Saltholm - Swallowed by the Sound - Ludvig Bratt + Calum Mitchell

REBIRTH ‘The ruin is never the final state of architecture but an intermediate of a larger cycle’. The skin of the body is commonly compared to the façade of a building. Is the surface of an island the same as a façade: When you can no longer see it, does that mean it no longer exists?

W h a t h a p p e n s t o a n i s l a n d w h e n i t g o e s u n d e r w a t e r, p h y s i c a l l y and how it is perceived? This phase is theoretical and divided into two investigations; natural processes and the human perception.

The European Environment Agency (2017) note that global s e a r i s e w i l l b e a r o u n d 2 - 3 m m p e r y e a r, a n d E u r o p e a n c o a s t l i n e s a r e following this trend. Natural processes gives thought to how plants adapt to new settings, what survives and what dies?

N AT U R A L P R O C E S S E S P l a n t s h a v e t h e a b i l i t y, w i t h t h e a i d o f s u n s h i n e , t o c o n v e r t c a r b o n dioxide into energy-rich plant material, so the presence of plants can be decisive for the condition of other sea life. In the sound there are both flowering plants that are fixed with a root and algae which m o v e s f r e e l y. I n t h e s o u t h o f t h e S o u n d n e a r S a l t h o l m t h e r e i s a h i g h presence of flowering plants which we believe will increase with the new ‘reef’. Around Saltholm both Sea Grass and Pondweed would f l o u r i s h b e c a u s e o f t h e l e s s s a l t y w a t e r. I n r e c e n t y e a r s t h e a m o u n t of Eelgrass in the sound has also been decreasing apart from on the west side of Saltholm where it has been increasing (Øresundsvandet, n.d). According to these findings we believe that plant life would f l o u r i s h o n t h e r e e f , t h u s m e a n i n g t h e a n i m a l s w o u l d f o l l o w.

Saltholm is already a permanent site for seals. During the construction o f t h e Ø r e s u n d b r i d g e c o m m o n s e a l s w e r e s i g h t e d r e g u l a r l y, n o r m a l l y between 10 and 20 seals were spotted but sometimes up to 40. It is also possible to see ‘grey’ seals here. Seals eat a selection of fish species and are also skilled at adapting to new species. This is good news for Saltholm ‘reef’.

The waters around Saltholm are important foraging areas for water fowl, snails, mussels, snakes, crustaceans and fish in huge numbers meaning there is already a healthy submarine life which is only set to improve with a larger reef.

On the other hand there could be a problem with contamination in the sound due to the level of bird faeces on the island and the ‘pollution’ i n t h e q u a r r y. T h e c u r r e n t k n o w l e d g e o f e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y h a z a r d o u s substances in the sound is limited (Øresundsvandet, no date).

HUMAN PERCEPTION When an object change its shape its location something happens to it physically but also how we as people perceive it. In this part we have ‘interviewed’ different people with different occupations and different connections to the place such as: the landscape architect, t h e b u i l d i n g a r c h i t e c t , t h e p h i l o s o p h e r, t h e w r i t e r a n d t h e ‘ r e s i d e n t ’ . and ask them: what happens to a place rich in cultural heritage and unique in nature when it is faced with the threat of disappearance?

Yo u c a n f i n d t h e a n s w e r s o n t h e n e x t p a g e s .

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