The Wetland Loop

In looking at the transformation of Edinburgh’s coastline overtime we see how land has been taken away from the sea. Land reclamation is a direct contributor to our current climate emergency through the build up of infrastructure, arable land, pollution and deforestation, which has impacted both human and non-human communities in the form of flooding and waters that have become more warm, polluted, and acidic.

Through research and study, we located the concrete sea wall as the main actor disrupting natural forces. Breaking this impermeable barrier could be the singular domino that could have a beneficial ripple effect in restoring land to the sea and helping our planet heal. 

To strategically let water back in, I propose to create a wetland loop, a contained urban wetland canal, that would connect land and sea, and various other micro land typologies. 

Utilizing the concept of multifunctional swales, and rainwater collection systems, water is captured and seamlessly integrated back into the lives of communities.  The water loop connects these two types of structures together while controlling and directing the transect between fresh and sea water, and further connecting the various land typologies of sea, sand, rock, green and concrete.