Greenwich Project Studio: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Professional summer work experience, working with an exceptional place.

Here is a site rich in history, in architecture, in landscape. A client who is eager to engage and open minded. A large public space in London with an extraordinary past in need of a plan for the future.

The Maritime Project Studio is a collaboration between the University of Greenwich department of Architecture and Landscape, MSA University, and the National Maritime Museum.

The National Maritime Museum is seeking to develop a landscape master plan for their grounds in Greenwich. The document is to be of professional quality and could inform a series of significant improvements over the next decade as well as providing a basis for further partnerships between the University and the Museum. The document will evolve from the summer of 2015 through to the summer of 2016.

“The ensemble of buildings at Greenwich and their landscape setting, including the Royal Park, are a potent architectural symbol of English artistic, scientific and other institutional endeavour, notably from the 17th to late 19th centuries.” They form part of the world heritage site, are a scheduled ancient monument, a registered landscape and home to many listed buildings.

How can or should we recalibrate this landscape to embrace our contemporary needs, whilst respecting the past?

Over the summer of 2015 the project studio will be asking: What is the brief?

Part of the answer to this question lies in the past. We will spend the first week in August researching and analysing the history of the site.

Part of the answer to this question lies in the present and our conception of this place as a functioning part of London. In the second week in August we will conduct an analysis of our reactions to the site as it is at present.

Part of the answer to this question lies with others. In the third week in August we will engage with key stakeholders at the museum as well as external stakeholders such as the directors of the Royal Park at Greenwich, the Royal Naval Hospital, and English Heritage. Meetings will take place at the Museum, and also at University.

By the end of the summer 2015 we should be in a position to synthesise our findings and present the evolving brief to our clients at the National Maritime Museum. The last week in August will be spent organising this synthesis.

Location:

The project studio will run from our new building in Greenwich where we will set up one of the new studio spaces as a functioning office with computers, books, lights, etc. The studio will operate full time for the whole of August 2015.

Staff:

The project studio will be supported by a range of staff from across the school of Architecture and Landscape with James Fox as the main point of contact. James is a studio leader for the Certificate Landscape Architecture course at Greenwich University, and a lecturer on the MA course in Historical and Sustainable Architecture at New York University. As associate director at Todd Longstaffe-Gowan Landscape Design he ran the new East and South Garden projects at Kensington Palace, the Environs Masterplan at Hampton Court Palace, New Kitchen Garden at Hampton Court Palace, and Trophy Gate at Hampton Court Palace. With his new practice FFLO his work with historic landscapes includes a masterplan for the Wimpole Estate in Cambridge and a roof garden at New College Oxford.

Requirements:

If you wish to join the project studio you should be either a recent graduate/graduating from a landscape MA course, or in the summer between taking a certificate course and starting the MA course, or at some stage of taking a part time postgraduate course in Landscape Design/Architecture. In short anyone who is undertaking or has undertaken recently a postgraduate programme in landscape architecture/design. All applicants are welcome. If you are interested please send examples of work and a covering letter to James Fox: james@fflo.co.uk