View from Paddington Basin
G r o w S t r e e t
S t u d y L e v e l - BSc 3rd Year Final Project
Y e a r - 2020
I n s t i t u t i o n - WSA, Cardiff University
U n i t - 10 Grow
T u t o r - Lisa Harmey
L o c a t i o n - Paddington, London
The project challenges the methods of 21st century food production and utilises modern technologies to enable a reduction in food miles. Through research into the negative impacts of how far food travels before reaching the consumer, vertical urban agriculture is a future that will soon become a reality. This scheme embraces these issues and gestures towards a future where developments strive to become self sustaining in what they eat. Perched on the Paddington Basin towpath the scheme aims to open up the canal for all to appreciate, a multi level public garden allows passers by to see the canal in a new light and take time to dwell whilst consuming produce grown a matter of metres away. The scheme also includes a plant based “fast-food” outlet that will serve produce grown on site supplemented with other local ingredients, as well as a small retail outlet potentially selling “At Home Hydroponics” kits and seedlings to encourage the public to engage in a greener more sustainable way of producing food.
View of Grow Street public garden
Perspective Section
Full Site Axonometric
Isometric Structural Diagram
Detail Technical Section
1st Floor Public Garden and Walkway
Growing Space and Public Congregation
Paddington Taxi Rank
2nd Floor Office Balcony
View from Paddington toward Grow Street
Long Section
Long Elevation
Site Plan with Roof Elevation
Plans
The design is separated into three distinct areas, the "secondary building" housing public toilets and bike facilities on the ground floor with retail space on the first floor. The public garden which uses stacked railway sleepers to form rain gardens and seating opportunities for passers-by, and finally the plant based food outlet and main growing space.
The elevation presents the scheme along the banks of the canal. The green wall of hydroponic shelves dominates the facade and the extent of the planting and open areas can be seen to spread across the whole length of the site. The canopy level walk way gives users views across the canal and over the public garden.
The execution of Grow Street aims to make a positive impact on the canal and the surrounding area of Paddington. The gesture towards combating food miles through sustainable urban agriculture and hydroponics sets a precedent for London's future developments and strives to re-introduce Regents Canal to the wider consciousness as a legitimate way of creating a more productive urban fabric.
The schemes material pallets is dominated by a glulam framework infilled with CLT panels. The rest of the schemes aesthetic is made up of planters and greenery which in time would grow and become one with the structure.
The main technical challenge with this scheme was balancing comfortable environments for both humans and plant growth, measures to ensure this included the use of passive stack ventilation and large glazed facades to maximise solar thermal gain.
The section above highlights how the public garden portion of the scheme aims to adhere to guidelines set out in the All London Green Grid. The aesthetics of a victorian timber store are combined with 21st century drainage methods to combat flood risk and improve the quality of the canal water.
The design is separated into three distinct areas, the "secondary building" housing public toilets and bike facilities on the ground floor with retail space on the first floor. The public garden which uses stacked railway sleepers to form rain gardens and seating opportunities for passers-by, and finally the plant based food outlet and main growing space.