Digitally Assisted Co-design
Designing and Leading a Spatial Co-Design Workshops for East London Waterworks Park
Skills I used
Facilitation
Workshop Design
3D modeling
This summer, I worked full-time for East London Waterworks Park, a project aiming to turn an abandoned Thames Water Station into a beautiful park with a natural swimming pond, unique of its kind in the area. ​It is urgently needed in the Lea Valley, where many currently bathe in the hazardous, poor-quality water of the River Lea.​​​
A swimming space can take many forms and meet diverse needs. While we know there is demand for swimming ponds, preferences will vary: some may want expansive open areas, while others may prefer secluded spots for more privacy. To capture the community's vision for the swimming ponds, we decided to organise a co-design workshop.
A workshop not like the others!
To improve:
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- engagement during the workshop
- spatial immersion in the park
- understanding of scale
- testing and iterating
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I created a 3D model of the park for each of the 3 groups participating and updated it in real time according to the ideas suggested.
Live editing of the models: adding reeds to the ponds!
Click on the videos below to immerse yourself in our participants’ three different designs!
The 3 main aims for the workshops were
- Understanding the challenges in designing swimming ponds that meet the community’s needs.
- Deciding on the placement of the reed beds, which need to cover 65 per cent of the swimming space to ensure the water is clean enough to swim in.
- Creating a visual representation of the swimming ponds, beaches, and surroundings to illustrate design solutions that address the challenges and needs.
Outcome
This co-design workshop successfully fostered a shared vision for the park. Participants converged on a similar reed bed planting design, assigning the ‘family pond’ – which should be visible from the cafe – to families with children. Other agreed priorities included ensuring that swimmers enjoy a pleasant view of the meadow and surrounding nature, and incorporating accessibility features unobtrusively.