On my trip I plan to look at the botany they have and try to broaden my research on the structures themselves, I'd also like to look at the actual housing for the plants as well to get a better understanding of the logistics of how they actually work. I'll collect my research through digital imagery and botany-style drawings. I hope from this trip I'll be able to build on my idea of biomimicry and develop an architectural design from one of my plant drawings.
Resources that I will take:
Camera( both digital and film)
Sketchbook
Drawing materials
Prior research
Frei Otto is a German architect who has been described as the equivalent to the ”Noble” within the world of architecture, his work has influenced the path I‘d like to take on my Bicton trip. He continued to create new and innovative designs, one in particular that resonated with me was an experimental structure he designed which is based on the structure of a money spider's web, he looked at the process the spider takes when building its web, and mimicked this in roof design. Otto is also famously known for designing the roofing of the main sports buildings at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. I’d like to explore the approach Frei Otto takes by visiting Bicton Botanical Gardens to see if I can create some designs that display Biomimicry and also see if I can spot some already existing architecture, as I imagine the greenhouses might have design similarities to Frei Otto’s work.
Research from Bicton trip
Taking photographs at Bicton really helped to broaden my ideas and gave me a better understanding of how a plant benefits from the way it grows. I hope to now develop my photographs into designs and use them as inspiration when it comes to colours and textures. I’ll be able to use these photos to draw more in-detail pictures and develop on the quick sketches I did while at Bicton.
I then took time to sketch some of the things I saw around me to try and get a better understanding of the textures, when doing this I decided to use black fine line pens as I thought the contrast of the black ink against my sketchbook would show up the tones of the plants. I also find it a lot easier to use ink when doing quick drawings as it takes away the opportunity to erase, meaning I don’t get stuck on adding and erasing to try and get it ‘perfect’.
When i arrived home I decided to do a more in detail drawing using one of the photos I’ve taken as a reference, deciding to focus in on the Pistil especially.
Evaluating my trip to Bicton Botanical Gardens
Visiting Bicton Botanical Gardens was really beneficial in terms of developing my ideas on biomimicry, it was also really interesting to look at the large greenhouse they have which was actually the inspiration for the ones at Kew Gardens, London. I noticed similarities between the greenhouse pattern and that of a pinecone, the way the structure was designed improved its structural integrity while absorbing the optimum amount of heat energy. I feel that if I was to visit Bicton again I’d spend even more time drawing the plants to get a greater understanding of a wider range of plants. Drawing the plants improved my quick sketching skills as choosing to use a pen gave me the freedom to use quick strokes and easily create depth.
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