My Favourite Work: Woven Ground

Located directly to the west of Gloucester, Alney Island lies stranded amidst the wrath of the River Severn. Periodically inundated following high tides and periods of heavy rainfall, much of the site is covered by flood meadows. Today Alney Island is managed as a nature reserve, however, over recent years, opportunities for development on the site have been acknowledged. Many stakeholder groups, including Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company and Gloucester City Council, recognise the potential to create a new iconic landscape adjacent to, and accessible from, the city centre and the historic docks. 

In September 2020, third year students at the University of Gloucestershire were faced with the challenge of producing an innovative, ambitious proposal for the future use and transformation of Alney Island. We were asked to produce an aspirational masterplan, based on a deep understanding of the sites history, heritage and ecological potential. 

Like all successful projects, development began by articulating a design concept; the impetus for development at Alney Island. The concept for my project, Woven Ground, was inspired by the osier willow. Favouring the naturally wet soils, the osier was traditionally harvested at Alney Island for common basket weaving; a historically significant craft in the county of Gloucestershire. 

Given my personal interest in sewing and craft making, I was able to fully immerse myself in the development process. I began studying the art of weaving. Through creating my own woven piece I was able to understand the process on a deeper level. Inspired by the sinuous lines that were created as one rod passes over another, my masterplan aimed to emulate the woven form. 

        

Two interweaving pathways were designed to traverse a series of constructed wetland habitats. One pathway raised and the other not. The warp and the weft. 

Accessible from the walkways, an eclectic collection of flood resilient houses was proposed alongside the river. The first flood resilient community in the UK, the aim was to design a national exemplar for building on floodplains. 

'Woven Ground' allowed me the creative freedom to express my personal artistic character within my landscape design work. I have chosen this as a favourite piece given that I was able to fully immerse

myself in the creative process. I found great satisfaction in the design development process; watching my design grow from an initial concept into a finalised design masterplan.