The Ecological Corridor

The Ecological Corridor explores demolition as a process of ecological recovery rather than removal. The project investigates how architecture can become a shared ground between humans and non-human life through material reuse, ecological succession and environmental exposure. It also explores how architecture can operate as a regenerative system across environmental, social and personal scales. Existing concrete and brick from the site are selectively dismantled, crushed and reused to form self-supporting rubble landscapes and walls. These new formations support circulation, habitation and ecological growth over time. Lightweight timber insertions are positioned within the retained concrete structure as temporary inhabitable elements that contrast with the heavier rubble landscape. The proposal treats architecture not as a fixed object, but as part of a longer process of growth, weathering and regeneration.

The site is located adjacent to Bethnal Green Gardens in East London, between railway infrastructure and fragmented green spaces. Existing ecological conditions surrounding the site remain disconnected by hard urban boundaries and transport infrastructure, limiting ecological movement and awareness of non-human life. The proposal responds by forming an ecological corridor that reconnects surrounding habitats and vegetation networks across the site. Variations in sunlight, moisture, and topography create different environmental conditions, ranging from open meadow landscapes to damp, shaded ecologies that support microorganism species and wildlife. Over time, ecological succession gradually reshapes the structure, allowing landscape and architecture to evolve together as part of a shared ecological ground.