Todmorden Commons for Agritourism
I am passionate about creating strong narratives, driven by their context, with a strong interest in heritage sites and retrofit design in landscape architecture. Within the Continuity Atelier, I was able to explore these ideas further and work on a historic, industrial town, by conserving its indentity, yet exploring its potential for development.
The new development, located on Todmorden’s nearby hills, is part of a wider scheme of reconnecting the urban and the rural in the historic town. The site supports a new, adjacent Agriculture & Industry Centre, by facilitating outdoor learning and events within its woodland amphitheatre space, inclusive food growing zones and opportunities for recreation in nature. Furthermore, it provides increased tourism capacity for its location in the South Pennines, close to walking routes, national parks and surrounding moorlands by introducing a glamping facility. The development offers a complete on-site experience otherwise, with several activity zones, wildlife trails, recreational and sensory gardens. Each visitor has the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the site, by taking part in the Phase 2 tree planting scheme, where a tree is planted in a designated area, at the end of their stay.
The main design drivers, in my latest project, but also in any other project, are achieving user-centered concepts, inclusive spaces, with a strong focus on biodiversity.
