Resilient Symbiosis: Adaptive Landscape Systems in West Cumbria’s Post-Industrial Site
The site, traversed by the Ehen River (SSSI designation), confronts eutrophication from agricultural runoff and stormwater pollution, alongside the complex demands of post-industrial heritage preservation, ecological recovery, and socio-economic transition. Guided by the “Cyborg Landscape” theory, the design integrates infrastructure and smart technologies into a dynamic system that enables nature, technology, and society to collectively adapt to environmental fluctuations under climate change.
The “Cyborg Landscape” theory proposes a dynamic system integrating infrastructure and smart technologies to enable proactive and passive adaptation. This approach addresses environmental fluctuations under climate change while fostering ecological sustainability and human-nature symbiosis.
The design prioritizes three principles: aligning infrastructure with socio-economic needs; creating hybrid natural-technological systems that optimize hydrology and ecology; and enhancing natural resilience through riparian buffers and wetlands to mitigate human impacts.
The technical strategies fuse traditional and smart approaches: traditional SuDS systems (swales, permeable paving, reservoirs) manage stormwater pollution and recharge groundwater, while engineered wetlands with local materials enhance water purification. Smart technologies deploy multi-dimensional sensors in forests and wetlands to monitor ecological parameters.
The project demonstrates how the Cyborg Landscape theory transforms post-industrial sites into adaptive socio-ecological systems. By healing the Ehen River and repurposing infrastructure as platforms for economic vitality and environmental education, it proposes an innovative paradigm for human-nature coexistence in the climate era.
