Architects, Engineers, planners, artists and design students all coalesced into three teams for 24 Hours to Save Winchester on Friday and, working through the night on a 24-hour limit, devised and designed separate frameworks for making the city of Winchester a sustainable urban area by 2020.
The multidisciplinary event was the brainchild of the Solent Centre for Architecture and Design and was hosted by the Winchester School of Art.
Ideas and designs were brought to life under the welcoming atmosphere of enthusiastic team members, who had volunteered to work overnight and contribute to the speculative planning for Winchester's architecture and infrastructure.
Within the planning area there was a buzz of activity as diagrams and physical models were created to illustrate how Winchester should be changed in the future for the better. Gathering around their team spaces, the creative minds behind the project all shared their expertise which culminated in the presentation of their finished plans at midday this Saturday.
On Friday, before most of the planning was in progress, a series of lectures were given by relevant professionals on topics such as sustainable urban design, eco-friendly transport and city heritage.
The event, which Winchester Action on Climate Change took an interest in, also attracted the attention of prominent political personalities Mark Oaten and Martin Tod, two members of Winchester's Liberal Democrats.
Spearheading the project was Paul Grover, a man passionate about changing the face of Winchester for the future. Mr Grover played an active role in overseeing the momentum of the project and showcasing its results.
At the heart of 24 Hours to Save Winchester was an emphasis on ideas that would change Winchester in the years to come. Some key proposals made by the three teams were the need for improved accessibility for the public, the rejuvenation of communal areas and providing a fully sustainable energy grid.
Team A suggested its notion of "Walk within the Walls", which depicted a model of Winchester where the city centre is off-limits to vehicles of any kind, leaving it 100% pedestrianised.
The efficiency of public transport was contemplated, with some designers insisting prioritisation of local bus services should be seriously considered by local transport authorities.
Team C pitched the idea of the 'polycentric city', one which incorporates multiple spheres of business and community interest and links them to the city centre - strength is given to the suburbs and elsewhere, not just the city centre.
Specific sites such as Weeke and Winnall featured in the teams' plans for sustainability. In Winnall they recognised the benefits of constructing a community centre area that would offer aspects of the city centre to residents on the periphery of Winchester.
Members of local authorities and boards attended the opening and closing of the event and were very encouraged by what they saw in the presentations and heard in the lectures. The process of planning was made thorough yet enjoyable by the architects, engineers and other volunteers who are committed to producing sustainable models for urban growth.
People like Paul Grover hope to see cities like Winchester at the vanguard of the sustainable UK movement in years to come.
The multidisciplinary event was the brainchild of the Solent Centre for Architecture and Design and was hosted by the Winchester School of Art.
Ideas and designs were brought to life under the welcoming atmosphere of enthusiastic team members, who had volunteered to work overnight and contribute to the speculative planning for Winchester's architecture and infrastructure.
Within the planning area there was a buzz of activity as diagrams and physical models were created to illustrate how Winchester should be changed in the future for the better. Gathering around their team spaces, the creative minds behind the project all shared their expertise which culminated in the presentation of their finished plans at midday this Saturday.
On Friday, before most of the planning was in progress, a series of lectures were given by relevant professionals on topics such as sustainable urban design, eco-friendly transport and city heritage.
The event, which Winchester Action on Climate Change took an interest in, also attracted the attention of prominent political personalities Mark Oaten and Martin Tod, two members of Winchester's Liberal Democrats.
Spearheading the project was Paul Grover, a man passionate about changing the face of Winchester for the future. Mr Grover played an active role in overseeing the momentum of the project and showcasing its results.
At the heart of 24 Hours to Save Winchester was an emphasis on ideas that would change Winchester in the years to come. Some key proposals made by the three teams were the need for improved accessibility for the public, the rejuvenation of communal areas and providing a fully sustainable energy grid.
Team A suggested its notion of "Walk within the Walls", which depicted a model of Winchester where the city centre is off-limits to vehicles of any kind, leaving it 100% pedestrianised.
The efficiency of public transport was contemplated, with some designers insisting prioritisation of local bus services should be seriously considered by local transport authorities.
Team C pitched the idea of the 'polycentric city', one which incorporates multiple spheres of business and community interest and links them to the city centre - strength is given to the suburbs and elsewhere, not just the city centre.
Specific sites such as Weeke and Winnall featured in the teams' plans for sustainability. In Winnall they recognised the benefits of constructing a community centre area that would offer aspects of the city centre to residents on the periphery of Winchester.
Members of local authorities and boards attended the opening and closing of the event and were very encouraged by what they saw in the presentations and heard in the lectures. The process of planning was made thorough yet enjoyable by the architects, engineers and other volunteers who are committed to producing sustainable models for urban growth.
People like Paul Grover hope to see cities like Winchester at the vanguard of the sustainable UK movement in years to come.
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