2- Workspace 2 Ideas

We got the opportunity to walk round Stonehouse and study the area. While we were doing this one of our group members checked the wi-fi strengths in different areas. This gave us the idea of basing our project on wi-fi signals. Here are the wi-fi hotspots i found on google maps round the areas we were walking:

While looking at these i was thinking about how wi-fi signals would look if we could see them. Coming out of there base unit they would probably make a spherical or dome shape. The domes would increase and decrease in size as the signal changes much like a lungs when the air capacity changes. The image below shows how the dome would form and how the internet strength changes as you get further away from the heard of the signal.

This got me onto my next thought about our increasing need to be wi-fi connected. taking this point to the extreme i was thinking about what if we lived off wireless and had to be near wi-fi in order to survive(a wifi connected atmosphere) . Looking at historical maps of Stonehouse we found that Victoria park was once underwater, what if all of Stonehouse was under water?. This then expanded the idea that these domes could be the only place we can breath /live is in these domes/bubbles/pockets of life/bio domes. Then to enhance this idea i was thinking about mobile devices. would you leave the house without your mobile? could you survive without it? would you want to?. i am now seeing mobiles as portable domes, portable atmospheric bubbles or bio domes. much like the old diving helmets that were worn. so we now have communities made up of bubble atmosphere and people walking round only able to survive because they have these mobile pockets of communication. so using the map of wi-fi hotspots i created this:

Wi-fi Biomes

Here i have created a clip of wi-fi bio domes in positions where personal routers would be present. I chose this street because it has two rows of terrace houses and it is quite effective seeing these wi-fi communities together.

Existing real bio domes which have become communities of plants built as an ecosystem to allow certain plants to survive. The Eden project is such a place with its giant domes built out of hexagons and pentagons of tough plastic. Each dome creates different environments, tropical, warm and Mediterranean built to enable different plant life to survive.

1. Workspaces 2 - Transforming Stonehouse

In this project we were asked to look at the Stonehouse area of Plymouth. I thought the best way of looking at the are would be to find some online statistics. The first set if information I found was about the crime rate in Stonehouse and the comparison between 2008 and 2009.

At the begining of this project i wanted to look at the geographical history of Stonehouse. Looking at the map below you can see a large body of water moving round the top of Stonehouse. where the water takes up is now where victoria park lies you can still see the edges of where the water once was and the shape created by the water eroding the banks ( red line ). You can also see where some structures are still present een though they may not have the same purpose yu can see the shapes they have imprinted on the landscape (gren line). Some major streets are still present (yellow line) one example is union street. You can see on both maps that some land has been claimed from the water where docks have expanded over where the water is present in the older map (blue line). Obviously the accuracy of the older map is questionable as there map making methods were not as advanced as ours, plus i have the satalite imagery for the present day image is spot on.

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/7162/aldandnew.jpg

The area in the red rectangle is Stonehouse, the area of my study. From this map we can see that Stonehouse has a much larger crime rate then the surrounding area. looking at stats i have found on the Devon and Cornwall police site i can see that Stonehouse has the largest crime rate in Devon and Cornwall.

Crime rates* in this area for the last 12 months:

*Crime rates is per 1000 people.

From these stats I can see crime rate has risen by 2 per every thousand people since October 2008 and the average number of crimes in this area has increased from 149.7 to 179 which is 19.6% compared to the same three months last year.

The following maps were taken from the Plymouth councils site.

This map shows the roads running through Stonehouse and their hierarchy. From the larger roads (A) which will run from town to town, these will hold the larger and faster flow of traffic. Then the B roads which go connect different parts of the town to the A roads. Followed by the secondary roads which route off connecting different parts of the town together. Then lastly the access roads which are the quieter roads which you will find houses and buisnesses off. These roads have the lower speed limits. The access roads are the most interesting to look at with there irregular gridded structure which looks like it was designed by someone using an Etch-a-sketch.

The image below looks at the footpaths, cyclepaths and parks within stonehouse. These are important because they give is an insight into the leasure aspects of Stonehouse as an area and the possible routes to and from work when not using a car. It is interesting to see the large band of open space at the top edge of stonehouse, this was once part of Stonehouse pool, you can see where the water has shaped the landscape just from this 2d map. It now makes up victoria park a popular area for sports and the local carboot.

Below: This is a row of images i have created as my "before experience maps". Using information collected from maps i have come up with an earlier version "left-hand side" to current version "right-hand side" of a map of Stonehouse. with a combination of the two in the middle. Using a basic clour scheme i wanted to visually show how the landscape has changed in some areas via human construction and also how natural erosion has created a form of its own. The obviouse thing is the development of the town over the water. The way the general land mass has increased along with the built up areas (grey). Areas of parkland or open space (green) has decreased with the overtake of development and yet you can see how where the river once led, at the top left of the far left image, there is gassland and you can still see the form n which the rivver had once taken.

Here are the photos which i took when walking through and around stonehouse area. Everything from areas coverd in litter, examples of distruction to property, signs and general images of things which were visually interesting.

Here is a map i made overlaying the mobile phone mast locations aswell as wi-fi hotspots. One image contains the colours used in the maps above showing how the masts are in built up areas rather then less populated areas. the second only displays the road layout, giving a good idea of positioning in comparison with road density.