These ten images summarise the project visually and conceptually, from the macro scale site strategy to the micro scale wall build-up detail. The poems featured are by the British performance poet and broadcaster Matt Harvey. “More community, less isolation, more skills, more co-operation” and “more bikes, fewer cars, less haze, more stars” are among my favourite verses as they relate to the strategy this proposal aims towards. He talks about fresh vegetables and fewer clean fingernails, the passing on of skills, self-reliancy and collaboration. These are all elements I wish to bring to this project which encompass the goals made by our collaborative PRAXXIS architecture practice ‘Agenda’.
Our aim as an architectural practice is to cater to all ages, all abilities and all cultures. More specifically, the intention of this individual project is to increase community integration and nurturing environments through urban permaculture and the '&' Building's woodland area; encourage diversity of abilities through accessibility-focused design; integrate greenery into housing to promote health and well-being; and provide comfort and safety to all users.
Agenda's short term goals are to improve foot and cycle paths, create a more integrated and multicultural community and provide a space for activities such as art workshops in the '&' Building. Our long term goals are to provide social housing along with areas of greenery including a communal garden area where residents can grow their own produce and interact with each other.
The development of this area along Stretford Road high street will hopefully in time encourage a mixture of small businesses to move into the area. This is likely to bring more footfall, allowing for economic growth which will allow current shop owners along the high street to make improvements to their frontage to attract an even wider and more diverse community.
