Degree Show 2024

In this project, I looked at the wider landscape in Lochaber to gain understanding of the wider rural context and experience of living in this part of Scotland. The Knoydart Peninsula is an area of land that has been bought by the Knoydart Foundation and works on the principle that the local community has full control and responsibility over this area. A key part of this small community is the Knoydart Forest Trust. Since 1999, the KFT has planted over 600,000 trees to help boost biodiversity in this landscape. This is due to the massive effects of deforestation in Scotland has faced in the last 200 years due to the Highland Clearances, meaning only 1% of Scotlands Native forests are left. The impact of the deforestation has damaged our ecosystems more than some realise as the Highlands are now primarily covered in acid grasslands and heather, which is due to poor soil structure (nutrient poor soil that vegetation struggles to survive in).

The process of planting is done by 4 local people and occasional volunteers during spring and summer months. All planting is done by hand and requires a lot of energy as sites are often in rural areas, far away from any services or infrastructure. This project has been formed around the current issues the KFT are facing around planting biodiverse forests.

The form of this design has been inspired by vernacular architecture from Mongolian cattle farmers, who stay in semi-permanent structures called ‘Gers”. This is because these tree planting huts are only necessary for roughly 6 months, so it is important to ensure the land isn’t scarred in the process of improving the landscape. The next issue this structure is helping is the hidden microclimate in the acidic soil. The building will be made from mycelium bricks because mycelium is a key part in healthy soil and helps transport nutrients to different flora and fauna. Thus, meaning the primary structure of the hut can be left on the landscape when people have done their job and the mycelium blocks can ensure proper development of the new forest.

Another reason for the circular form is due to the rich history of the stone circles found in the surrounding areas, such as the Isle of Skye. This is because during the ‘Decay’ phase of this building’s life cycle, a circular clearing will form in the growing forest similar to these stone circles. Nodding to the great history that the population of the Highlands has had and continues to have with nature, helping restore a new generations relationship with the natural world and our responsibility to protect it.