How to build an activist base on the Airplot - we need your ideas!

Posted by jamie — 28 January 2010 at 11:59am - Comments

Update April 23: The deadline for this competition has now passed. No further entries are being accepted.

Exhibition: Come and see the Heathrow Contest entries »

Ever since we bought our piece of land on the site of the proposed third runway at Heathrow, we've been receiving suggestions for what to do with it. We've already sunk our roots into it by establishing an allotment and planting an orchard, but now we want to go one step further and for that we want to get your ideas. Watch the video above for more details, and read on for the full lowdown on how to enter the competition.

We want to see how we could fortify the Airplot so that, if the police and the bulldozers come to turf us out, we'll be able to physically block the construction of a new runway. Hopefully it will never come to that, because there's no way a new government can continue to support the runway plans, but we want to be prepared.

So we're running not one but two competitions. One is for architects, landscape architects and architecture students to come up with some practical solutions for how we can defend the land, and the other is open to everyone to let their imaginations off the leash. We want to make sure we get the best ideas out there so whether it's a tower, a tunnel or a bouncy castle, get sketching.

Creativity and brilliant ideas are more important than artistic or technical brilliance so even if you're not Frank Lloyd Wright or Frank Gehry, if you have any inspiration get it down on paper.

As if helping to protect the land wasn't enough (and you'd be doing that on behalf of the 65,000+ beneficial owners), the best entries from the public competition will be showcased alongside the architectural designs at an exhibition in London later in the year. We'll bring one overall winner to the exhibition to see their design on display and one of the apple trees in the Airplot orchard will also be dedicated in their honour.

Find out how to enter (you should also check out the full rules), and get a feel for the Airplot with a 360˚ panorama.

Thinking caps on!


Join the plot
If you're not already a beneficial owner of the Airplot, sign up now and help us build a future, not a runway.

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@greedpeace, I don't follow your logic, I'm afraid. How can the same number of planes serve more destinations at the same time?

In any case, the third runway business case (such as it is) is not about making the aviation industry more efficient, but to massively increase capacity - increasing flight numbers by up to 70 per cent operating at full stretch.

And a new airport would not be a suitable alternative. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

web editor
gpuk

That's an excellent suggestion, but we're looking for something to help us remain on the land if and when construction of the third runway starts. Once the runway has been stopped completely, the land could be used for anything at all but until then we need to use it to block expansion at Heathrow.

web editor
gpuk

@greedpeace, I don't follow your logic, I'm afraid. How can the same number of planes serve more destinations at the same time? In any case, the third runway business case (such as it is) is not about making the aviation industry more efficient, but to massively increase capacity - increasing flight numbers by up to 70 per cent operating at full stretch. And a new airport would not be a suitable alternative. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. web editor gpuk

That's an excellent suggestion, but we're looking for something to help us remain on the land if and when construction of the third runway starts. Once the runway has been stopped completely, the land could be used for anything at all but until then we need to use it to block expansion at Heathrow. web editor gpuk

About Jamie

I'm a forests campaigner working mainly on Indonesia. My personal mumblings can be found @shrinkydinky.

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