The design is responsive, site specific and provocative: informed by ornithological derives with Peter Holden, locally celebrated for initiating the annual peregrine falcon public views at Tate Modern. The project was commissioned by the Architecture Foundation, and takes its inspiration from Witherford Watson Mann’s Bankside Urban Forest Strategy.

Nestworks 1 2 3 are a direct response to the festival’s theme of exchange: of knowledge, habitat, materials. We discovered that the standard hollow block used to build some of London’s most celebrated architecture is made from concrete with 55% recycled woodpulp, a material that when used in nestboxes is proven to fledge more young than any other. Synergistically the interior block dimensions are text book sizes for house sparrows, radically in decline in the area. Other species designed for are blue tits, great tits, starlings, wrens, robins and blackbirds.

Nestworks 1 2 3 is a legacy project delivered with support from Peter Holden, the Architecture Foundation, Riverford Organic and Lignacite.

Maps showing locations of the Nestworks, some of which are hidden, will available in the Orchard at Union Street from June 19th, or to download.

A related birdwalk and a new talk by Peter and Andy Holden will take place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday  4^{th July}.  Peregrine viewings at the Tate are daily from 12 noon to 7pm, 17 July to 12 September 2010.

Phase 1, which included remediation, relocation of willows and the outdoor arena, is complete and has affored the community of Creede a safe, beautiful and windfree place to rope and ride.

For upcoming events and news, do also take a look at the MCFA’s newly launched website: www.upperriogrande.org

Lot of Bottle: Our Biennale site was the Farmiloes Courtyard in  Clerkenwell, where water has been a centrally important part of history, from its springs, wells and spas and later also breweries and distilleries. Clerkenwell was the site of London’s first reservoir.  In the 21st century, though, we have little direct knowledge of where our water comes from and often no longer even drink it from the tap.  Water now costs more than soda, milk and gas in the US.  The fetishising of water and its packaging is probably the single greatest threat to human and animal survival across the globe.

To connect thinking about the environment with design and engineering more than 700 1.5l Evian bottles were recycled from family life and with cable ties, plumbing pipes and climbing ropes were the primary materials used to create the bridge, which [following some experiments in bouyancy] successfully supported one tonne — that being the combined weight of the young engineers.

“Whilst the project is just a teaching aide for now, its commonplace building blocks make it cheap to build. If a small-scale model can divert hundreds of plastic bottles away from landfill, there’s no reason a bigger project couldn’t use up even more in the real world, while creating easily assembled emergency bridges, rafts or a makeshift rescue craft.” Lot of Bottle, Spark 3, The Guardian

The floating bridge was a collaboration between Dallington School, 51% studios and Tim Macfarlane of Dewhurst Macfarlane and Partners. Other bridges have been made from cardboard and paper.

Also on World Water Day, we are wishing all the best of luck to David de Rothschild and the crew of the Plastiki, a boat made of 12,000 plastic bottles, which has just begun a round-the-world trip to highlight the problems of waste in our oceans, much of it caused by plastic bottles.

And we couldn’t end without mentioning one of our favourite sites, The Big Picture, which has a put up a stunning set of National Geographic pictures of water [you can also download a free interactive copy of National Geographic’s April issue on water]

The birdboxes will be deployed as part of the London Festival of Architecture in June 2010.

The former silver mining town of Creede is located in the Alte Vista Mountains, 10 miles from the source of the Rio Grande. The fairground site’s strategic importance is its location on the floodplain of Willow Creek - it can be seen for miles from the Silver Thread Scenic Highway. The site makes an important contribution to the natural landscape and could become an iconic signature for the town.

The Mineral County Fairgrounds Association approached 51% studios to develop with them a proposal for permanent all weather fairground facilities which could be implemented over time. Each phase will need to function in its own right, allowing for the next with maximum efficiency. We developed a flexible master diagram, using remediation to create an enduring ‘functional landscape’, preserving and enhancing existing views to and from the site.

Facilities will include a multi-purpose all-weather arena, community center and publicly accessible landscape where equal importance is given, and clear distinctions made, between pedestrians, the animals and their trucks.

Local sustainable design research has included a survey of readily available local materials, efficient energy creators such as ground source, solar cells etc, indigenous building traditions such as straw bale and stucco construction, in-floor radiant heat, and natural lighting.

The Mineral County Fairgrounds Association [MCFA] has successfully secured city, county, state and federal grants for the site, as well as overseeing the Voluntary Cleanup Operation.

Many roads to cross but I can’t seem to find my way over / Wandering I am lost as I travel along the white cliffs of Dover [from ‘Too many rivers to cross’, the Harder they Come, with apologies to Jimmy Cliff]

Portus Dubris is a town denied its sea frontage, its beach and cliffs and ports — a town thrilling to arrive at by sea, car or truck, but miserable to be in on foot. Yet Dover is also uniquely situated to once again blossom into a first class town — it has history, character, identity and natural endowment in spoonfuls.

This ‘master diagram’ seeks to reconnect the town and its sea frontage by bringing the countryside into the heart of the town and suppressing the relentless traffic thundering along the A20 by burying it between Snargate Street and Marine Parade. The space above the road will be a new car free landscaped public space.

Along with the proposed quayside quarters this represents an opportunity to create a sustainable city to rival anywhere in the world, so that over time our perception of Dover will be first of green and then of white.