Reinventing Connection
Located at the post-industrial Florence Mine in West Cumbria, this project envisions a regenerative landscape infrastructure that reconnects the fragmented ecological, economic, and social systems between Florence Mine and the nearby town of Egremont. The site, shaped by ironstone extraction and now characterized by iron-rich soil, degraded hydrology, and habitat fragmentation, presents both environmental challenges and cultural heritage opportunities.
This design adopts a user-driven approach to explore how local community groups—including farmers, residents, artists, and ecologists—can shape a multi-functional green infrastructure system that enhances connectivity, resilience, and identity. Inspired by land mosaic theory and metapopulation ecology, the project uses ecological corridors, wetland remediation, and community-based co-management as spatial tools to re-stitch broken habitats and encourage community stewardship.
A phased implementation strategy transforms the former extraction zone into a hybrid field of ecological remediation and human activity, using recycled on-site materials such as sandstone, gravel, and steel to express local memory and reduce carbon footprints. Key elements include minewater bioremediation wetlands, multi-species habitat zones for curlew and lapwing, and a community resilience route that physically and symbolically connects Florence Mine to Egremont via public space, mobility infrastructure, and ecological restoration.
