"Allegories of Growth, Decay and Decomposition // MLA Landscape Architecture / Bartlett, UCL

Studio 06:

“Towards and Against New Landscapes of the Nuclear”: Tutors: M.Butcher & T.K.Dang

“ALLEGORIES OF GROWTH, DECAY AND DECOMPOSITION” Dafni Filippa MLA Y2 / Term 1

Studio 06:

“Towards and Against New Landscapes of the Nuclear”

“ALLEGORIES OF GROWTH, DECAY AND DECOMPOSITION”

Module BARC0112:

Landscape Design 01

Dafni Filippa MLA Y2

Student Number: 20147678

Landscape Architecture MLA, 2021-22 The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL London, UK

Directors: Laura Allen Mark Smout

Design Tutors: Matthew Butcher Tiffany Kaewen Dang

WATER CONTACT

DECOMPOSITION

DECAY

GROWTH

HABITAT I N I T I AT I O N

GEO-GRIDS/TEXTILLES

ABSTRACT The narrative of the project deals with developing territories that provoke the socio-political scene as built-allegories occuring under the influence of the climatic emergency.

Through biological, material and chemical lifecycles the proposed landscapes shift between phases of decay, decomposition and growth within their physical nature as they respond to the external properties of the environment.

Water covers more than 71% of our planet’s surface, making it one of the most significant and active mediators to design, control, sustain and alter landscapes. Focusing on smaller-scale riparian and coastal territories the project deploys the presence of tidal fluctuations to instigate multi-scale lifecycles which initiate the birth and restoration of salt marsh habitats.

In order to stage parallel landscape lifecyles the tectonic has to be inherent to the hierarchies of decaying properties which engange with the ground texture, climatic moisture, tidal levels and growing vegetation species. This configuration is researched in the project by providing temporary earthen support in the form of “geogrids” or “geotextilles” which will eventually be decomposited over time. Their complete dissolution will mark the initiation and habitat expansion of organic growth.

Critically highlighting the long term effects of intense industrial use such as Nuclear Power production, in two short design tasks the landscape is reimagined as an allegorical territory carrying dynamic cycles of “decaying” tectonic in forms of tidal sand erosion, deposition and material decomposition. The hetereogeneous assemblies simulate surface expansion, landcover and natural habitat restoration as soon as they dissolve after their long term contact with water.

decay

allegories

growth

decomposition

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index

/Planetary Chemical Economy

/ Part 1: Territorial Background Research

/ Part 2: Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change

p.48

Nuclear Economy /

p.52

Current Energy Schemes /

p.54

Climate Emergency /

p.56

Sizewell A,B & C /

p.59

Coastal Decay /

p.66

Design Concept /

p.71

Design Proposal: Phasing /

p.10

/ Post-Industrial Activity

p.12

/ Geochemical Assesment

p.14

/ Territorial Conditions

p.18

/ Site Recording

p.22

/ Site Performance

p.26

/ Design Process

p.28

/ Design Testing

p.32

/ Design Proposal: Decay

p.36

/ Design Proposal: Decomposition

p.38

/ Design Proposal: Growth

p.40

/ Part 3: Towards and Against A New Landscape of the Nuclear

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Part 01 / Territorial Background Research

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01. Territorial Background Research / Planetary Chemical Economy

United Kingdom

Nuclear Power Stations Active

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Nuclear Power Stations Shut Down

Nuclear Power Stations PLanned

Nuclear Power Stations In Decommissioning

The world chemical pollution from the industrial sectors forms its own spatial economy within the territorial framework of water and landcover. The discharged pollutants impact the atmospheric and air quality, affecting the soil, water causing widespread environmental degradation. Industrial activities directly linked to these impacts are the burning of coal, fossil fuels, extensive use of chemical solvents, untreated gas and liquids being released into the environement and the improper disposal of radioactive waste. / Chemical economy of environmental contaminants.

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01. Territorial Background Research / Past Industrial Activity

The tidal river Thames is an exemplar urban catchment affected by terrestrial, atmospheric and fluvial transported chemical compounds such as heavy trave metals deriving from the city’s long industrial historic activity between 1950 and 1970. These metal concentration varies from low, mid core or high profile near the surface of the river’s sediments. From the 1980’s a significant decrease on heavy metal concentration and use was marked as a consequence of rigorous environmental legislations, imporved fluvial treatment procedures and river management. Despite this drastic fall of the chemical estuarine and river pollution, sedimentary deposits in forms of formed islets still record a high toxicity beneath their surface retaining significant pollution and accumulated matter of London’s past industrial activity. This is due to the particle spatial distribution, contaminent behaviour which coats clay and fine silt deposits, as well as the proximity to other historically industrial and municipal discharge points.

The current estimated projcetions on global-sea level rise affecting the North Sea and therefore the tidal fluctuation rates of the Thames, indicate an alarming rate of future flooding along the river course in central London. Territories which will be submerged from increased tidal activity, will have a sognificant impact on river pollution levels as flooding will mobilise the buried legacy contamination to gradually erode and decay from the land into the river.

PCB 0

Heavy Metals

Toxicity

2018

1990

1990

10

1980

20 1980

30 1970 1960

1960

40 1950

One of the downstream medieval mud islets of the Thames “Chiswick Ait”, setadily accumulated higher polluted sediments than other foreshore or channel counterparts, acting like a sink for organic contaminants such as arsenic, nickel, copper, chromium, zinc and cadmium which have been burried since the peak of the city’s industrial trace history over about 80 years since the 50’s.

1950

50 (m)

1940

1940

/ Thames sedimentary pollution.

(Source: author’s own.)

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High Tides

/ London 1950’s, industrial activity.

(Source: Getty Images.)

Discharge Points

ick

it

A

isw Ch

/ Great Smog of London 1952.

(Source: Getty Images.)

Thames River

+/ Chiswick Ait, heavy trace metal discharge points into the Thames.

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/ Battersee Power Station by the Thames.

(Source: VintageImages.)

/ Sea level rise, flood risk zones.

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01. Territorial Background Research /Geochemical Assesment

Recent studies conducted from the British Geological Survey collected sediment from the River Thames, uncovering high resolution of heavy trace metal pollution such as concentrations of arsenic, nickel, chromium, cadmium, copper and zinc. The accelerating global climate change has led to more frequent episodes of heavy rain, storm surges and tidal flooding release these harmful contaminant from the ground where they were long burried into the water. Land which was historically above the annual flood level has been also gradually eroding along the course of the river and transformed into tidal mud islands containing traces of historic industrial pollution into its sedimentary deposits.

High levels of individual metals were acutely toxic to Thames biota which is a rich inter-tidal environment from liquid mudflats, sand, gravel, stony shores and hard substrates of rock and clay. The contamination of the sedimentary particles will lead to a future decrease in species biodiversity as well as to toxic levels of the water quality for both terrestrial and aquatic inhabitants. / Heavy trace metal polution, Thames river.

(Source: British Geological Survey©UKRI.)

/ Sampling tests in various locations.

/ Sedimentary contaminants .

(Source: Christopher H. Vane et al.)

(Source: Christopher H. Vane et al.)

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Upper Mid

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Lower Mid

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/ Thames sediment testing locations.

/Copper contaminant concentrations.

(Territorial Scale)

/ Zinc contaminant concentrations.

(Territorial Scale)

/Nickel contaminant concentrations.

(Territorial Scale)

/ Chromium contaminant concentrations.

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Part 02 / Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change /Territorial Conditions

The increased tidal flow which consequently floods large volumes of the Thames riverbank landscapes will carry traces of burried pollutants from locations such as “Chiswick Ait” or other former terrestrial industrial territories. These (marked in red) depending on the the riperian acceleration, flow direction and sediment deposition, will meander with the river course causing gradual environmental degradation affecting plant, human and non-human species.

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Contaminant Discharge Source

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Ai

isw Ch

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Extreme Tidal Current

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/ Wandsworth Park.

Contaminants

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change /Territorial Conditions

Wandworth Park, located on the south bank of the River Thames in Putney, is home to a large biodiversity of tree species, and migratory birds. The intertidal mudlat landscape in front of the park’s embankment uncovers large sections of the Thame’s riverbed in a 6-hour period rate. In 2002 a set of decommisioned barges was permanently parked parallel to the park to compensate for the loss of biodiversity and bird habitat from the Riverside Quarter development. The vessels have planters filled with nectar-rich species to encourage invertebrates which act as food source for many bird species.

In high tide, the water of the Thames covers the riverbed of the river entirely, lifting the barges from the bottom to float on the surface. As a result, the landscape becomes unified while water acts as a homogeneous medium between Park and river.

During low tide, a new landscape reveals itself consisting of vast mudflat environemnts, deposited silt and sediment as well as burried debris of litter travelling with the river’s flow. The floating barges are stranded on the mud, altering the acceleration of sediment movement. A newly shaped landscape reveals itself fluctuating daily, according to the river’s velocity, tidal intensity and current direction.

/ Intertidal site conditions.

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/ Wandsworth Park, mudflat landscape.

(Source: Google Earth.)

Wandsworth Park

/ Wandsworth Borough.

(Source: Edited, Port of London Authority,2015.)

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change /Site Recording

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The site records a high human and non-human acceleration of systems between low and high tide. While the mudflat landscape phases, people inhabit the site to reveal burried debris which have been lost or forgotten in the Thames. / Palimpsest of acceleration.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change /Site Recording

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The barges operate as landscape instruments, indicators of the tidal level position, water volumes, sediment and water acceleration around their footprint as they shape new morphologies on the riverbed.

/ Landscape recording.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change /Site Performance

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/ Spatial intertidal acceleration.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change /Design Process

Sediment particles are accelerated, deposited and eroded depending on the conditions of the river’s tidal level, current intensity and flow direction. In low-tide, the barges, moored on-site, become the designers of a series of subsites, which operate in different velocities as the adjacent riparian landscape.

Tracing the dynamic movement of these particulars with digital twin simulation, reveals the site’s incredible capacity to construct indefinite landscapes which perform in lower velocities and become appropriate territories of diverse habitat and ecosystem initiation. The moment the barges detach themselves from the riverbed as the tide increases the former landscapes decay once more, completing their lifecycle and joining the morphology of their neighbouring territories. / Site recording using Lidar technology.

/ Riparian particle acceleration.

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/ Digital simulation of probable sub-site generation.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change / Design Process

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/ Spatial translation of particle acceleration generated on-site, creation of geogrid morphology.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change /Design Testing

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Using the identified sub-sites as primary ground, the landscape transforms into a riparian instrument of the Thames ecosystem, engaging with travelling debris, particulars, pollution and habitat restoration. / Landscape instrument.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change / Design Testing

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In various testings of creating landscape instruments to engage with the tidal movement, kinetic objects where considered to self-generate a fluctuating movement according to the current’s intensity. These would be attached on the moored barges to mechanically purify the water from arriving contaminants using weak frequency magnets. / Testing of tidal fluctuating movement.

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/ Mechanical instruments.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change /Design Proposal: Decay

The landscape performs as a decaying geogrid, trapping sediment within its structural composition in every tidal cycle. The burried spines of the structure are decayed over a longer period of time and decomposited into the river providing rich nutriants and seeds for growing new riparian habitats. / Geogrid morphology.

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Growing riparian habitat.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change /Design Proposal: Decomposition The geogrid is attached behind the moored barges, following the dynamic flow of the sediment acceleration as identified in previous simulations. As soon as substantial amount of sediment is trapped within its spines, the geogrid starts to submerge into the riverbed accumulating matter within its own composition.

The long exposure of the structure to water, bacteria and fungi which inhabit the riparian mudlfats initiate its gradual degradation and decomposition into the ground. From this act rich nutrients are released and used for new habitat initiation.

The proposed geogrid is composed by a water-based digital fabrication of chitin which exists in enormous quantities in the biosphere.

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/ Geogrid positioning.

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/ Particulars trapped within the spines of the Geogrid.

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/ Chitin Sample, Water-based Digital Fabrication.

(Source: Neri Oxman, 2013.)

Decomposed chitin providing important nitrogens for the plant species

Growing riparian habitat.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change / Design Proposal: Growth

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The final phase of the landscape’s life cycle is the growth of a new habitat composed by a selection of species which act either as “indicators” or “hyperaccumulators”. Indicator species continuously uptake heavy metal concentration into their leaves and roots. The long exposure to high presence of pollutants and heavy trace metals leads to their gradual death. On the contrary, hyperaccumulator species store heavy trace metals into their tissues extracting them from the water through phytoremediation. The identified pollutants are broken down by enzymes found within the plant leaf system purifying the harmful presence of contaminants in the water.

The pollution risk of the River Thames is rising due to the accelerating sea-level rise which leads to frequent flooding of post-industrial landscapes that carry high traces of arsenic, zinc, copper, chromium, cadmium and nickel. / Indicator species include: sage pondweed, horned pondweed, common reed, cordgrass. / Hyperaccumulator species include: needlespikerush, nulrush and sunflowers.

/ Landscape Growth, Phytoremediation.

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+ INDICATOR

HYPERACCUMULATOR

INDICATOR INDICATOR

HYPERACCUMULATOR

TIDAL FLUCTUATION

/ Species life-cycle.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change / Design Proposal: Growth

/ Low Tide: Increased growth state

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/ Mid Tide: Intermed

diate growth state

/ High Tide: Initial growth state

/ Landscape life-cycles.

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02. Landscapes of Dynamic Fluctuation and Change / Design Proposal: Growth

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/ High Tide: Initial growth state

/ Mid Tide: Intermediate growth state

/ Low Tide: Increased growth state

/ Landscape life-cycles.

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Part 03 / Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Nuclear Economy

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Nuclear energy is one of the most controversial power source of the planet. Many countries in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases emissions have switched from burning fossil fuels to other cleaner sources such as nuclear, solar, hydro and biomass for energy production. Currently there are 441 nuclear reactors worldwide from which 8 are active in the United Kingdom.

/ Nuclear power stations in the world.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Nuclear Economy

Active

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Shut Down

Planned

In Decommissioning

Nuclear Power Stations around the world.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Current Energy Schemes

In the past years, renewable power schemes have been added to the UK’s ageing fleet of coal and gas and nuclear plants. Historically coal is one of the older source of electricity generation dating back to 1960s’, where as nuclear energy started in the 1970s’. The overall timeline of atomic plants in the UK shows substantial gaps between new nuclear additions which reveals their long time frame of construction. In an effort to minimise greenhouse gas emissions nuclear energy, despite its controversial debate, protects air quality by producing massive amounts of carbon-free electricity, as well as provides a constant and reliable power source. However, past nuclear accidents as well as the wrong treatment of spent fuel and radioactive waste show its ciritical disadvantages towards our planet’s biota.

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Nuclear

Coal

Despite any potential disruptions of reaction failures, leaks and radioactiave contamination, there is also a direct harmful environmental impact of the nuclear sites in their built locations. For example, all nuclear sites are distributed along the coast as they require access to plentiful supplies of cooling water, which marks important aquatic life dangers and threats. The decommissioning of aged nuclear reactors can last up to century until the site can be fully returned into its original conditions, whereas the spent fuel remains radioactive up to 10,000 of years which shows the immense timeframes in which nuclear energy is operating.

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Renewables

Gas

/ Overall power sources

/ Chitin Sample, Water-based Digital Fabrication.

(Source: Neri Oxman, 2013.)

/Gas power plant, UK. (Source: Krohne.com.)

/Renewable energy, UK. (Source: Tristan Stedman.)

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/Nuclear power llant, UK. (Source: Anna D. Czuprynska.)

/ Wind Capacity

/ Solar Capacity

/ Hydro Capacity

/ Oil Capacity

/ Waste Capacity

/ Biomass Capacity

/ Gas Capacity

/ Coal Capacity

/ Nuclear Capacity

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Climate Emergency

Sizewell A,B Nuclear Power Plant

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Accelerating sea level rise affects the UK’s coast in the North Sea where many of the Nuclear power plants are situated. The increased flooding in both the decommissioned and active parts of the atomic stations leads to coastal erosion disrupting the safe operation and decommissioning procedures. The coast of Suffolk where Sizewell A,B and future C Nuclear stations are located will experience high tidal flooding in the next 20-30 years.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Sizewell A,B & C

The Sizewell nuclear site located in Suffolk consists of two nuclear power stations, from which “A” is under decommissioning and “B”, which is the UK’s only commercial pressurised water reactor (PWR) will be operational until 2050. Currently there has been planning to extend the site with a third newer nuclear station “C” which will contain a twin-unit reactor north of the current operational PWR power plant.

The geological deposits underneath the site are primarily Norwich Crag Formations bedrock deriving from the Pleistocene age above Eocene London Clay consisting of dense sands with layers of silt and clay. Due to slow-moving depressions in the North Sea and sea-level rise the coast of Suffolk is strongly affected by frequent flooding and surges which influence the sedimentary transport along the coast where the nuclear power stations are positioned.

The current flood prevention of the site consists of a raised concrete plato as well as barriers which will protect the reactors from future tidal fluctuations. However, these elements are monolithic and do not engage with the adjacent ecosystem and coastal landscape conditions. Taking into account the long lasting periods of the decommissioning process in the coming century, the site will flood entirely with the tides transforming the stations into mechanical islands.

C

B

A

/Sizewell Site.

Control element drive mechanism

/ Dynamic networks of thermodynamics in PWR. (Source: Wiebe, Lydell et al.)

Reactor vessel head

Reactor pressure vessel

Coolant inlet-outlet nozzles

Downcomer for coolant Neutron reflector Fuel assemblies

/ Pressurised water reactor power plant (PWR).

(Source: Wiebe, Lydell et al.)

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/PWR core.

Sizewell Site

Predicted flood level

Tidal intensity

Dunwich Bank

Sizewell Bank

/ Flood predictions.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Coastal Decay

erosion

/ Reciprocal coastal systems

Sand is deposited along the east coast maintaining a balance between accumulated and decreased matter. Mechanical flood and erosion control, especially as constructed in the region of the Sizewell Nuclear site blocks the smooth flow of the natural transportation routes which can lead to degradation of southern regions when the sea-level rises higher in the coming decade.

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Low tide

Mid tide: coastal transport

High tide: increased transport / Balanced sediment erosion and accumulation.

Low tide

Mid tide: coastal transport

High tide: increased transport

/ Unstable sediment erosion and accumulation.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Coastal Decay

Sizewell Site

/ Obstructed sediment flow.

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Tidal fluctuation (Sea-level rise +2m)

Erosion control barriers

Accumulating sediment transfer

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Coastal Decay

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/ Flood scenario.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Coastal Decay

200m

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/ Coastal fluidity of systems.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Concept

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The design concept imagines the landscape as an allegory towards the climatic emergency through phasing habitat restoration in parallel with nuclear decommissioning processes. Radioactive decay and tidal flooding mark the initiation of landscape cycles which perform in parallel or consecutively over long timeframes. / Landscape performance.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Concept

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Decaying geotextiles are draped on the landscape in tandem with the decommissioning time frames of the nuclear stations. The decaying radioactivity in internal systems of the reactor manifests the wrapping of the land externally. For every station fully decommisioned, the landscape is allowed to flood, initiating the decomposition of the geotextile and the growth of a salt marsh habitat. / Draping landscape.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

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Shut down reactor

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Sizewell B

/ Phase 1

Decaying Radioactivity

Decomissioning Initiation

Landscape Sculpting

2030 YEARS

/2.

Dismantling:

/1.

Transition: After the authorisation has been given to shut down the plant, preparations begin for dismantling studies. The highly radioactive parts are removed from the site.

During this time, the main components of the plant remain in place, including the reactor vessel, fuel pools, turbine and other elements. All fuel is removed from the reactor vessel and placed in fuel pools or dry storage on-site. This allows the radioactive elements and components to decay.

SEA LEVEL RISE

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/3.

Deconstruction: As radioactivity from sections of the plant is fully decayed, the deconstruction and reuse process begins. At this stage in tandem with structural dismantling the landscape is sculpted and prepared for the geotextile draping.

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/ Phase 4

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/ Phase 5

Wrapped sections

Geotextile Decay

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/ Phase 6

Salt Marsh Habitat Growth

/4.

Geotextile: The landscape is wrapped and covered with a chitin-based fiber textile. This is constructed in sections using water-based digital fabricarion. While sections of the landscape are covered the site becomes an allegory, hiding the land before returning it to the coast.

In the structure of the geotextile, indigenous salt marsh seeds are woven within its fibers, sealed and protected from the atmosphere.

These species include: / Glasswort Salicornia Europaea /Cord Grass Spartina /Gut-Weed Enteromorphia /Dwarf Eelgrass /Red Alga Bostrychia /Sea Couch Grass Elytrigia Atherica

FLOODING OF THE SITE

2100+

/6.

Growth:

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Decomposition: As soon as the geotextile has been draped on the landscape, the site will be allowed to flood in sections bringing the fabric in contact with the water. During this phase the fibers begin to decay over the following weeks, some sooner than other depending on the water catchment area of the sculpted landscape beneath the textile.

In the final phase, the decayed fibers of the textile release groups of seeds in the landscape. The chitin acts as a fertiliser providing vital nutrients for the species as these are planted by the landscape itself initiating a return and expansion of a salt marsh habitat.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

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Salt Marsh Growth Geotextile Draping

Geotextile Decay

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Decaying Radioactivity

Salt Marsh Growth

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

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/Phase 2: Decommissioning initiation.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

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/Phase 3: Dismantling

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

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/Phase 3: Sculpting

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Coastal Decay

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/Testing landscape flows and water cathcment areas.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

salt mars

h growth

geotextile decay

salt marsh growth

Seed release

geotextile decay

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/Phase 4: Geotextile Draping

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

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/Phase 5: Flooding (Initiation of Decay).

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

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/Phase 6: Habitat Growth.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

Growth

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Decay

/Phase 6: Habitat Growth.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

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/Phases 4-6.

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03. Towards and Against a New Landscape of the Nuclear / Design Proposal: Phasing

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/Phase 6: Habitat Growth.

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