My Green City outreach workshops at Bristol Family Arts Festival

As part of the 2015 Bristol Family Arts Festival the Architecture Centre, Watershed and Children's Scrapstore  hosted two creative family outreach workshops at Junction 3 Library, Easton and Lawrence Weston Community Farm. Families were asked to help populate a green city full of eco-friendly buildings, green transport and sustainable energy solutions. Some great creations were made!

Learn more about projects around Bristol that are helping the city be more green at our City Ideas Studio

Visit our website for information on upcoming events

Snug Homes: Family Activity

Visit our City Ideas Studio Resources residency to get involved in our family activity. Our gallery is open 11-5 Wednesday-Friday and 12-5 Saturday-Sunday.

 Your challenge is to design a 'snug' home, a compact, environmentally friendly house that is small in size but still has everything you need. Learn about Ecomotive SNUG homes in our exhibition, take inspiration from the sheets on our activity table and get designing.

A snug home is important because the UK needs more affordable homes (smaller houses are usually cheaper), space in the cities is limited and expensive (future homes need to take up less space), small homes generally have a smaller carbon footprint and due to climate change rising sea levels we may have less land to build houses on.

When designing and making think about:

• The layout inside - how can you squeeze everything you need into the space and what don't we need
• Whether your home could be stackable and fit together
• What environmentally friendly materials your snug home could be made from
• If your snug home generate its own electricity

Share your creations on our gallery wall and ask a member of staff to photograph your design and share via our Twitter: @archcentre #snughomes

Learn more about Ecomotive SNUG homes here and at our Resources residency.

As part of Bristol Family Arts Festival there's also a chance to join in at our Shoe boxes and shipping containers: make your own snug home workshop on Friday 30 October.

Visit the Architecture Centre's website for more events and information.

City Ideas Studio: Resources - the private view

Wednesday 30 October saw the official launch and private view of our Resources residency at the City Ideas Studio. A great turn out gathered to learn all about how we can be more resourceful, showcasing projects and ideas from our thematic partner BuroHappold Engineering and local resource projects such as Bristol ReUse Network, Ecomotive SNUG Homes, Bristol Green Doors, Bower Ashton Woodyard and responses by staff and students from the UWE Department of Architecture and the Built Environment.

In the foyer of the gallery there is also an exhibition about the Architecture Centre's Shape My City youth programme summer project #livebuild. This was a community, sustainable building project where a shelter was built for the Asylum Seekers Allotment Project in St George, East Bristol.

The City Ideas Studio Resources residency is on until 8 November, open 11-5 Wednesday-Friday and 12-5 Saturday-Sunday.

Visit our website to find out more about events happening soon

Images © Frances Gard

City Resources: BuroHappold Engineering

Last week saw the launch of our Resources residency at the City Ideas Studio. The Architecture Centre welcomed Gavin Thompson from BuroHappold Engineering to lead the City Resources talk. Sharing ideas around resourcefulness when designing and delivering projects, drawing upon a range of local and global initiatives and discussing how cities of the future can make the most of their resources.

Gavin discussed how:

• Cities will play a huge part in shaping the future well being of our planet
• We must close the hungry resource loop as much as possible
• Achieving standard of living at density will be key
• Managing demand is important
• Behaviours are as important as good systems and infrastructure
• Engagement is key and date provides a useful way in
• Cities that encourage resourceful innovation will prosper

Representatives from local resourceful projects then joined the discussion: Jackson Moulding from Ecomotive SNUG Homes, Jessica Hodge from Bristol ReUse Network and Dan Weisselberg from Bristol Green Doors.

A recording of the talk will be available soon.

Visit our City Ideas Studio Resources residency to learn more about BuroHappold's initiatives as well as Ecomotive SNUG Homes, Bristol ReUse Network, Bristol Green Doors and other resourceful projects happening in Bristol. Plus a response on the theme by staff and students from the UWE Department of Architecture and the Built Environment. 

The gallery is open 11-5 Wednesday-Friday and 12-5 Saturday-Sunday.

Visit our website for more events happening soon at our City Ideas Studio.

The City Ideas Studio is part-funded by a Bristol 2015 Strategic Grant and is sponsored by Alec French Architects, Amalgam, Barton Willmore, BDP, BuroHappold Engineering, RISE Structures, Solarsense and West of England Initiative.

The City Ideas Studio touchscreen is supported by Autodesk, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Max Fordham and Bristol City Council Design Group. 

With additional support for City Ideas Studio: Resources from Ferguson Mann Architects

Event Reminder: Urban Wanderings - Wildlife Friendly: Horfield Common

Guided walk: Wednesday 19 August, 18:00, £6/£4
Places limited - book now: 0117 922 1540

Don't miss our next Urban Wandering walk, find out how people are supporting a nature-rich landscape at the community-driven green space Horfield Common. This circular guided walk will be led by Matt Collis from Avon Wildlife Trust and Sam Thomson from Bristol Parkhive, UWE, Bristol Parks Forum and Friends of Horfield Common.

These groups are all working to improve Horfield Common. From encouraging wildlife, growing food, improving sports facilities to opening a café, come and hear stories about the variety of initiatives planned and in place to look after and encourage use of this green space.

The walk will last up to 90 minutes. The walk passes over some uneven ground. Please wear suitable footwear and clothing.

The walk will start from the Café on the Common, by the Ardagh pavilion, please check you know how to get there before travelling.

Getting there

A variety of buses travel from Bristol city centre to Horfield Common including the 70, 72, 73, 75, 76. Depending on which bus you catch (check before you travel), it may be best to get off at either Nevil Road or Ashley Down stops on Gloucester Road. Walk up Gloucester Road and turn left onto Church Road, left onto Maple Road, then first right onto Ash Road up to the park; once in the park, walk straight up alongside trees with tennis courts on your left. At the top there is a car park which follows round to the café area where we will meet before the start of the walk.

More information about using public transport to reach Horfield Common can be found at Traveline Southwest. Please consult a map before travelling to ensure you know where the meeting place is on the Common.

There are also limited car parking spaces at the Ardagh, by the Café on the Common; access via Kellaway Avenue.


This event is part of the City Ideas Studio programme focussing on Nature, which features projects including Bristol Parkhive and Avon Wildlife Trust's #MyWildCity project.

Visit our website for details of other events happening at the Architecture Centre.

My Wild City: Meet a wildlife expert

On Saturday 1 August we had our first 'Meet a wildlife expert' drop-in session, Avon Wildlife Trust expert Matt offered his expertise on how we can all support wildlife in our area. He offered top tips on how to make your own insect hotel and encourage wildlife to flourish. In our own insect hotel we spotted zebra spiders, aphids and some snail trails, Matt also helped us harvest some seeds and water the meadow. Visitors also got their hands dirty and made free seed bombs to take home!

Come to our next 'meet a wildlife expert' session on 5 September 1-4pm to find out more ways we can do something amazing for nature. More information here

For information about other Architecture Centre events, please visit:
http://architecturecentre.co.uk/events

Visit City Ideas Studio: Nature - 15 July to 13 September

Architecture for a Green Capital: Beyond the environmental handbook

Last week, Peter Clegg, founding partner of FCB Studios and part of the design team behind the new Bristol Arena, gave his keynote lecture - Architecture for a Green Capital: Beyond the environmental handbook.

Presenting lessons learnt from a three-decade pursuit of new environmental approaches to architecture - from self-built experiments in passive solar design at the domestic scale in the 1980s to the increasingly complex social and political issues that shape our contemporary cities - Clegg set out his definition of Architecture for a Green Capital that will help shape the agenda for the City Ideas Studio programme,

Listen to the audio recording of this lecture here.

This event was part of Bristol's Big Green Week, with hexagonal planters made by Bee Bristol, one of which is now outside the front door of the Architecture Centre. Bee Bristol will be featured in the Nature element of the studio too.

For information about upcoming City Ideas Studio events, visit:
http://architecturecentre.co.uk/events

Event: Urban Wanderings - Green Routes

Last week saw Green Routes, an Urban Wandering walk, wend its way from Brunel's Mile to Temple Meads. Led by urban design and conservation specialist Alastair Brook, the walk touched on the five Bristol Green Capital themes (Food, Nature, Resources, Energy and Transport) to explore ideas and projects en route that are working to make Bristol a happier, healthier, better connected and more resourceful city.

Pop-up speakers included Melissa Mean of Redcliffe Forum, who discussed plans for Redcliffe Way; and Claire Raikes from Incredible Edible Bristol, introducing their Urban Growing trail from Temple Meads to Millennium Square. The walk took in the planting beds at Chatterton’s House – two vegetable, one for pollinators - and later looked at the new bed just installed at 100 Temple St (Bristol City Council offices).

This walk was part of Bristol's BIG Green Week.

For information about other Architecture Centre events, please visit: 

http://architecturecentre.co.uk/events

Event Reminder: Urban Wanderings - Green Routes

Guided walk: Wednesday 17 June 2015, 18:00, £6/£4

Meeting place given at time of booking: 0117 922 1540

Urban design and conservation specialist Alistar Brook guides this walk from Brunel's Mile to Temple Meads, using the five Bristol Green Capital themes (Food, Nature, Resources, Energy and Transport) to explore ideas and projects en route that are working to make Bristol a happier, helathier, better connected and more resourceful city.

Pop-up speakers for this event include Melissa Mean (Redcliffe Forum) talking about plans for Redcliffe Way and Claire Raikes from Incredible Edible Bristol talking about that project, food sovereignty and their Urban Growing Trail which runs from Millennium Square to Bristol Temple Meads. 

The walk will last up to 90 minutes. The walk passes over some uneven. Please wear suitable footwear and clothing.

This event is part of BIG Green Week, as is the City Ideas Studio keynote lecture on Tuesday 16 June - find out more and book now.

Join Grow Bristol on Thursday 11 June for the launch of the Urban Growing Trail

Incredible Edible Bristol, Grow Bristol and Bee The Change are collaborating on an exciting project that is bringing food growing to the centre of the city. You will see a trail of food growing spaces springing up as you walk from Platform 3 at Temple Meads past the council offices at 100 Temple Street and along Redcliffe Way to Millennium Square. Its aim is to inspire and educate – showing that food growing can be, and is, relevant in the urban landscape, as well as to provide free food for people and pollinators. Take a look at the most recent #UrbanFoodTrail Map above (which will be updated as more gardens appear) and find out what’s planted where and when to harvest.

June 11th: Urban Growing Trail Opening 

At Engine Shed, from 2-5pm, Incredible Edible Bristol and Grow Bristol, collaborating partners on the Urban Growing Trail, will be holding an afternoon where you're invited to come along and see the Grow Bristol aquaponics pod as well as see some of the Urban Growing Trail gardens. 

The team looks forward to seeing you and talking to you about the trail, how it came about as well as their hopes for how it will progress into the future and help both communities and businesses engage with urban food production as we move forwards as a city.