We Heart the Suburbs

CLUNY SUMMER PAVILION

2011-11-30T22:23:00.013Z

Some of our favourite photos from the Summer:

Photographed by Rick Roxburgh:

Photographed by Ross Shields:

PAVILION REVIEW ON BD

2011-09-08T10:46:00.000+01:00

Mark Wilding of BD online has written a king review of Cluny Summer Pavilion.

Click here to read BD review

RICK ROXBURGH

2011-08-28T17:47:00.001+01:00

Check out photographer Rick Roxburgh's beautiful photographs and kind review of Cluny Summer Pavilion...
RICK ROXBURGH

THE FIRST EVENTS

2011-08-13T19:25:00.008+01:00

Mayoral opening

Street dance workshops

THANK-YOUS

2011-08-13T18:44:00.003+01:00

A huge thank you to everybody that helped us this week and in the lead up to the build. In particular, thank you to...

The people of Cluny for allowing us into their community and being open-minded to new ideas.

Chris and Kevin from the Integrated Youth Support Service at Connexions for organising all of the events for the coming month and for amazing enthusiasm and support for the project.

St. Luke’s Youth Community Challenge (SLYCC), particularly Charlotte Olden and Becky Ramsey, for helping out and making it such a fun week!

The building volunteers – Mike Horswill (the crane), Juliet Sakyi-Ansah, David Rozwadowski, Carma Masson, Amy Brown, Lukas Barry, Stuart McKenzie, Tom Olden and our on-site professional Leo from Cluny Square.

Gary Fenton from Jewson’s amazingly generous contribution in a crisis.

Chris Davies from Buro Happold engineering for structural advice.

Ian Brown and Paul Jenkinson from the Park’s department of Southend Council.

Local organisation St. Luke’s Healthy Living Centre, Cluny and Peartree Resident’s Associations and South Essex Homes.

And finally the project funders – the Big Lottery, RIBA ICE, UnLtd and the University of Sheffield.

THE BUILD: DAY 05

2011-08-13T18:37:00.005+01:00

Finished just in time for the Mayoral opening.

THE BUILD: DAY 04

2011-08-12T07:38:00.006+01:00

A stressful day but we're still going!

THE BUILD: DAY 03

2011-08-10T23:04:00.009+01:00

The Build from day 03. Over half way and still lots to do!

SUPEREXCITED

2011-08-10T20:00:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Bev from SuperExcited for blogging about our project...
SUPEREXCITED

THE BUILD: DAYS 01-02

2011-08-09T22:54:00.009+01:00

Some pictures from our first two days:

CLUNY SUMMER PAVILION

2011-08-02T23:00:00.000+01:00

This summer on the 12th of August, Cluny Summer Pavilion will form the centre of a suburban community in Southend-on-Sea, signalling the conclusion of our two-year process of engagement by this initiative. Transforming the central green space of Cluny estate, the pavilion will host a month-long series of summer events; conceived, organised and hosted by the local community.

Like a flat-pack structure, the pavilion is designed to be assembled on site by non-skilled volunteers, allowing young people to shape their community, from conception to construction. The pavilion will be stored away at the end of the summer, ready to be re-erected annually as a platform for future communal activities.

It will act as a blank canvas – a public structure allowing the local community to shape its character with a programme of activities entirely of their own making. Each year, as the pavilion is erected anew, it will adapt to the needs of the local community

This year’s events reflect the community desire to provide meaningful activities to occupy young people over the summer weeks – ranging from street dance workshops to bringing Southend beach to the estate, complete with donkey rides. All events have been conceived and organised in collaboration with Connexions and SLYCC, local youth organisations.

Cluny Summer Pavilion:

Model of the flat pack structure:

CLUNY SUMMER PAVILION EVENTS

2011-08-02T22:31:00.011+01:00

As you can see a mini festival has been put together for the month of August surrounding the pavilion. Thanks to Connexions and SLYCC, the whole community will be able to get involved!

CURRENT DESIGN

2011-07-03T09:56:00.010+01:00

The design for Cluny Square Pavilion needs to be buildable by us and anyone who wants to help. Therefore we have looked into creating fun shapes from sheets of plywood that can be threaded along a tube and secured either end.

The pavilion comprises of two 'arms' that are perpendicular to each other. One arm contains seating and a stage, the other contains seating and a counter top. The young people form Connexions thought it would be fun to work with the cafe in Cluny Square selling food and drinks in the park.

Current plan of the design:

The stage arm modelled:

A starting point for the design of the undulations:

The seating area opposite the stage:

We want the undulations to be more extreme as you walk through the arms, but this was our first attempt!

WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY

2011-06-21T14:54:00.004+01:00

We are excited to announce that we will be working with Connexions and SLYCC on a programme of events surrounding the pavilion in August. The pavilion will be put up by us (and anyone who wants to help!) the week of 8th August with an opening event on the weekend of the 13th August. We cannot wait for August in Cluny Park!

WE ARE BACK

2011-04-03T19:08:00.025+01:00

Despite the lack of activity on our blog we have been busy with progressing the project. We have secured funding from the RIBA ICE Bursary, Knowledge Transfer Grant from the University of Sheffield, UnLtd and Awards for All (the Big Lottery) to support the project.

We never posted our findings of the interactive exhibition last May so I have done below. It has been designed as a fold up pamphlet- just click on the image below to open the document to get a closer look:

Open publication - Free publishing

Our evaluation gave us the information to create a brief for the next stage of the project. It clearly showed that the area is in need of creating a stronger central space that can offer activities and events for the community. Therefore with our next installment of funding we will be designing and building a pavilion for the month of August in Cluny Square.

We will be posting our designs and activities over the exciting and busy forthcoming months!

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS EXHIBITION

2010-05-04T11:19:00.018+01:00

Thank you to everyone that came along to take part in our interactive exhibition in Cluny Square over the bank holiday weekend! We had over 100 visitors during the course of three days and have some fantastic feedback to continue with the We ♥ the Suburbs project- we'll publish the results in the very near future.

Here is a taster of what went on:

The exhibition outside Cluny Square cafe in between showers.

The model of the St. Luke's area for the community to map out their daily routines exposing how they interact with their environment.

The take away pamphlet giving the visitors information on the exhibition and the wider context of the project.

Visitors could cast their votes on what they would spend money on to benefit their local area.

Consultation on the streets when the sun was shining.

Visitors used the yellow stickers supplied to answer a series of questions in which they could see how they relate to the rest of the community. The answers will give us an idea of the local area which we'll use to further the project.

The kids used chalk pens to write on the window of the cafe what they want in their park.

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS ARTISTS COLLABORATION

2010-05-04T10:12:00.001+01:00

Thank you to all the artists involved in the We ♥ the Suburbs exhibition. Local artist, Jess Worley, held a workshop on Saturday giving local children to express their feelings about St. Luke's through drawing, textiles and jewellery. The exercise was a great success!

Throughout the bank holiday weekend local artists Katrina Burtles, Kelly Donovan, Antoinette Goossens, and Rachel Nead created a real presence for our exhibition in Cluny Square. They used the idea of community celebration in conjunction with archival images found which really helped to engage local people.

BD Article

2010-04-30T12:35:00.002+01:00

Building Design website and weekly paper have featured an article profiling the winners of the RIBA/ICE bursary. Check out the link below...

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=426&storycode=3162682

RIBA/ICE BURSARY WINNER

2010-04-29T11:20:00.001+01:00

We are delighted to have been chosen from 39 entries and awarded £5,000 funding for 'We Heart the Suburbs' by the RIBA ICE Bursary! The bursary is committed to the progress of environmental and community issues in the UK and abroad.

John McAslan, the chairman of John McAslan + Partners architects is quoted as saying:
"Melanie and Sarah's UK based project is a fresh idea that demonstrates a commitment to making a positive impact on the community."

Ruth Reed, the president of the RIBA is quoted as saying:
"This year's bursary recipient are excellent examples of the kind of innovative and altruistic thinking that must be embraced if we are to meet the many challenges facing us in the future."

For more information of the bursary and its winners, check out the link below...
http://www.architecture.com/EducationAndCareers/PrizesScholarshipsandBursaries/RIBAMcAslanBursary/RIBAMcAslanBursary.aspx

WE HEART THE SUBURBS EXHIBITION

2010-04-28T18:09:00.006+01:00

The much anticipated We Heart the Suburbs exhibition has finally arrived! Over this May Bank Holiday weekend we will be in Cluny Square, St. Luke's finding out about the local community. Come along to see the results!

OUR COMPETITION WINNERS

2010-04-16T17:43:00.001+01:00

We have selected two fantastic ideas from a selection of very strong proposals to contribute to the We Heart the Suburbs exhibition in Cluny Square, St. Luke's! The winners are...

Jess Worley's workshop proposal that uses her experience as an artist specialising in textiles and jewellery design.

Katrina Burtles, Kelly Donovan, Antoinette Goossens and Rachel Nead's proposal for an installation that aims to evoke memories of past celebrations and events within the community.

We are really excited about working with these local talents!

CALL FOR LOCAL ARTISTS

2010-04-01T13:20:00.004+01:00

In preparation for the upcoming We Heart the Suburbs exhibition in Cluny Square, St. Luke's, we are calling upon local artists and designers to contribute ideas. Artists and designers of all levels of experience and all backgrounds have the opportunity to submit proposals with the chance of realising these ideas and winning a cash prize of £150! If you're interested, check out the brief below...

FUNDING NEWS!

2010-03-26T16:22:00.000Z

We Heart the Suburbs has been making great progress and has secured funding for Stage 1 of the project.

We have recieved funding from the University of Sheffield Knowledge Transfer fund to carry out research on suburbia through an interactive exhibition that will help to get a better picture of the real motivations and aspirations of suburbanites.

We have also recieved funding from UnLtd Millenium fund, who specialise in supporting social enterprise to carry out a series of workshops to engage the people of St. Luke's in Southend-on-Sea.

Keep an eye on this blog for details of how you can get involved!

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS IN LEVEL 4 MAGAZINE

2010-03-17T18:40:00.001Z

To anybody in the Southend area, keep an eye out for the brilliant Level 4 magazine and its article on ‘We ♥ the Suburbs’. Thanks to Sean Groth from Level 4 for his interest in the project. And we’re delighted to be sharing the pages with a Sheffielder - Jarvis Cocker!

COMMUNITY PROJECT: STAGE 02

2010-02-17T16:34:00.006Z

Through addressing and evaluating the findings of Stage 1, we aim to produce a temporary built form for the summer of 2010. The design for this structure will be made public throughout the design process. A series of workshop events and pin-up opportunities will allow the public to react, critique and suggest during the design process. The built form will fulfil the following criteria:

It will address a true need or desire of the public highlighted in Stage 1
It will be designed and built in collaboration with the public
It will be site-specific and reflect something unique to the community that it serves
It will utilise an underused or vacant space within the community
It will evolve over the project duration due to user interaction which will encourage visitors to return to see how it has changed

Here are some examples of the kind of work we want to achieve in Southend-on-Sea:

Southend Soapbox’ by Cassion Castle Architects in collaboration with Fleet Architects, Southend-on-Sea, at Metal’s Village Green festival last summer.

‘Frank’s Café’ by Paloma Gormley and Lettice Drake, Peckham, London.

‘The Dalston Mill’ by EXYZT.

‘Le 56’ by Atelier d’Architecture Autogeree, Paris.

You’ll notice from all the examples that they use cheap, low-tech materials and were temporary and make shift in nature. However, for their short-lived lives they were a valuable contribution to the community and their short-term nature created a buzz and sense of event around the project.

However, it is fundamental to the ethos of We ♥ the Suburbs, that we do not predetermine or dictate the form that Stage 2 will take.

So where are we now with We ♥ the Suburbs? We're applying for funding to make this happen and we have every confidence we will be on our way soon. Keep checking this site for news on the project's start date and how you can get involved!

COMMUNITY PROJECT: STAGE 01

2010-02-17T16:33:00.007Z

The first stage will engage with local suburbanites in three areas of Southend-on-Sea – St. Luke’s, Milton and Victoria. In each area there will be an interactive exhibition that asks locals to participate through sharing ideas, desires and memories. The exhibition will work as a form of ‘blank canvas’ that the public add to and manipulate to gain a true picture of suburban lifestyles and attitudes. Interactive maps, models, films and photography will enable the local public to create the content of their own exhibition, both highlighting the needs and desires of the local public, and celebrating its existing culture. The main themes addressed will be:

Suburban memories and stories (Memory)
Recording, mapping and analysing the ‘everyday’ of Suburbanites (The Everyday)
The future of suburbia in reaction to contemporary, global issues, i.e. climate change and energy usage (Prospects)

The exhibitions will not only help to generate public engagement, but will also affirm creative networks in the areas. We will achieve this through delegating sections of the exhibitions to local young or non-established designers, architects or artists, through issuing a ‘competition’ 6 weeks prior to the event.

A fourth exhibition will be held in a more central location that will collate, analyse and conclude the information and knowledge gained from the local exhibitions. This will allow all members of the wider community to attend and see how their reactions compare with other areas. This is proposed in an effort to maximise public awareness of the project.

Some examples of work we admire:

CUP’s ‘Green Information Centre’, New York. They worked with local young people to produce a roaming booth to engage with the local community. It contained information to answer the local’s green questions.

Public Works’ ‘Park Products’, London. The project worked with local park users, gardeners, rangers and students to help design the park products.

PROJECT ORGANISATION- THE WIDER CONTEXT

2010-02-17T16:21:00.013Z

We ♥ the Suburbs is a project that aims to run for approximately one year. Within this time frame there are two major threads to the project. Firstly, a community based project that aims to benefit the suburban environment. Secondly a research project that aims to shed light on the much overlooked territory of Suburbia within the architectural profession.

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS APPROACH

2010-02-17T16:15:00.005Z

‘We ♥ the Suburbs’ is concerned with the evolving role of to architect in a contemporary context. While responding to needs and problem solving is an entirely important role of the architect, we believe that there are further strings to the architectural bow. This project will test an ethos in which the architect can initiate projects, mediate and translate on behalf of others, uncover relevant issues that have been ignored due to a lack of clear client or figurehead, work with communities to formulate briefs and consider the process and the consequences of architecture as vital as the product.

This diagram indicates the de-linearised project structure that ‘We ♥ the Suburbs’ has adopted. It illustrates an organisation where designers, beneficiaries and funders operate with shared motivations.

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS @ FOCAL POINT GALLERY SOUTHEND-ON-SEA

2010-02-01T13:12:00.006Z

Focal Point Gallery have kindly invited us to present and discuss our project at their monthly Creative Network meeting on Wednesday 10th February from 5.30pm until 7.00pm. We want anyone creative and/or interested in their local area to collaborate with us to investigate and discover the culture of their suburbia- so come along to see how you can get involved!

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Location: Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea Central Library.

Day: Wednesday 10th February

Time: 5.30pm until 7.00pm

For more information: http://www.focalpoint.org.uk/events/14/

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS @ FRESH HORIZONS, WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA

2010-01-21T08:26:00.003Z

We will be at Fresh Horizons tonight to speak about our project in Southend-on-Sea. Over the last couple of months we have concentrated on speaking with people in Southend whilst gaining support and momentum for the project. Tonight, you can have an informal chat with us about your hometown and make suggestions for our project. If you want to find out more- come along!

FRESH HORIZONS: 50 Ditton Court Road, Westcliff (close to Westcliff Station). From 7.30pm.

For more info, call: 07813 693 107

'THREE PORTRAITS OF SUBURBIA' UNVEILED AT SHEFFIELD SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

2009-11-16T11:52:00.010Z

The Ecology Theory Forum at the University of Sheffield was a great success and we want to say a big thank you to our friends that gave us this opportunity to display our first exhibition! Sarah and I are really excited about it and anyone who is interested in what we are doing, please get in touch.

THREE PORTRAITS OF SUBURBIA

2009-11-16T11:36:00.015Z

'Three Portraits of Suburbia' was displayed at the School of Architecture, the University of Sheffield. It was a chance for Sarah and I to consolidate our ideas and use this exhibition as the starting point of 'We Heart the Suburbs'. Have a read through and leave any comments you may have or send us an email! weheartthesuburbs@gmail.com

THREE PORTRAITS OF SUBURBIA @ THE ECOLOGY THEORY FORUM, SHEFFIELD

2009-11-09T09:40:00.013Z

We Heart the Suburbs will be in Sheffield with our introductory exhibition 'Three Portraits of Suburbia' on Fri 13th and Sat 14th November:

Depictions of suburbia in architectural discourse are overwhelmingly negative. The suburbs are considered within the context of scarcity of resources, speed and volume of consumption, the affect of urban sprawl and the concerns of individualism, painting a dismal and frightening picture. However, if the suburbs are to be realistically re-thought, it is essential that suburbanite’s motivations, concerns and aspirations are given adequate validity within the profession.

“Suburbia’s vociferous enemies fail to see that it is an essential ingredient of city life. Such critics are outnumbered many, many times by the millions for whom suburbia is a land of pleasantness, friendship and hope.”

Paul Barker ‘The Freedoms of Suburbia’

This study enters the psyche of three suburban women. Through following women of varying ages for one day, we uncover routines, interactions, idiosyncrasies and insight into the ‘everyday’ within the suburban environment. The portraits reflect upon both notions of individual and family needs, and also highlight collective values of the suburbanite’s choice of home.

‘Three Portraits of Suburbia’ represents an initial desire to understand suburbia and its inhabitants before deciding its fate.

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS POSTERS

2009-10-29T18:25:00.007Z

A selection of places where the posters are:

WE ♥ THE SUBURBS QUESTIONNAIRE

2009-10-27T09:50:00.011Z

If you haven’t already seen the ‘We ♥ the Suburbs’ team on your local street corner, why not send us your opinions, ideas and stories online? Simply check out the questionnaire below and email us your response to weheartthesuburbs@gmail.com

We want to hear from YOU!

Introducing a new and improved questionnaire for any of you wanting to fill out online:

WHERE WE WILL BE IN SOUTHEND

2009-10-25T15:02:00.015Z

Have you seen these posters around and wondered what they're about? We ♥ the Suburbs is a project that believes that there is a great potential in your local area. We think that while the suburbs have a lot to offer, they also leave a lot to be desired. Suburbia needs to adapt in response to contemporary issues like climate change, peak oil, ever-increasing populations and corporate take-over, like huge out-of-town Tescos and a Starbucks on every street corner. We believe that a better suburbia can be achieved through design that brings together people like you who care about where you live.

We’re looking for people who want to be involved in improving their community. If you’re interested in the potential of your hometown and the suburbs, come along to find out how you can get involved or to tell us your ideas and stories:

Sunday 1st November

12pm – 6pm - Beach Hut 529 along the Promenade by Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Monday 2nd November

11am – 2pm – Thorpe Bay Broadway.

3pm – 4pm – Bournes Green School, Ladram Road.

6pm – 7pm – Thorpe Bay Station (platform returning from London).

INTRODUCING THE SUBURBS

2009-09-30T13:02:00.011+01:00

We are exploring and researching the much overlooked subject of suburbia as a site for change. With the national census stating that 86% of the population live in a suburban environment; it is time to explore the relationships between the suburbanites and their home environment. On a personal level, the 20th century suburbs have been our hometowns for the first 18 years of our lives and we believe they have great potential. However there is a need for suburbia to evolve, progress and diversify in the face of contemporary issues and we believe that this is only possible through local interaction and increased consciousness of the suburban environment.