This week we finally got the chance to visit the Wintergardens. This was the first time I had been to the gardens and it was nice to be able to see it in person. I find it difficult to work with and fully grasp the essence of a space from a series of image and videos; it is so important for me to immerse myself into the space to gain a better understanding of the experience of the space. Also, the simple things such as the way the site sits on the land and how its surroundings fit in to context were hard to get a real sense of while being in lockdown.
Below are some photos I took while on site.
I also did some sketches of some aspects I found intriguing on the site.
The main aspect of the site I found most intriguing was the contrast between plant life and manmade structure. I have a fascination with how these two exist and resist together. My initial encounter with this was the West side of the gardens on the outside of the Tropical House. There was a certain narrative being told by the way the glass and plants were colliding; it was an interesting combination of calmness and desperation.
I’m still not sure how I’m going to implement these ideas in generating a concept for my project but visiting the site has given me a really good opportunity to see the site in a different light and allowed me to grasp some initial ideas that will help guide me through the project.
Spatial Design by Ciara 