Superblue

Superblue in New Book - 'Zaune Mauern Hecken'

2011-06-17T17:11:22Z

Superblue's Honeycomb Fences feature in 'Zaune Mauern Hecken' - 'Fences Walls Hedges' a new book by Martina Rahner and Jorg Schierwagen for publishers Callwy

]]> The publishers description of the book is:

"Hardly any other architectural element has a story to tell as a fence. The history of fences is not only historical but also very personal nature and typological This book presents different styles on the basis of 40 notable examples from within their architectural context. From the willow fence to the classic wooden fence, to purist metal, or concrete fences every style and every material imaginable is represented. The focus of the examples shown are the fences of private homes. At the end of the book come fence designers and architects, but also artisans and professionals in short essays and interviews. A comprehensive and inspirational book fence for architects, landscape architects and builders."

You can order a copy directly from Callwey at : www.callwey.de

Details:
Zaune Mauern Hecken, design am grundstucksrand
Martina Rahner, Jorg Schierwagen - 2011, Callwey, Germany
ISBN: 978-3-7667-1878-5

Designing Out Landfill! - A Mission

2011-01-23T18:35:47Z

Annick Collins from Superblue recently joined the 'Designing Out Landfill' mission in The Netherlands.

]]> The mission was organised by the Materials, and the Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Networks, and The Science and Innovation team at the UK Embassy in the Netherlands. The mission which investigated how The Netherlands 'do it!' was supported by the Technology Strategy Board.
Annick traveled to The Netherlands to learn at first hand the country's approach to designing out the need for landfills. The Netherlands has a zero tolerance approach to landfill and the aim of the mission was to help those with an interest in waste, including local authorities, waste handlers, waste recovery facility operators, and designers, understand how this is being achieved.

Picnicking on the Lincolnshire Coast

2010-11-14T19:31:46Z

Superblue's second shortlisted entry for the Structures on the Edge competition is the picnicking stones, a new structure at Wolla Edge on the Lincolnshire coastline. ]]>

Picnic Stones Picnicking is a past time for many of us. Whether it is a grand or humble the English love picnics. There is simple no finer moment in life then al-fresco food hidden away from the rush of daily life. People love nothing more than eating outside on tartan rugs. First there is the food and friends and second there is the search for the perfect picnic spot. Picnicking is a pleasure excursion about people and landscape coming together.

Wolla bank is a perfect spot for a picnic. It is a beautiful location with an exciting landscape from the sand bank to the sand ripples which already provide alternative seating and shelter. The aim of Superblue’s concept is to enhance this and add a sense of play, discovery and change to the space that works with nature and people. We seek to create the perfect picnic spot and to understand the ritual of picnicking.

The Superblue Picnic Stones, a three dimensional picnic landscape, is about people and landscape coming together in a number of ways. The three dimensional landscape creates a space for interaction, play and discovery – with nature, the landscape and the people that you have come to experience the space with.

Over time the 3d picnic landscape will change – wildlife and planting will inhabited it and change it. The sand will blow in, around and across it and the ocean will wash the space clean again, forever changing the space. The 3d picnic landscape also provides seating – sit on different the 3d tartan checks or sit beside the landscape which provides and shelter from the wind at this beautiful yet remote setting.

The materials are inspired by the nature resources in the area – the clay pits. They are made of a ceramic air bricks. These are highly robust elements which can resist the extreme elements of the location which will wear naturally into the beach environment. The extruded bricks will provide visual and tactile surfaces for the ‘Picnic Stones’.

The 3D Picnic landscape is iconic and playful and yet at the same time it works with the location and it rugged environment that is pure nature. Over time it which change and soften as natural takes over and adds to this unique landscape. Will it create a alternative rock pool / habitat for the creatures of Wolla bank? or will plants grow and add to the landscape? The sand around the structure will change as nature and people interact – changing the picnic landscape..

The Dutch Swimmer reaches the Lincolnshire Coast

2010-11-14T18:27:52Z

Superblue's shortlisted entry for the Structures on the Edge competition is the Dutch Swimmer, a new structure at Huttoft on the Lincolnshire coastline. ]]>

The Dutch Swimmer Coastwatch Kiosk (Parking on the Edge). The coastwatch kiosk looks across to it’s neighbour and is called the Dutch Swimmer. The aim of the piece is to reflect storytelling and imagination. This will be communicated through it’s illustrated look and stage like appearance that should intrigue and enhance people to get out of their car to discover more about the piece. One side will be an illustrated silhouette and the other side will be a look out point of 180 degree of the sea for the Coastwatch volunteers. Thus creating a fun, dynamic and functional piece. Other element include two look out positions and flagpoles. As people get out of their cars to discover more and interact with the piece close up they will discover further illustrated details, for example in the interior of the kiosk, that related to the Dutch Swimmer adding an extra layer of discover and intrigue. This element will be designed further with input from the coast watch volunteers allowing them to participate in the storytelling and curiosity the piece as well as discussing and incorporating the requirement needed in the space to allow it to function for their needs. The Coastwatch Kiosk will provide a visible marker on the coast line. It is a landmark as you drive to the coast, as you explore the coastline by walking or swimming or far out at sea. In the future perhaps The English Swimmer Coastwatch kiosk could be built on the Netherlands coast adding to the story of the piece and embracing and celebrating both coast lines..

100's 'Got Knitted' at TENT London 2010

2010-09-28T21:43:12Z

By kind invitation the 'Giant Knitting Nancy' was on show at this years TENT London 2010. 100s of people came and 'Got Knitted' with us over the 4 days of TENT London, part of the London Design Festival. ]]>

It was great to meet so many people at this years TENT London and bring back the memory of French Knitting to them. People from across the globe joined in and participated in growing the Knitting Nancy structure. Over 30m was added to the structure over the 4 day event by everyone. People were using the structure to sit, relax and wait for friends at the reception of the show. We heared so many lovely complements on the Giant Knitting Nancy, and really happy that it is making connections with so many people. So many stories and memories were shared by visitors of French knitting.

Over the weekend we entertained so many families and children who really enjoyed bouncing, playing, climbing and exploring the knitted structure. New skills were learned and re-learned by all and it was fantastic to see people across generations sharing and showing each other how to knit.

We are planning for the Giant Knitting Nancy to keep growing, so keep following this site for more updates. You can also follow us on Facebook or on Twitter.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-09-27T22:37:01Z

Superblue would like to wish all our visitors a great and Merry Christmas for 2010. We have spent much of 2010 out in the park, garden and at the beach this year. This Winter we will be putting down some new routes for some new surprises to spring up in 2011.

Come and get "Get Knitted" @ TENT 2010

2010-09-19T10:27:36Z

By kind invitation the 'Giant Knitting Nancy' will be on show and ready for you all to come and 'Get Knitted' at this years TENT London 2010. Come find us at the reception entrance.

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Superblue Giant Knitting Nancy from Superblue on Vimeo.

So until Thursday 23rd September check out the Giant Knitting Nancy's premier adventure at Canary Wharf during this years London Festival of Architecture. All the 'Giant Knitting Nancy' collaborators were there, Dan Preston (Sculptor), Holly Packer (Jewelery Designer) and the Superblue Team. We look forward to seeing you at TENT and helping you 'Get Knitted'

Fun, Games and Knitting on the Beach

2010-08-07T17:55:38Z

Superblues 'Giant Knitting Nancy' joined design company HKD on the beach for there annual picnic. Fun and games were had by all on Margate Sands as new ways to play with the ever growing knitted structure were found. All the 'Giant Knitting Nancy' collaborators were there, Dan Preston (Sculptor), Holly Packer (Jewelery Designer) and the Superblue Team, to enjoy the sausage rolls and games on the beach

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A new place and a new space for the 'Giant Knitting Nancy' allowed for fun, games and new explorations to be made. The beautiful Margate Sands provided a great location and backdrop for people to discover hidden knitting talents and add to the ever growing seating structure. The curves and forms of the knitting Nancy looked great against the famous skies of Margate.

New games were invented as people bounced along the length of the knitted structure. New ideas were also thrown about as the picnic became another interesting part of Marine Studios First Fridays Events. Thank you to all at HKD and Marine Studios for inviting us down and all that helped with the knitting, drinking and nibbling during the day

Join the Knitting Nancy for a Picnic on the Beach

2010-07-11T17:56:48Z

Dan Preston, Holy Packer and the Superblue team will be heading to Margate Sands on August 6th to join museum design company HKD for their annual picnic. Come and join us for the day and have knit, a picnic and a swim and meet all the fantastic creatives in Margate.

]]> The Giant Knitting Nancy has been invited to participate in HKD's annual picnic, a part of their monthly project called 'First Fridays' which has developed out of HKD's project space 'Marine Studios'. People will be invited to come and tryout the Giant Knitting Nancy whilst socialising with a bit of food and drink on the beautiful Margate Sands.

If in doubt about how great and social the beach can be, you can see for yourself with Robert Frith latest tilt-shift test video

Margate Tilt Shift Test from Superblue on Vimeo.

The Giant Knitting Nancy

2010-06-25T22:23:10Z

Superblues 'Giant Knitting Nancy' was launched onto the public at Canary Wharf. There was not a ball empty during lunch break as all the office workers joined in. See more photos from our first day in the park. The 'Giant Knitting Nancy' is a collaboration between Dan Preston (Sculptor), Holly Packer (Jewelery Designer) and the Superblue Team.

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Over 72m was knitted by over 100 visitors during the weekend of 25th - 27th June on 2 Giant Knitting Nancy to create the exciting seating structure defining the space at Jubilee Gardens, Canary Wharf.

Superblue Giant Knitting Nancy from Superblue on Vimeo.

Following the London Festival of Architecture theme, “The Welcoming City”, large-scale knitted structures will create an architectural seating unit that weaves through Jubilee Park, inviting visitors to sit and play as they enjoy the pleasant green environment in the middle of Canary Wharf.

The design is inspired by the traditional Knitting Nancy, a much-loved knitting toy which has been scaled-up so that visitors can participate in the knitting and making of the installation. The space and installation reflects the theme of “The Welcoming City” via exploring and celebrating together the woven, knitted structures and cultures that turn London into a distinct, unique, welcoming place.

Everyone was invited to try out the Knitting Nancy’s for themselves, or simply relax and enjoy the ever-growing seating structure. Superblue’s ‘Knitting Nancy’ was made in Canary Wharf, by EVERYONE.

Giant Knitting Nancy - 'Under Construction'

2010-06-22T23:08:23Z

Superblues 'Giant Knitting Nancy' is currently under construction for this week London Festival of Architecture at Canary Wharf. Come and have a go at knitting yourself or chill-out on a the giant seating structure created.

]]> What: Giant Knitting Nancy at Canary Wharf for the London Festival of Architecture

When: 25th - 27th June 11am - 5pm

Description: Superblue Giant Knitting Nancy - get together and knit your space.

Everyone is invited to try out the Knitting Nancy’s for themselves, or simply relax and enjoy the ever-growing seating structure. Come and join in as ‘many hands make light work’. Superblue’s ‘Knitting Nancy’ will be made in Canary Wharf, by EVERYONE.

Furzefield Community Space

2010-06-22T22:11:26Z

The Hertsmere Community Spaces, new community youth shelter opens to the public at Furzefield. The shelter provides a place to hang out with friends. The unique shared structure allows people to climb up high and have views across the whole park. With seating steps you can have a rest on the way up or way down to stop and enjoy the view. If it gets... rainy then shelter under the slopes of the shareds, or just find a different space and view. The shelter provides a new space for all park visitors all year round.

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Furzefield Park is a unique site which sits is at the back of the Furzefield Leisure Centre. It consists of King George V playing field, Furzefield woods, an ancient woodlands and a meadow area, which Potters Bar Brook runs through.Furzefield Wood and Meadow was designated a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) by Hertsmere Borough Council in September 1998. The playing fields unique features are three mature oak trees. These run in a line and are the remains of an old hedgerow.

Construction
The shelter is made from an anti-slip red striped resin plastic inserted boarding with metal mesh seats. The underside seats are made from soft wood cladding. There is a steel sub-structure. A play rubber surface has be used for the surrounding area and can be planted to sympathetically place it in the old hedgerow and will eventually be overgrown by grass. The shelter has passed all play inspections and is happily being used by all ages of the community. The fantastic fabrication was carried out by Mark Cosgrove Associates at The Scenery Shop.

The Hertsmere Community spaces shelters have been installed at The Moatfield in Bushey, Furzefield in Potters Bar and Phillimore Recreation Ground in Radlett. Superblue worked on this project with Green Heart Partnership and the team of officers from the Parks and Amenities, Communications, and Community Services teams at Hertsmere Borough Council, Aldenham Parish Council, the Police and other stakeholders. The design of these community spaces follows community consultation carried out with young people in summer 2007, which led to a successful application to the Big Lottery Play Fund.

Radlett Community Space

2010-06-20T22:58:36Z

The Hertsmere Community Spaces, youth shelter has opened at Phillimore Recreation Ground in Radlett. The shelter offers a variety of seating and shelter and a new staging area for local events

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The Hertsmere Community Spaces, youth shelter has opened at Philimore Recreation Ground, Radlett. This permanent new structure is designed to provide a variety of seating areas inside and out, a place to rest your bike and an open stage space facing the park. The Shelter has a robust steel sub-structure and is clad with a larch wood, which will age to a silver grey. A mesh screen sits at the front powder coated in gold to shade from the sun and provide a stage curtain for the stage. The fantastic fabrication was carried out by Mark Cosgrove Associates at The Scenery Shop.

The shelter is positioned close to the existing park facilities and area of existing high foot traffic. Many people already gather and use the existing bench on thie site and the shelter adds to these facilities. The space is close to the carpark and away from houses on the periphery of the recreation ground.

Key considerations for the positioning of the shelter were:

* Place where young people are already meeting
* Away from immediate houses
* Easily accessible to the community police via the car park
* If the youth center is set up in the park it will be a resource for this facility
* Looks over the park and playing field

Moatfield Community Space

2010-06-19T22:40:24Z

The Hertsmere Community Spaces, youth shelter has opened at The Moatfield, Bushy. This permanent new structure can be used to climb the unique hexagon climbing bars, sit high and look out over the park, or simply hang out from .

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The shelter sits on a cross-roads of existing informal and formal pathways between the woodland strip and moat to the north, and the formal play area to the south.

The area is surrounded by foliage which will reduce noise transference but can be seen clearly from across the park. Ground areas may be water logged during heavy rain and will need further investigation.

Key considerations for the positioning of the shelter:

* Where young people are already meeting
* Away from immediate housing
* Easily visible to the community police from the car park
* Linked into paths into the woodlands and the future natural play proposals

The shelter has two seating spaces, one covered, one open. Running through the structure is a unique hexagon climbing strip which lets people climb up to the roof or can be used as monkey bars from below. The structure is a robust steel sub structure with a soft wood cladding. The roof has softwood with anti-slip resin inserts. The fantastic fabrication was carried out by Mark Cosgrove Associates at The Scenery Shop.

Three New Innovative Shelters for the Whole Community

2009-10-06T07:43:44Z

Three innovative and eye-catching shelters, known as the Hertsmere Community Spaces, have been designed specifically for three very different green spaces in Hertsmere and will be installed this autumn in Phillimore Recreation Ground in Radlett (above image), Furzefield in Potters Bar, and The Moatfield in Bushey

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The Hertsmere Community Spaces project is the result of a thorough and inclusive design process that has not only won over some resistant residents, but has engaged with a range of young people from the borough and has included a range of stakeholders on the design team including the police.

The project led by Hertsmere Borough Council commissioned arts and environment organisation Green Heart Partnership (GHP) to develop the project and manage the design and community engagement process. GHP is facilitated by Haring Woods Associates, who worked with multi-disciplinary design team Superblue to design the shelters by working with a range of local people to explore and respond to their needs, ideas and aspirations for new types of shelters that would be attractive and safe for a diverse groups of people using their local parks.

The structures have been a triumph of inclusive design, proving that a thorough and detailed design process that invites input from a wide range of the community and local and regional stakeholders, is possible and productive. Although the project generated some negative responses in the first instance, the inclusive design process has taken the community along the journey of all aspects that need to be considered when developing multiple-user facilities with a limited budget to reach imaginative and viable design results.

The project was named Hertsmere Community Spaces to instill a feeling of unique structures for all the community to use, rather than simply installing ‘off-the-shelf’ standard shelters that have no design connection to the site and can quickly become misused or underused. A major concern voiced by some residents was that the shelters would increase anti-social behaviour in the area, by providing young people with somewhere to congregate. To address this, GHP established an interdisciplinary team of officers from Hertsmere Borough Council’s Parks, Health and Safety, Planning and Culture Departments, Aldenham Parish Council and especially the Police including both the Antisocial Behaviour Caseworker from Hertsmere Community Safety Unit and a range of Police Community Support Officers from each area. This project team was established at the outset and ensured that all aspects of the shelters’ usage and impact on the community were fully considered before reaching the final design stage, as well as generating ownership by the different departments responsible for the shelters’ maintenance and legacy.

Working in tandem with the interdisciplinary project team, the Hertsmere Community Spaces project developed a vibrant marketing campaign with an independent website, postcards, posters and stickers distributed around the three sites. These advertised the project and three engagement activities over the summer that invited local people to discuss their ideas with the designers and officers from the council. Draft designs were then presented to the public and a series of public meetings were held at each site before designs were finally signed off at the end of September. This thorough and phased consultation process has resulted in three innovative designs, specific to each park’s environment and the people who use them. As well as providing a meeting space, seating and shelter for a range of users, the shelter at Phillimore Recreation Ground can also be used as a performance space by the variety of local community arts organisations and other community events; the shelter for The Moatfield ties in with a wider landscape design to introduce natural play into the park; and the shelter at Furzefield provides a viewing space in the centre of the park for the well used skatepark and football pitches.

Each shelter will be constructed using materials that are hardwearing and sympathetic to the natural landscape, creating warm and welcoming spaces that people will want to use. The inclusive nature of these three attractive structures aims to serve the whole community and create intergenerational spaces, and therefore reduce the risk of mis-use and vandalism.

The expectation is that these unique and exciting structures will become showcases for other local authorities wanting to employ their resources for young people’s spaces in a creative and integrated way, which avoids alienating other sections of the community, and provides attractive and landmark shelters for all.