Earth Works Volume 01: Reclamation

In the construction industry, materials are treated as commodities rather than processes. Material migration and transformation are overlooked in preference to a transactional buy/sell approach. Earth Works embarks on a humble yet fundamental journey of material as process - as excavation, reclamation, re-insertion and degradation; considering all the by-products along the way and seeing nothing as static, nothing as waste.

The first instalment of our deep research endeavour seeks to reconnect us with the fundamental earth beneath our feet, to reclaim what is already there, and to reconnect with traditional material crafts.

London rests on layers of seabed clay deposited during the Palaeogene Period 56-34 million years ago, through a cycle of sea level fluctuations. This paper compiles an open-source feasibility study into the processing of usable clay from excavated London soil.

Through the paper, we simultaneously explore the poetics of process as a self-reflexive working method, reflecting organically through open-thought and visual contemplation.

If you would like a physical copy of ‘Earth Works Volume 01: Reclamation’ please contact: hello@periscope.uk

Download

Stockpile Garden Book 002

Stockpile Garden transforms a working construction site on the Thames Estuary into a testing ground for brownfield biodiversity improvement methods. This book is part of a mini-series documenting the various aspects of Stockpile Garden, intended to be read alongside one another. Book 002 tells the story of the stockpiles, and…

Stockpile Garden Book 003

Stockpile Garden transforms a working construction site on the Thames Estuary into a testing ground for brownfield biodiversity improvement methods. This book is part of a mini-series documenting the various aspects of Stockpile Garden, intended to be read alongside one another. Book 003 explores subterranean material narratives, using erosion processes…

Stockpile Garden Book 004

Stockpile Garden transforms a working construction site on the Thames Estuary into a testing ground for brownfield biodiversity improvement methods. This book is part of a mini-series documenting the various aspects of Stockpile Garden, intended to be read alongside one another. Book 004 looks to apply and extend the clay…

Green for Victory: Parks and money

London’s parks may be free to visit, but they come at high cost. With 92% of park managers having had their budgets cut over the last six years, local councils’ abilities to finance their parks is increasingly stretched beyond their limits. Yet, for every £1 spent on the upkeep of…

Green for Victory: Parks and responsibility

Of the 3000 parks in London, the majority are owned by local authorities. Due to decades of budget cuts, it is becoming increasingly common for councils to transfer these over to local community groups. Freed from quarterly spend reporting and top-down management chains, the benefits of community management mean that…

Green for Victory: Parks and open doors

A quick glance at the green map of our capital reveals that most of its parks and gardens are clustered in distinct areas, leaving great gaps in the urban forest and entire neighbourhoods devoid of green. Unfortunately, this more often than not correlates with wealth and ethnicity - with less…

Green for Victory: Parks and the wild

With almost 50% green cover and as many trees as people, London is statistically the greenest major city in the world. Yet Londoners desperately lack access to nature, and we find ourselves in a mounting green space crisis. Green for Victory explores the discrepancy between the stats and the stories.…