— MArch Architectural Research —
FARM ATLAS
Understanding the Sites
Hall Farm: (Old Site)
INSERT LOCATION MAP — Regional spatial boundary, topological layers, and hydrological survey of Sonning Farm. Space reserved for site context, detailed map legends, and GIS data sources.
INSERT SITE PHOTOGRAPH — Ground-level architectural documentation of primary farm infrastructure and research plots. Space reserved for physical site descriptions, image captions, and photography credits.
Tanner Farm: (New Site)
INSERT LOCATION MAP — Regional spatial boundary, topological layers, and hydrological survey of Sonning Farm. Space reserved for site context, detailed map legends, and GIS data sources.
INSERT SITE PHOTOGRAPH — Ground-level architectural documentation of primary farm infrastructure and research plots. Space reserved for physical site descriptions, image captions, and photography credits.
Sonning Farm
INSERT LOCATION MAP — Regional spatial boundary, topological layers, and hydrological survey of Sonning Farm. Space reserved for site context, detailed map legends, and GIS data sources.
INSERT SITE PHOTOGRAPH — Ground-level architectural documentation of primary farm infrastructure and research plots. Space reserved for physical site descriptions, image captions, and photography credits.
Exploring Key Themes
Systematic architectural investigations structured across seven primary physical, ecological, and operational axes.
Site Context & History
Buildings & Infrastructure
Landscape & Ecology
Territorial geography, historic boundaries, parish evolution, and regional planning policy shaping Sonning Farm over two centuries.
Architectural surveys, structural typologies, material life-cycles, and spatial capacity analysis of research barns and dairy facilities.
Hedgerow corridors, soil composition transects, field biodiversity surveys, and habitat connectivity across the Thames floodplains.
Hydrology & Climate
Agriculture & Operations
People & Stakeholders
Architectural Precedents
Water catchment paths, groundwater dynamics, microclimate monitoring, and seasonal risk modeling.
Crop rotation cycles, livestock movement networks, agronomy trial schedules, and research logistics.
Academic researcher workflows, farm staff protocols, community access routes, and public engagement.
Comparative case studies of international agricultural institutes, field stations, and rural research facilities.
Mapping and Analysis
Thematic Chapters
Six primary investigation modules forming the backbone of the spatial atlas. Each chapter expands into an in-depth repository of drawings, data, and fieldwork.
Site & Territory
Buildings & Infrastructure
Landscape & Ecology
Territorial boundaries, historical land acquisition, regional connectivity, and urban-rural edge dynamics surrounding the Sonning campus.
Architectural survey of agricultural barns, research laboratories, access roads, energy grids, and structural adaptations over time.
Soil profiles, hedgerow habitats, biodiversity corridors, and ecological succession across active agricultural fields and trial plots.
Hydrology & Climate
Agriculture & Operations
People & Precedents
Thames floodplain interactions, surface runoff paths, microclimate monitoring, and seasonal precipitation impact assessment.
Operational workflows, crop rotation calendars, livestock movement, research protocols, and agricultural machinery circulation.
Social networks of researchers and farmers, historical case studies, architectural precedents, and future community engagement model.
Analytical Material
Editorial collection of verified maps, structural axonometrics, field charts, annotated photographs, and environmental sensor logs with full academic attribution.
Archive Metadata Standard: Title | Caption | Contributor (MArch 2026/27) | Field Date | Data Source. High-resolution vector assets available for download via university repository.
Research Frame
Research Questions
Methodology
Project Aims
PENDING GROUP INPUT — Primary academic inquiry into how architectural design can mediate between automated precision farming and ecological land stewardship across research landscapes.
PENDING GROUP INPUT — Analytical mapping protocols, drone photogrammetry, archival land records, and direct physical survey of farm operations and building infrastructure.
PENDING GROUP INPUT — Collaborative proposals for adaptive architectural interventions, research facility retrofits, and sustainable agricultural futures for the University of Reading.
Methodology & Provenance
Research methodologies integrate direct spatial surveying, archival research, drone photogrammetry, and stakeholder interviews. Field observations are cross-referenced with regional soil maps and historical climate records to establish environmental baselines.
Data verification distinguishes empirical field measurements from speculative design hypotheses. All spatial datasets maintain clear provenance records to support ongoing postgraduate student contributions and monograph revisions.
Cross-theme relational analysis tracing ecological feedback loops between hydrology, agricultural machinery paths, and built infrastructure at Sonning Farm.
[RESERVED FOR GROUP INPUT] Open collaborative matrix mapping hypotheses versus empirical field measurements for multi-author MArch research integration.
PROTOTYPING FARMS Archive
Collaborative research publication by University of Reading MArch Architecture 2026/27. All diagrams, maps, and field surveys pending group input and peer review. Sources and credits archived.