Valeria Golban

Year 1 MArch

Vulnerable Soil of Fens:

The Fens, UK

The Fens, also known as the "breadbasket of Britain," is a reclaimed marshland region in East Anglia, Cambridgeshire, renowned for its fertile peaty soil that supports the majority of crop production in the United Kingdom. This makes it a highly valuable and strategic area for low-carbon, homegrown produce.

However, the Fens rely on drainage to expose fertile arable land, resulting in overly dry topsoil that is at high risk of wind erosion. As the climate becomes more volatile, with increased temperatures and stronger winds, the soil of the Fens is increasingly becoming vulnerable to these elements.

The "Vulnerable Soil of Fens" project aims to address this issue by introducing a flexible, multi-programmed architectural instrument designed to capture wind-blown soil. The structure adapts to varying weather conditions in the Fens by deploying a series of nets using a combination of mechanical and automatic systems. These nets protect existing soils and capture wind-eroded soil, preventing it from straying far from the fields and safeguarding unaffected soil from future risks.