FRLA has been working with the Royal Horticultural Society to better understand how their visitors use their RHS Wisley garden. We devised a survey methodology that comprises of entry and exit interviews that are linked to spatial data from GPS (Global Positioning Systems) that the visitors carry with them during their time in the garden. This rich data set is providing a wealth of previously unknown information about the visitors, which is being used to […]
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Guide to Botanic Garden Creation
Just released – “Botanic Garden Creation: From Idea to Realisation” is a booklet by James Furse-Roberts that looks at the process of master-planning for botanical gardens. It is available free from here as a pdf or as a hard copy upon request. A lot of the topics and the approach discussed in this document are also relevant to the master-planning of other natural heritage attractions.
Read MoreGoogle Correlate Botanic Garden Visitor Patterns
Using Google Correlate data for the search term ‘botanic garden’, or native tongue equivalent, the charts below were created showing the percentage difference in monthly search frequency. If the frequency of searches is directly related to the frequency of botanic garden visits, the patterns in these charts should reflect the visitor number patterns experienced by botanic gardens in these countries.
Read MoreSpace Use Analysis
At FRLA, we have always believed that, for us to be able to be able to create successful designs, it is necessary for us to fully understand how people use spaces and places. As part of our continued learning, we have recently been developing our own methods for tracking and analysing visitor use. Using combinations of GPS tracking, video, visitor surveys and GIS analysis, we can collect detailed data on how people move within a […]
Read MoreNatural Heritage Visitor Centre Report
At the start of 2012, FRLA carried out a survey of the UK’s natural heritage visitor centres to determine, among other things, how satisfied visitor centre managers were with their buildings. A number of intriguing things that come out of this but probably the most interesting is that a number of managers aren’t happy with their centres and it would appear that the method used to procure the architectural services has an effect on the […]
Read MoreNarrative Landscapes
February 2012 – “Museum Making: Narratives, Architectures, Exhibitions (Museum Meanings)” has now been published by Routledge and is available directly from them or, of course, via Amazon. Resulting from the Narrative Space conference, hosted by the University of Leicester in 2010, which attracted speakers from a number of diverse disciplines with the aim of exploring the role of narrative within the context of museums and interpretation, this book explores the same themes. Having spoken at […]
Read MoreNatural Visitor Centre Survey
In February 2012, FRLA is undertook a survey of the UK’s natural heritage visitor centres. Often run by not-for-profit organisations, the visitor centre building represents the largest single investment these organisations will make. However, despite the scale of investment and the importance of the design of these buildings to the successful running of the organisation, little work has been done to assess how well existing visitor centre buildings function. This survey aims to address this. […]
Read MoreQR Codes in Visitor Attractions
QR Codes are a type of bar-code that stores information in two dimensions. This gives them a greater capacity for storing data, which can take the form of text and numbers or even a web-address. With the increase in smart-phone ownership and the availability of apps that allow the phone’s camera to scan and extract information from these codes, they are becoming increasingly incorporated in to marketing campaigns, shopping experiences and even television programs. The […]
Read MoreAbout us in Chinese
FRLA Ltd是在阐释、生态学和景观建筑的原则上创立的一家设计公司。我们专门向游客中心、动物园、植物园和文化遗产博物馆等自然遗产旅游点提供总体规划、阐释和景观设计服务。 在我们采取的项目方法中,总是要针对栖息地的运行方式(对于野外项目)、人们与空间的互动方式和该空间表达一个故事和一种信息的潜力,加入我们自己的理解。这样,我们就能够营造一种快乐、富有教育意义、具有财务可持续性和生态上可行的游客体验。在以室内服务的形式提供策略规划、阐释和游客交流的元素方面,FRLA在景观设计机构中别具一格。这种组合的优势就是,我们能够将总体规划与详细设计有机统一起来,最好地满足客户、游客和野生动物的需要。 公司概况 总监
Read MoreBotanic Garden Infographic
June 28 – Using data from a number of sources, including Botanic Garden Conservation International’s (BGCI) online database of gardens, we have put together the following info-graphic to explore trends in botanic garden creation and location. This exercise highlights two interesting points. Firstly, there is an uneven distribution of botanic gardens with Africa, Asia and South America having far fewer per head of population than the other continents. Secondly, the stacked bar-chart would appear to […]
Read MoreGloucester City Botanic Garden
June 11 – Unlike many of the UK’s cities, Gloucester doesn’t have a botanical garden. Faced with the challenge of correcting this with an almost non-existent budget, FRLA decided to maximise the city’s existing resources. Effectively, Gloucester already has a diverse collection of native and non-native plants growing throughout in odd corners and on the derelict sites awaiting development. The ‘Gloucester City Botanic Garden’ project imagined the whole city as a plant collection awaiting interpretation. […]
Read MorePlantnetto
May 19 – Here’s a quick bit of interpretation that FRLA did as part of a marketing campaign. We use plants constantly and sometimes it’s fascinating to sit back and think about which plants have been used in an everyday object and where they have come from. With the recent warm weather our thoughts have been turning to ice-cream.
Read MoreBotanic Garden Competition (II)
May 13 – For those of you that have been following the Botanic Garden Competition that FRLA ran earlier this year, I thought I would update you. You may recall that it was won by a joint submission from two botanic gardens that wanted a garden designing for each that helped them tell the stories of the anti-malarial plants that occur in both countries. FRLA’s initial thoughts revolved around building identical gardens in each country, […]
Read MoreBarefoot Paths
March 28 – I’ve just returned from a business trip to the Netherlands where my client introduced me to the concept of Barefoot Paths. I hadn’t come across these before but must say that I love the idea. For those of you who aren’t familiar with these, if you hadn’t guessed already, they are paths designed with the specific aim that you shed your footwear and walk them barefoot. As you progress along the route […]
Read MoreMaking an Entrance
Making an Entrance It is true that the shortest route between two points is a straight line and that straight lines seldom occur in nature. It is also true that something magical seems to happen when we create a straight path; even more so when this path is flanked with rhythmically spaced trees or rocks. The resulting avenue makes a strong statement about its creators’ command of the landscape. It also embodies the locations at […]
Read MoreBotanic Garden Competition
February 14 – Earlier this year, we ran a competition for botanic gardens and arboretums with a prize of £5,000 worth of our services. To enter, all gardens had to do was tell us about the project they would like us to work on or the problem they would like us to help solve. This resulted in interest from gardens all around the world. After a great deal of deliberation, we are delighted to announce […]
Read MoreArchitect of the Year Awards
November 5 – Yesterday, I was in London for the Architect of the Year Awards where my design for a Sustainable Education Pavilion was announced as winner of the BD/Dyson Airblade Washroom of the Future competition. Dyson teamed up with BD Magazine to run this competition. There was a reasonably open brief but essentially they were looking for a radically different and creative designs for washroom facilities that were also practical, environmental and featured a […]
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