Urbanism and Landscape - 5th Studio

How We Work5th Studio’s design approach allies conceptualclarity with practical ‘making’ skills – and isunderpinned by a series of principles which informthe way we design and deliver projects.Start with what existsOur work places a fundamental emphasis onengaging with the particularities of its site - and onidentifying latent qualities and possibilities within thatcontext as the foundation for our design proposals.This approach underpins, on the one hand, ourinterest and track record in working sensitivelyand imaginatively with existing buildings andhistoric fabric. On the other hand, it establishes thecloseness of observation that allows us to identifyradical possibilities within any project.Thinking across scalesOur thinking within any single project benefits fromour experience in working and thinking across abroad spectrum of scales and across a range ofdisciplines. We are interested, for example, in thepossibility for a larger-scale landscape idea tofundamentally influence an architectural proposal,and vice versa.This approach provides the source of innovationon many of our projects, and frames ongoing criticaldialogue within our two studios as projects progress.Proposals for a new access route to the Grand UnionCanal – as part of the Public Realm Strategy for ParkRoyal – build upon the presence of an existing staircaseand footbridge. Applied signage combines with modestlandscaping work to transform the usefulness and value ofwhat already exists.The Lea River Park Fatwalk will make a continuousroute between the Olympic Park and the Thames.We are interested in the way the making of specificphysical interventions, such as the A13 ‘Connector’ –threaded through an existing bridge – can heightenthe experience of this larger topography.