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

Knitiffi: Makers of the knitted fruit and veg in the City Ideas Studio

Want to know more about the knitted fruit and veg that features in the City Ideas Studio: Food?



Knitiffi is a collective of knit artists, including both service users and staff and friends of Milestones Trust.

The Knitiffi project is developed and facilitated by artist Ali Brown: “We create large scale knitted installations, usually based around the concept of knit graffiti. Our mission is to make the world a brighter, happier place; to highlight our immediate surroundings by animating the inanimate. Through ‘chance’ encounters with our installations we hope to provoke reactions to alter peoples’ perspectives on everyday objects."

Read about the latest Knitiffi projects on their blog, and look out for their yarn insects in the next element of the City Ideas Studio - Nature (15 July - September 2015).

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.