Running measures and triangulations

I have to crow today about being the first person in studio for two days in a row. This is a first for me as normally I have the furthest to travel each day and a park that is a good 10 minute walk away.

Our first client and site survey yesterday. After a short lecture on triangulation, running measures and direct measures we headed out to Project 1, an urban garden location. A brave client indeed to have 16 garden design students tromping about the modest boundaries trying to herd one another to get correct-ish measurements whilst battling with the over/undergrowth.

Attempting not to miss anything we would need later as no one wants to be ringing the client to ask 'if you could just pop out to re-measure for me...' how embarrassing!

Note to self: find friendly local Land Surveyor.

What questions to ask so all the relevant information is gleaned, "a conservation area?, great, oh and a water feature? sure, no maintenance? SURE..." and on it went. Luckily the tutors asked the Q's we forgot or didn't know to ask. After several years consulting I am used to playing a tag team game when interviewing clients this 16:1 was rather more than I was used to.

Drawing up the site survey overnight was a good exercise in seeing how to be better prepared for next time and taking pointers from C, an interior designer of many years, on short cuts to a good site survey.

After some serious persuasion by D we changed plans from a visit to the Oxford Botanic Gardens and ended the day in the Angel & Greyhound pub for a class get together, seems to be a tradition on the middle evening.

C and I stayed at Pickwicks B&B which is ok, not as great as I the lovely Henley B&B, and wireless that didn't work :( but ok, good breakfast, friendly people AND close to college. This part of Oxford is rather bereft of reasonably priced well appointed places to stay. I am staying at The Fleece in a couple of weeks time and although not close am hoping for MUCH better things from them.

Homework from last week was interesting to see. Drawing up a Speed Designed a garden. So many variations on the theme. Checking out other peoples work and although no feedback at all from the tutors it was never the less good to see what really worked well, and of course what worked less well.

This week it's designing for the Urban Project 1, site surveying our own gardens, more timeline - I have to complete the 18th Century section in the next two weeks(!), research an essay topic relevant to Garden Design in the 20th Century and, um and um... I am sure there is something else in there.

A busy 5 days ahead and that's without work & social life