Oxford City Council invited first year architecture students to create designs to improve an under-used space in Jericho. The students' varied and imaginative designs for Mount Place are under consideration by the council prior to public consultation.
Tasked with exploring different aspects of the site – the sounds, smells and atmosphere, as well as considerations such as ownership and health and safety. Following a site visit, the students presented their plans to an area committee meeting in St Barnabas School in September. They were well received and a working group of residents, local councillors and a council officer was formed to follow up on the ideas.
With a notional budget of £10,000 the students came up with 18 scenarios. These included suggestions that the area could be contoured or terraced to offer different levels for seating; that it could encourage nesting birds with a 'bird house' and that a drinking fountain might be introduced for passing joggers. One plan, inspired by local window boxes, considered creating wooden 'public window boxes' where local residents might plant their own flowers. All the students wanted to retain the trees with one plan aimed at converting the area into an 'arboretum' with new wooden bench seating.
Oxford City Council asked OB1 LIVE to build a prototype structure, possibly a bench, on the site in the summer, 2010. The community will have the opportunity to try it out and pass comment on it.
Press
Mount Place Makeover Options, Jericho Echo, Issue 07, November 2009
Grand Designs for city square, Oxford Mail, December 16th 2009
Jane Anderson, BBC Radio Oxford interview for Mount Place: 15 December 2009
Team
Abigail Dunlop, Adam Hart, Akcasu Atamert, Alastair Clarke, Alessandra De Mitri, Alessandra Koengeter-Johnston, Amy Wong, Ana Mohirta, Ana Popielarska, Anar Nurseitova, Anisa nachett, Areege Al Zubaidi, Ashleigh Usher, Ava Richardson, Avishkar Saha, Ben Pollock, Bryony Henson, Bryony Preston, Cameron Johnston, Caroline Sistelli, Catherine Channon, Charles Byron, Charles Palmer, Charlie Maden, Charlotte Chambers, Chiok-Junn Li, Chloe Skry, Christina Brierwood, Christoph Braeckelmann, Christopher Desborough, Christopher Lipski, Daniel Sweeting, David Cooper, David Jones, David Lisk, Debbie Botham, Deborah Odita, Emir Tigrel, Emma Jones, Fearghus Raftery, Frans Khan, Genevieve Peel, Gerard Fries, Grace Wong, Greg Griffiths, Guinevere Stephens, Guy Fielding, Harriet Callaghan, Harriet Holliday, Heidi Gillett, Helena Collett, Helena Howard, Hiten Patel, Huda Jaber, Ieva Rutkauskaite, Imogen Prus, Jack Case, Jack Hardy, James Evans, Jamie Crapnell, Jamie Simmons, Jasmin Eastwood, Joanna Gorringe Minto, Joanna Latham, Jonathan Hasson-Doggrell, Jonathan Lakin, Jonathan Leung, Jonathan Wilson, Joseph Armstrong, Joseph Chilvers, Joseph Giddings, Joseph Penn, Joshua Molnar, Kaja Knutsen, Katie Rudin, Konstantina Faltaka, Konstantinos Papaoikonomou, Laura Pickervance, Louisa Preece, Lucinda Prophet, Marissa Ogbeide, Mark Phelan, Marko Milovanovic, Martino Gasparrini, Matthew Gibbs, Matthew Rosier, Matthew Sawyer, Matthew Williams, Melissa Nemer, Monique Wyrley-Birch, Naomi Sayers, Natalie Dossor, Natasha Barry, Nathaniel Shields, Nicholas Hutton, Nina Williams, Nurhidayah Ab Razak, Oliver Cleveley-Jones, Oliver Cradock, Paul Renwick, Qendrim Gjata, Rena Tsangari, Robert Bridges, Rosanna McNamara, Ryan Kingsnorth, Sam Harper, Samuel Deane, Sam Goodall, Sarah Beven, Sarish Younis, Shaun Ryder, Shenaz Mayani, Stephanie Lewis, Stiliyana Minkovska, Sumandeep Sehmar, Suzanne Duncombe, Tegen Montgomerie, Thomas Barnes, Thomas Hall, Thomas Jelley, Thomas Reeves, Thomas Selby, Thomas Smith, Thomas Wildbore, Tom Reynolds, Tomislav Biberovic, Vaagisha Kapur, Valentina Billios, Wojciech Gryz, Xana Murrell, Yiing Ng, Yuliya Marina
Tutors
Jane Anderson, Colin Priest, Ana Araujo, Emmanuel Dupont, Stephanie Schultz-Westrum, Andrea Placidi
Collaborators
Oxford City Council
Participants
General public of Jericho
Commissioned by
Oxford City Council
Support
Oxford Brookes University