Earlier this week I got some really good news; so far I haven’t really put my university work up here but I have been working on creating a project that not only designs in theory but also puts it into practice. The good news is that on Saturday I will be speaking at TedxDerby about this project. The event is being live broadcast and if you are interested in viewing the event use this link.
So in the lead up to this I thought I would give you a little insight in to my project so far.
As part of my degree we are given a site to use as a basis for a design project. We started the year working in groups to design a master plan; during the research for this I came across the idea of tactical place making. The notion fascinated me so after completing the master plan with my group in the traditional way I went in a different direction working on how tactical place making could be applied to the site.
The Site – Sadler Square Derby
The site in question is in the centre of Derby and is surround by the four streets; Bold Lane, Sadler Gate, Iron Gate, and St Mary’s Gate.
When a site like this becomes unused it often fades from the internal map of the surrounding community until it almost becomes a black hole. Tactical place making is a way to combat this.
The key principles of tactical place making are cheap, quick and temporary. By creating temporary installations and events the practice aims to re-introduce the community to the space. This also serves to gather real time data as people use the space.
If you want to know more about the principles just comment and I will link you some information!
After all this research I realised that it would not be enough to just put forward my designs/ideas in theory; to really understand and test my ideas I would have to put them into practice.
I designed for the entire site and then highlighted 3 areas I thought I would be able to achieve in the allotted time:
Temporary Structure Installation
Lighting Installation
Performance Installation
These are the projects I will be talking about at TEDx Derby so don’t forget to tune in!
For more insight into my project so far look at my Pinterest and Behance pages I will also be updating you here!
nattilydesign 