Humans are incredible creatures. Our accelerated ability to discover, develop, innovate and expand puts us far ahead of any other known life on earth, or even the known universe. But whilst we reign technologically supreme, we undoubtably have created a far from perfect world for the ecologies that exist within it. The earth is scarred with war, extinction, pollution and poverty which questions what it means to be human, and what our ethical standpoints are.

To be in this position of great power has given us the responsibility of sustaining and protecting our precious planet; I believe, now, this is what it means to be human. Which is why we arguably already live in a post-human world, as we are not fulfilling our end of the deal to be granted worthy occupancy. But whilst we have shown our overwhelming ability to damage the planet; we should, in turn, be able to repair it again. We will continue to scar the planet unless we take action, which is where the Lewes Research Institute comes in.

The Lewes Research institute aims to develop the science that underpins conservation and tackles the more applied questions of how biodiversity can survive in the post human condition. The work focuses on a range of issues; including conservation and livelihoods of native plants and animals, ecosystem services, management of endangered species, re-wilding of natively extinct species, human-wildlife co-existence and sustainable agriculture.

The catalyst for this research will be the river Ouse, and the surrounding land and ecosystems that span from it. The river Ouse runs directly through the centre of Lewes, passing the Lewes research institute along the way. This river should be abundant with fish, plants, birds, mammals and insects, yet it is not. Its brown in appearance, relatively lifeless and often polluted with waste. A big part of the Lewes research institute will be to study the water to identify what pollutes it, which can help us to develop innovative ways to clean it and encourage life to inhabit this area once again. These discoveries can be used across the UK to help clean its rivers and aid the surrounding ecosystems.

In order to combat the post-human issues of damaged environments, its important to theorize ways the building can work with the ecosystem. As well as providing a place for humans to research ways to clean and protect the environment, the building uses rewilding strategies to re-home the biodiverse organisms that live in the area.

Please view below the accompanying portfolio for the Lewes Research Institute project and additional content and case studies that lead me to my final design outcomes.