!

Design Cover Sheet

Title of Design Dates of Design Design Brief
Brook Farm Animal Sanctuary 26 29 February 2013

Brook Farm Animal Sanctuary is a 10-acre sanctuary for rescued farm and domestic animals in Northamptonshire. The original driver of the design was that the sanctuary had received a grant from the Woodland Trust for 400 trees and they were seeking advice as to where would be best to place them. Being a long-term friend/contact in the animal liberation movement, I offered my support in solidarity and visited the sanctuary in February 2013 for three days to undertake an intensive design process. It was clear that the site had to be assessed holistically before making suggestions and so I aimed to support the sanctuary with a basic design and recommendations. The desired yields were to know where to plant the trees, increase biodiversity, and help with water movement and soil erosion on the site. However the design process yielded more than this, exceeding the clients and my own expectations.

How this design meets the Assessment Criteria: Demonstrating Design Skills Overview of Design Process
Survey Undertook pre-site research online, looking at their website and local data e.g. climate data Had a two hour site tour, followed by a full day of surveying Undertook an evening of client interviews and many more conversations over the three days Drew base map & researched background site information Analysis Applied permaculture analysis tools (see Design tools & techniques used). Design Prepared concept plan & presented to clients on the morning of day three Spent the remainder of day three preparing the final design report and folder of resources after listening to client feedback Implementation Delivered design report with appendices of useful information & resources Evaluation Had several texts and emails since about tree planting and thanks Evaluated my own design process

Use of Permaculture Ethics, Principles & Theory

See final design report. In summary: Observe & Interact site survey, research, design questionnaire, client observations Catch & Store energy rainwater harvesting, composting systems including for dog waste, soil building, perennials & trees for biomass Obtain a Yield Safety, food and shelter for animals. Vegan awareness. Water capture. Low maintenance edible flowers, perennials and very select salad crops. Medicinal and culinary herbs. Fruit bushes. Orchard. Willow & hazel coppice for small-scale firewood production. Personal yields for volunteers and visitors. Apply self regulation & accept feedback monitoring for long term trends, low

!
maintenance spaces Use & value renewable resources & services water butts, planting plans for bees & beneficial insects, reclaimed building materials, soil care and protection. Optimising use of animal manure and outputs in system. Produce no waste compost system re-designed, reclaimed materials Design from patterns to details sector analysis, rotational grazing, water movement Integrate rather than segregate areas linked with paths & waste systems Use small & slow solutions Feasible, long-term implementation plan Use & value diversity diverse plant species and families, succession planting & season coverage, diverse habitats and functions for land Use edges & value the marginal optimising field boundaries to create habitat, ponds with optimum edge, planting along edges and paths for erosion control & fodder Creatively use & respond to change implementation plan, feedback from client & reassurance that everything changes, greater resilience for climate change Earth care encouragement of organic, permaculture, approaches, compost systems, increased self-reliance, increased perennial plantings, welfare of animals, vegan awareness, optimising recycled materials, soil building & habitat creation People care designing to meet client needs, save time & energy and reduce burnout, optimum nutrition, designing for low maintenance & safe space Fair shares optimising land use/small scale intensive systems, creating community connections Sector analysis Zone analysis David Holmgrens Principles Functional analysis Spirals of erosion Inputs/outputs analysis

Ethics

Design Tools & Techniques Used

How this design meets the Assessment Criteria: Learning from, and developing your permaculture practice Effectiveness of Design & Design Outcomes
Initial outcomes for client: New vision for regenerative land use that could support more animals in the long run Increased awareness & understanding of permaculture design process Energy savings by plugging spirals of erosion e.g. paddock erosion, money Personal & professional outcomes for myself: Increased confidence in consultancy process especially in such an intensive period Relationships strengthened Feeling of usefulness in being able to serve the animal liberation movement through design Design addition to portfolio Increased awareness of time investment in consultancy work Greater understanding of ecological roles and needs of animals

Evaluation Summary

What went well: Design process: my restricted time period meant that I had to ruthlessly prioritise the design tools I used and I felt these served me well, generating a design that the client appreciated and was wowed by that will hopefully continue to be

!
implemented. Client relationship: Everyone at Brook Farm Animal Sanctuary were friendly, helpful and fully supportive of the design process. Animal based systems: It was enjoyable and empowering to apply some of the knowledge I had gained about animals and their role in systems through the last 4 years, knowing that animals were not being farmed or killed. What I would have done differently: The design process was extremely intense, with two very late nights and early starts. In future I would have given myself at least 4 days or ensured more research being done previously, especially in terms of mapping. Annotated my site survey notes better so they were clearer beyond the design work period.

Costings Summary
I did not charge for this design work. It cost me approximately 41.70 for train travel, however this was likely offset through meals and hospitality during my stay. In terms of my time: Tuesday 26th Arrive 1.20, start tour 2.15-4.15pm. Evening spent drawing maps for site survey and undertaking design questionnaire. Wednesday 27th Surveying & observing the site 08:30am 4pm. Concept design thinking & further research until approximately 2.30am! Thursday 28th Design preparation, 8-10am. Design presentation to clients 10am, 11-2pm final design work & resources preparation. Additional emails approximately 30mins.

Learning Pathway Reflections

This design project was empowering because it gave me an opportunity to undertake a design project in a very refined timeline e.g. 3 days! It was really nice working for such an amazing project, with such congruent ethics and passion for animal liberation. I felt very empowering to be of use to the sanctuary, feeling like the investment in my own learning in prison and beyond could be of service. This project gave me the opportunity to utilise my knowledge of animals and their ecological relationships. This design has increased my confidence that I can be of service as a designer.

How this design meets the Assessment Criteria: Applying permaculture in your own life
Increased confidence in developing consultancy practice as right livelihood Opportunity to gain experience in designing for sanctuaries, which could be applied to others around the UK or more locally to myself. Personal empowerment as a permaculture practitioner.

How this design meets the Assessment Criteria: Applying permaculture to your work and projects
Assessment categories engaged with through this design: Design Consultancy as evidenced by design documentation, this design was for a clear client, the Brook Farm Animal Sanctuary. Art, Media, Culture and Communications this design has been disseminated via my website, uploaded to the Permaculture Association website and shared with apprentice-peers at events.

! !