the Senior Project Leader at key stages or weekly stages.
Indemnity Insurance is both a Professional Responsibility and an expectation of the client, the insurance levels of cover can vary according to the level required, and is a premium paid annually by the Architect to insure against claims made against him for reasons of building element failure, and loss of income for the client. It is also a means for the client to satisfy themselves that there is an up to date insurance against any unforeseen situations over the period of 12 years after completion of the project.
The subject of fees is one of varied views, depending upon many factors such as complexity of work, and in this situation will concern the architectural context and the level of detailed design required. The project is complex, therefore requires higher level of co ordination with the other disciplines and Planning Officers.
P R O F E S S I O N A L R E F L E C T I O N
Once I have completed the course, I intend to spend the summer months looking for a post Part II architectural assistant position. My ambition is to live and work in London, in previous years I have worked at Lovelock Mitchell architects; who are a well established medium sized practice in Chester. During my time working for Lovelock Mitchell, my knowledge and skills were developed and gave me a strong grounding into the professional practice, particularly with the use of Revit and knowledge of BIM.
The type of architectural firm I would like to be a part of would be a design led multidisciplinary firm, where a range of designing would take place, from buildings to pop-up events, and installations. I am interested in design at all levels and being within a studio that covers a broad depth would be interesting.
My initial plans are to work within a design orientated firm where I will hopefully gain enough experience to carry out my professional exams in order to become a qualified architect. I would like to achieve this in the next 2- 3 years. My main passion in life is art and design and this is something that I really want to develop after I have finished university due to the high demands of the course I have had to put this on hold. It is my ambition to be successful in architecture, and to also develop and refine my artistic practise. Aside from my professional career and hobbies, I intend to travel, I am fascinated by different cultures and religions and believe this can enrich the designing of our built environment.