public works and Diamond Architects have been working with the residents of Braithwaite house and Quaker Court, involving them in the design of an urban landscape proposal for the podium - a large existing concrete landscape adjacent to the housing block. Initially we held a series of events to activate the inhabitants, and subsequently nine open design sessions. The final scheme designs were recently presented to the back to the community and can be seen in Braithwaite house Foyer until April 7th. The project was commissioned by the Braithwaite house TMO and EC1 New Deal.

The aims and objectives of the different events conducted within the first residency were: (a) Introduce ourselves and the project to the residents, (b) Get to know local members, (c) Observe existing dynamics of the site, (d) discover the potentials informing the next stage of design, (e) informally test potential new programs. We achieved these through activities/events such as seed planting, a cake party and drawing sessions and generally hanging out. We tested potential programs, relating to existing local initiatives such as recycling and composting. Through our presence, we hoped to interrupt the existing passage in a positive way, and activate discussion with the future podium community. The informal quality of hanging out and our availability to chat made this possible.

Nine open design sessions were held during the second residency, and in this time we managed to connect with the residents we had met in the previous residency, but also to widen the participation to others that hadn’t been able to attend any of the previous events. Landscape cards, program flags, site plans, and the group discussions furthered our understanding of the site and the wishes of the community, and while there was no real consensus, we made a general wish list, extracted from the different conversations. This informed the brief and intentions for the design of the podium. Through this exercise we did not expect to find a consensus, or a masterplan, nor did we want the residents to design the space themselves. We wanted to make the design process transparent by asking questions and allowing time for questions to be asked. This exercise was an opportunity to share different styles of design with the community which they may not have come across before - to expand the collective imagination of what urban landscaping could become. The cards were on constant display during the second residency and allowed the residents to illustrate their ideas. We also had plans of the existing site available for people to draw on, to locate existing qualities or problems as well as proposals.