Ann Eapen | Urbanism Portfolio

Portfolio

Ann Eapen

Selected Works from 2020-2023

M.Sc Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences, Track : Urbanism

TU Delft

Ann Eapen

Urbanist | Architect

M.Sc Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences

(Track: Urbanism)

Date of Birth: 7th September 1997

Work Experience

Research Assistant

Amplifying Weak Signals, TU Delft

Research Intern

GRIHA Council, New Delhi, India

Architectural Intern

Habitat Technology Group, Trivandrum, India

Architectural Intern

Khatib And Alami, Sharjah, UAE

Architectural Intern Hopkins Architects, Dubai, UAE

Education

M.Sc Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences (Track: Urbanism) | TU Delft

Graduated Cum Laude

Graded 9.5/10 for Masters Design Thesis

Bachelor of Architecture | National Institute of Technology, Calicut, India

CGPA : 8.25/10 (First Class with Distinction)

Graded 10/10 for Design Thesis

Department is currently ranked second best in India by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development.

Languages Known

English : Bilingual (TOEFL : 112/120)

Malayalam : Native

Hindi : Working Proficency

Dutch: A1 Elementary Proficiency

(June 2022 - August 2023)

(April 2021 - July 2021)

(May 2019- October 2019)

(June 2018 - July 2018)

(June 2017 - July 2017)

(Sept 2021- June 2023)

(June 2015 - June 2020)

Location

Site Area

Project Type

Date of Issue

Under the Weather

Designing for water sensitivity in the Thames River Basin

Thames River Basin, United Kingdom 3212370 Acres

(Academic) Masters Thesis

Individual

September 2022 - June 2023

As a result of climate change, there has been a shift in the global weather pattern. The hydrological regime in river basins across the world is subjected to unprecedented extreme weather conditions. In the Thames Basin, the narratives about resilience against sudden floods and extended droughts have focused on sustaining London through large, expensive infrastructural projects. As such extremities become common over time across the basin, the relationship between the mega city and its ecological hinterlands is turning increasingly strained.

As a response, the project seeks to adopt a site-sensitive approach to water risk management that acknowledges the water needs of the hinterlands or ‘the countryside. With its position upstream of the basin, the actions towards water management taken here to slow the river and increase groundwater infiltration would reduce the intensity of fluvial flooding downstream while recharging fresh water supplies.

Deconstructing for the Hydrological Relevance of the Countryside :

Reports on the Thames River Basin identify three key challenges. Firstly, the current water infrastructure lacks efficient rainwater storage, necessitating more reservoirs or intra-basin transfers. Secondly, while cities like London invest billions in weather adaptation, rural areas face constraints from flooding, pollution, and droughts. London’s investments lead to highly

engineered sub-catchments around tidal zones, tested by climate pressures, while Upper Thames Catchment’s rural floodplains also face seasonal flooding. The project aims to shift the focus to rural regions, using water-sensitive management practices upstream to recharge basin reserves and curb downstream flood risk.

Composition of the Basin : Land Use and Water Management in the Thames River Basin

Re-writing the Hydrosocial Narrative :

The design reimagines water management by replacing reliance on highly engineered solutions with Landscape as Infrastructure. Flooding and droughts connect across a river basin’s space and seasons. Unfortunately, hydrological risk policies often isolate flood and drought concerns, ignoring their interconnections.

Additionally, the concept of multi specie driven “temporalities of care” explores the pace of building and sustaining ecological relationships and landscape maintenance. Through design-driven communal practices involving humans and nonhumans, renewal and vitality flourish despite water consumption demands.

Approaches Used

Terra Fluxus : Designing for Seasonal Indeterminacy

Multi Specie Maintenance Cycles: Acknowledging Human and Non-Human practices of care

Conjunctive Management : Coordinated Management of Surface and Subsurface Water Reserves

Fig: Seasonal Fluxes between Surface and Subsurface Reserves

Fig. Biovariate Chlropeth Map for the Geological Compositions of the Basin

Typology

Typology

C Typology

The Thames River Basin serves as a hydrologic management unit, incorporating varied terrain characteristics that notably impact water diversion, conveyance, and attenuation. By correlating and analyzing the range of surface and subsurface conditions, a comprehensive grasp of their interactions and overlays within the Thames Basin is attained. This understanding is employed to investigate three design typologies that unveil opportunities for floodwater harvesting and sub-surface recharge.

Fig. Terrain Wetness Index in the Basin

Fig. Terrain and proximity to Water Body

Typology is characterized by steep terrain and the geological capacity for aquifer recharge, the focus lies on enhancing infrastructure to facilitate greater subsurface infiltration. This approach aims to counter erosion, as well as to minimize water loss through runoff, thereby promoting more effective water management and conservation.

In floodplains with limited bedrock permeability and silt transport downstream, enhancing local soil fertility, ing downstream water volume by locally harvesting

Keyline

Pond Construction

Meandering flow with delayed flood peak downstream

Restoring River’s Meander Regenerative

Increase in localised flooding reduces flood risk dowstream

Rivers natural dynamic allows better sub surface exchange

Improved biodiversity along river banks

Water Meadows Maintenance

and an active river, the design focus includes reducing fertility, minimizing sediment deposition, and decreasharvesting the floodwater.

In floodplains with geological potential for aquifer recharge and an active river, the design aims to enhance biodiversity and restore dynamic flooding-disturbance-succession systems. The approach also includes infrastructure to boost subsurface infiltration, resulting in decreased downstream water volume for improved water management and ecological health.

Wetland Eco-systems improve carbon storage. Improved nutrient cycling and water quality Flood regulation through recharging groundwater

Distribution of diverse quatic and terrestrial floodplain habitats

Constructing

Wetland Forests Specie Reintroduction

Fig: Regenerative Water Storage and Land Management - Design For Typology A

Fig: Reintroduction of Water Meadow - Design for Typology B

Fig: Revitalizing Riparian Landscape

Reed Beds

Earth Mounds for Livestock

Riparian Trees

Drain Channels

Bed-work with gentle slopes

Carrier Channels

Grazing to limit weed growth

Hatch to control Conveyance

Reed Beds

Re-profiled Banks

Re-introduction of Beavers

Re-profiled Banks

Control of Red Deer Population Mounds for Wetland Trees

Landscape - Design for Typology A

Fig: Restoring River Meander - Design for Typology B

Fig: Rewilding the Floodplain - Design for Typology C

Location Site Area

Project Type

Date of Issue

Work Done

Periscapes

Balancing Development in the Greater Bay Area: Strengthening Ties Between Urban and Rural Regions

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China

56 000 km2

Academic Group

April 2022 - Jun 2022

Game Design, Visualisations, Mapping, Strategy for development

China’s Greater Bay Area has experienced unprecedented economic growth and urbanization in recent years. However, this development has been unbalanced, with policies prioritizing economic prosperity in core cities and neglecting peri-urban and rural areas. To address this, peri-urban areas can play a key role in planning, utilizing local strengths and creating cooperative links with urban and rural areas.

By creating a network of peri-urban areas, ties between regions can be strengthened and provide opportunities for incoming populations. Nature-based solutions can transform the peri-urban region into a network of ecological landscapes, providing environmental, economic, and social resilience.

The Greater Bay Area confronts social and environmental disparities that particularly impact its vulnerable residents. The region encompasses diverse areas, from densely populated cities to isolated rural landscapes. Urban zones offer more economic prospects but are vulnerable to climate change. Rural areas possess natural resources but lack social mobility. The peri-urban center faces challenges due to disconnection from transportation networks. To address these issues, a context-sensitive strategy is needed to improve services and rectify inequalities related to water stress, food insecurity, and unsafe living conditions.

Urban development continue to expand into the peri urban zone at the cost of “industrialized and suburbanized rural edges.” The distance between these urban cores and vulnerable rural landscapes is geographically great, leading to a wide peri-urban zone that is increasingly giving in to urban demands. Since it’s difficult to determine this zone based on the distribution of functions and built forms alone, the density of the built urban morphology was used to delineate the periscapes. The project aims to leverage the proximity of peri-urban zones to both rural and urban areas, striving to rectify socio-environmental imbalances. This involves bolstering natural infrastructure and expanding economic opportunities beyond competitive city centers.

Fig. Current pressures at the periscapes (Adapted from Shan et al. 2017 and Bogaert et al., 2015)

Gamefying the Regional Development of the Periscapes

We employed a game board to tackle tensions arising from urban and rural expansions. Our approach centered on the edge as a morphological element, particularly the boundary between built-up and agricultural areas. This edge symbolizes the conflict between urban and rural land uses, driven by competition for resources and development rights. The game

board showcases how the region’s ecological capacity forms a foundation, permitting specific interventions that influence resource flow along the edge. Stakeholders can enhance the strategic edge’s quality by implementing interventions, alleviating social stresses tied to vulnerable population migration or addressing environmental strain.

Fig. Iterations of Regional Transformations on the Gameboard

Upgrade Industrial Structure

Dyke Pond System

Wetland

Resolving Resource Conflict : Periscape Typology Focused On Socially Restorative Economic Development

Toolkit of Interventions introduced to the Gameboard

Riparian Landscape Design

Agro Forestry

Pollution Remediation

Eco-Industrial Parks

Circular Energy and Matter Exchange

Social Housing

Transit Oriented Development

Preserving Public Spaces

Optimizing Public Facility Distribution

Resolving Developmental Conflict : Periscape Typology Focused On Ecologically Restorative Economic Development

Green Roofs

Urban Agriculture

Preserving Traditional Structures

Location Site Area Project Type

Date of Issue

Wild Frontier

Trivandrum, India

430 Acres

(Academic) Undergrad Thesis, Semester 10

Individual

Dec 2019 - July 2020

Human-wildlife conflict is defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as “any interaction between humans and wildlife that results in negative impacts on human social, economic or cultural life, on the conservation of wildlife populations, or the environment”.

In India, the main reasons for Human-Wildlife conflicts are the fragmentation of animal habitats, dispersed human hamlets across the forest, high density of people in the forest fringes, change of land use pattern in the proximity of forest along with lifestyle changes of farmers, and seasonal migration of animals. This is specially prevalent in Kerala, a southern state in India develops, most of its projects cut through wild animal habitats. The project hopes to address this state of affairs through the dedicated veterinary care, wildlife research facility, and responsible eco-tourism that would help disseminate knowledge.

Design for Elephant Rehabilitation Centre and Wildlife Research Institute

Encroaching the Wilderness

Since the early 2000s, Kerala has witnessed growing human-wildlife conflicts, particularly involving elephants. Whether it is lining up to watch elephants at festivals or retreating to a resort in the wild, our approach to Ecotourism does not remind us of our responsibility towards preservation. Ecotourism through resorts and adventure sports facilities today tends to dissociate the wild from civilization as something pristine and separate from the modern man. This unfortunate idea of view-

ing humans outside nature tends to create a lack of accountability which is further reinforced as environmentally irresponsible behavior. The Elephant Rehabilitation Centre and the Wild Life Research Institute are proposed as an intervention to serve as a buffer between urban expansion and pristine wilderness. These initiatives encourage reflection on our ecological impact and the path to a more responsible future.

Kerala holds the nation’s third-largest elephant population. Historically, elephants were captured and tamed for various roles, but this relationship has deteriorated. Captive elephants suffer due to their owners financial constraints, enduring neglect and cruelty. Action for Elephants consid-

ers Kerala a hub for severe elephant mistreatment, dubbing it the worst animal cruelty case globally. Despite this, elephants are still employed for events and labor. Tragically, some elephants react violently during such events, occasionally resulting in bystander fatalities.

The diverse terrain of Kerala hosts significant biodiversity, primarily concentrated along the Western Ghats. Regrettably, urbanization encroaches upon these regions, leading to conflicts with farmers. These farmers experience agricultural losses due to wildlife raids, mainly by distressed

elephants whose corridors have been disrupted, compelling them to sell their land to real estate investors. What was previously a life-threatening risk for farmers—proximity to the forest—now carries value in the tourism-driven real estate market: : forest and wildlife sell.

The project hopes to resolve the changing man-animal relationship through its three components

Research Facility Rehabilitation Centre Eco-tourism Facility

A Visitors Interpretation Centre that can educate visitors on the plight of wildlife, especially the elephants under rehabilitation. The tourists would help economically sustain the center and are an audience to the public awareness programs.

A sustainable wildlife research institute to study Western Ghats species and address state’s man-animal conflicts.

A wildlife veterinary hospital that caters to both the elephants on site and other species in the adjacent wildlife sanctuaries.

Protecting elephants against poachers and unnatural deaths by establishing a secure semiwild habitat. Researchers, doctors, and skilled mahouts oversee this sanctuary, catering to rescued, sick, aged, and orphaned elephants. The space ensures chain free movement and care.

Mahout Training Facility

Research Facility Veterinary Care Facility

Musth Management Zones

Observation Enlosures

Observation Decks

Elephant Kitchens accessible Exhibits

Producing recycled paper from elephant waste.

Nature Photography

Farming Elephant Food Crops

+

Adjacent to the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary and contiguous with the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, this site provides an ideal habitat for diverse wildlife species, bolstered by the nearby Agasthyavanam biological park. The Neyyar Dam reservoir sustains animals and water birds, while the Neyyar River holds mythical importance linked to the sage Agasthya. The watchtowers near the dam offer breathtaking views, complementing the lush orchid-filled gardens maintained by the State Forest department. A state forest department-operated Boat Service transports visitors to the Lion Safari Park on a peninsula in the Neyyar Reservoir. Nearby attractions include the Deer and Crocodile Rehabilitation Center, as well as the Neyyar Lion Safari Park. With the Neyyar Dam drawing tourists during specific months, and featuring a mix of religious landmarks and surrounding mixed-use and residential areas, the site boasts a diverse appeal.

Key

Agasthyavanam Bio-Range

Neyyar Dam

Crocodile Rehabilitation Centre

Deer Rehabilitation Centre

Lion Safari Park

Peparra Wildlife Sanctuary

Water Body

Forest Cover

Veterinary Services

Bus Stops

The program necessitates separate zones for humans and elephants.

Elephant Care Zone: Pathways interconnecting levels; specific vegetation for herding and grazing areas, meeting dietary requirements.

Supervised Transition Zone: Elephants acclimating to the wild before release.

Non-Intervention Zone: Elephants freely roam under supervision prior to release.

Human Zone: Structures catering to elephant care and tourism, surrounded by landscaped open spaces offering a tranquil nature experience.

The site’s conditions were assessed and superimposed to determine suitable zoning for these areas.

Built units minimizing tree clearing Crematorium at far end to prevent pollution spread Accommodation units near existing roads Research Center and Elephant Zone utilize natural slopes Watchtower atop high elevations for ideal vantage points

Natural drainage basin as elephant bathing pond Visitors Centre zoned closest to highway access

Fig. Site Suitability

Fig. Site Connectivity

Elephant Zone

Zoning In Response to Herd Behavior

The Facility is to house 50 elephants. They have been separated into two groups of 25 elephants (similar to herd sizes in the wild). Each herd is on either side of the mount on the side.

Male and Female elephants maintain separate herds. Separate areas of tethering have been provided for them. Each herd has its group enclosure and grazing grounds.

In addition to this is a calf enclosure especially for new mothers and rescued calves who need the continuous care of the mahouts.

The Musth Zone is for male elephants who are likely to get aggressive for some period. This area is kept away from the visitors.

Along with the reservoir, a pond in the natural basin can be a bathing area for elephants accommodated near the veterinary facility and those in the musth zone.

Elephant Kitchen

Paper Manufacturing Unit

Apart from tending to the elephants’ diet and safety, mahouts are responsible for intensive rehabilitation. This involves weight monitoring and physical therapy, as guided by doctors. Elephants fit for re-release are allowed to roam freely, but closely monitored.

Each elephant under care has a dedicated shed for nightly tethering. Rather than makeshift structures, these sheds are equipped with food, waste facilities, and a mild mimicry of the wild, featuring creepers growing through timber roofing.

Within each enclosure, bamboo shelters for mahouts facilitate supervision.

Elephant Man Interface

In this zone, the tourists can observe the elephants in their natural habitats and the work of the mahouts in taking care of the sick elephants. The interaction is non-invasive to the elephants in recovery and educates the visitors about their plight. Dry moats around Elephant Zones improve movement control and remove the need for cage-like separation. Hidden barriers intrigue visitors by obscuring the animals’ limits, creating a deeper connection to their world

Catalan Vaults, resembling caves, consist of clay cladding on a ferro-cement frame. They allow non-intrusive elephant viewing and visitors can climb the structure for an enhanced perspective.

Located on the highest point on-site, visitors get to enjoy a great view of the greenery as they rest in-between the trek.

Bamboo Viewing Deck near the reservoir to watch the herd of elephants being taken for a bath from a vantage point and at an unobtrusive distance.

Barrier Fence for Visitor

Masonry Wall Vegetation

Dry Moat

RCC Beam

Planting Palette

Banana Tree

Narrow leaf Cattail

Jujube Trees

Wild Guavas

Fig. Dry Moats around each Elephant Zone

Location Site Area Project Type

Date of Issue

Work Done

The Balancing Act

Strategy to densify homes within South Cool district

Cool District, Rotterdam 14.5 Acres (Academic) Quarter 2 Group

November 2021 - January 2022

All Maps shown in work, Axonometric views of proposed built forms, Site Sections.

The project was a part of the Masters program, design studio on Designing Urban Environments, which addressed designing livable neighborhoods that addressed sustainability criteria. The analysis for the densification strategy is based on data collected on aspects concerning ecology, water, civil construction, and energy needs.

The site for the project is the southern part of Cool district in Rotterdam, which is best known for the Witte de Withstraat. A portion of the site was wiped out in the bombing of Rotterdam. There is a tension between the need to preserve the monumental buildings that survived and the need to adapt to modern needs through new high-rise developments oriented towards businesses. These new developments are necessary to meet the housing pressure and the new programmatic needs of Rotterdam, but risks upsetting the quality of the urban microclimate.

‘The Balancing Act’ explores a compromise between the opposing needs of the district.

Cities constantly attract new residents and visitors with the range of opportunities it provides. Like most modern cities, Rotterdam faces challenges in accomodating housing and employment demands in the context of climate change. The process of densification brings in many social and environmental benefits, but if not regulated it runs the risk of turning the city unlivable. The benefits and the risks have been categorized below

Social Structure Environment

Cities attract a variety of people and provide them with better economic and social opportunities. In extremely dense conditions, this turns the city into a competitive arena for public space and affordable housing.

Cities pack a larger number of people in a smaller built footprint and cuts down on the dependence on cars. Today, unregulated development and unsustainable construction is increasing our vulnerability to climate disasters.

Cities pack more opportunities within if it’s supported by well-connected mobility networks. Without such infrastructure people are forced to increase car usage within the cities, forcing large public grounds to accommodate parking.

Most cities have interesting historic origins that adds charachter to life in it. But old buildings fail to meet modern requirements and are at risk of being erased.

The factors mentioned above have been represented in gradients that represent a shift from extremely sparse to extremely dense conditions. The equilibrium lies in the middle where benefits from both ends balance each other. Through this report, we start by defining how balanced South Cool, in Rotterdam is today and propose a phased densification strategy that meets this balanced condition.

Witte De With Straat

Witte de With straat is known for its many cafes, bars and restaurant as well as some cultural institutions.

Towards

Westersingel

One of the singels of Rotterdam, a waterway surrounded by greenery.

Zuid Cool, Rotterdam

Leuvehaven

Leuvehaven is an old harbour and home to the maritime museum of Rotterdam

Witte De With

‘t Landje

‘t Landje is the core of the neighbourhood, shaped by the former canal, now mainly used as playground for the schools in the surrounding.

Legend

Number of Employees

10 +300

South Cool is Located in the Inner City of Rotterdam. It is well connected to both the major transit points of the city, as well as to a host of job opportunities. A compact city, with easy accessibility to both economic opportunities and affordable housing for all is key to lowering Rotterdam’s carbon footprint. While the housing crisis has been a deterrent to this ambition, strategic densification within South Cool would help bring in the benefits of dense cities, without sacrificing its livability.

Museumpark

Towards Leuvehaven

The character within Cool varies in each of its blocks. To define where Cool lies on the balancing scale, in each of the categories specified, we take a look at what is seen on the streets as well as in a mapping of its conditions. With Rotterdam’s fire boundary running through it, it combines a mix of old monuments as well as a new range of high rises coming up that relates to the overall changing skyline of Rotterdam. This shift intensifies the pressure in the existing public spaces within Cool for its residents, and its environmental risks. Photographs of the existing conditions here are superimposed on the map of the area according to its location.

Increased flooding risk and warmer urban climate in the area

The housing of Lower Retail value is being cleared to make way for high rises.

The is a high demand for housing in Rotterdam but the rents in Cool are not affordable to all.

Most of the interior street edges are dominated by parking within little activity

The Witte de Withstraat contains galleries, cafes, and pubs and connects the Museum Park and the Maritime Museum.

Few Green spaces exist within Cool.

The large Public Playground in the heart of Cool remains fully paved.

The Cool Tower is under construction and is set to be the tallest apartment building in the center of Rotterdam

Old Buildings that lie outside the fire line are preserved as monuments.

Courtyards formed by buildings in the area are taken over by parking

High Rises facing Schiedamsedijk

Although Cool manages to accommodate a part of its history while making way for today’s needs, the absence of permeable ground surface, parking along street edges, and stark differences in the level of activity along the streets show that its position tips closer to the riskier end of densification.

The project progresses through three stages, each balancing densification and sustainability with different strategies. The first phase emphasizes rapid densification through new high-rise and underground construction. The second phase focuses on improving public space and ecological development. Moving to the third phase, this progression pushes the boundaries of density while maintaining liveability.

The project has raised Cool’s population capacity by 1,608 residents, doubling parking space. New constructions now concentrate on the northern and eastern sides, while the southwest areas remain preserved, ensuring new developments coexist harmoniously with existing monuments in scale. Amid densification, public space proportion remains constant, with the core area designed to function as a vital ecological and social hub for Cool.

Densification Public Space Sustainable Transformations Social

Large Scale Nodes Ecology

Mobility Links Water

Start transforming ‘t Landje

Transforming Witte de With

Transforming Sciedamse Vest

Building underground parking garages

Start transforming ‘t Landje Setting up courtyards

Setting up a seperate sewage system

Setting up ATES system

Multi utility tunnel

Engaging citizens

Large Scale

Nodes Ecology

Additional highrises are built

Additional midrises are built

Skyborns and infills around ‘t Landje are built

Introducing the bioswale

Setting up public courtyards

Setting up private courtyards

Building underground parking garages

Implementing a superblock strategy

Setting up courtyards

Implementing green structure

Implementing corridors

Implementing green roods around ‘t Landje

Introducing the bioswale

Implementing PV panels around ‘t Landje

Renovating buildings around ‘t Landje

Setting up new functions to support increase in population

Initiating bottom up organisations

Ensuring affrodable housing

Setting up comminity gardens

Skyborns and infills on the west side are built

Transformation of functions

Implementing corridors

Setting up courtyards

Implementing PV panels on west side

Renovating buildings on west side

Transforming functions

Connecting public and private

Connecting functions identity

Setting up comminity gardens

Down to Earth

Envisioning a Bio-based transition for the Province of South Holland

Location Site Area

Project Type

Date of Issue

Work Done

South Holland

3,403 km²

Academic Group

Jan 2022 - April 2022

Strategy and all graphics shown for circular flows, Analytical Maps

‘Down to Earth’ proposes regenerative soil as the foundation of an innovative bio-based region in South Holland, that connects society and economy on all scales while restoring ecological systems. Agricultural Practices that have heavily relied on tilling and the heavy use of chemical fertilizers has reduced the quality of the topsoil compromising both food security and the carbon sequestration capacity of the soil.

Additionally, industries along the port of Rotterdam that is heavily dependent on fossil fuel have polluted the land it is based on and emitted large amounts of carbon. The most powerful technology we have at hand to draw down this carbon load is healthy soil that can support plant life and micro-organisms naturally. The strategy proposed focuses on retaining the economic prosperity of South Holland while remediating the soil that supports it through the promotion of bio-based circular development.

Erosion and pollution have degraded a third of the earth’s arable land over the past 40 years. Agricultural practices that heavily rely on tilling and the excessive use of chemical fertilizers have reduced the topsoil to dust, compromising both food security and the carbon sequestration capacity of the soil. The agricultural sector is not alone in prioritizing economic gains over sustaining the natural systems it depends on. The linear model of industrial practices, which heavily depends on fossil fuels, has polluted the land it is based on.

South Holland is one of the world’s densest regions and a major contributor to the Netherlands’ GDP. Its thriving agricultural sector and activity centered around the Port of Rotterdam have modified its natural systems to support urban and economic demands. The proposed strategy is to retain the region’s prosperity while remediating the soil that supports it. To achieve this, the potential of healthy soil management has been highlighted due to its ability to draw down carbon emissions through sequestration and support high yields of plant-based raw materials.

Distribution of Ecosystem Services Provided by Healthy Soil in South Holland

Fig. Deterioration of Vital Soil Functions at a Micro Scale

The project proposes regenerative soil management practices as the foundation of an innovative bio-based region that connects society and economy on all scales while restoring ecological systems. This transition is based on an understanding of the current land uses and the level of disruption it causes to the natural systems within the soil. The soil profile marked in the representations of each land use is based on point location drillings that mark the soil type, it’s period of accumulation in addition to its level of porosity, fertility, and biodiversity. Based on this classification, South Holland has been abstracted into pixels that clarify their land use, to have a specific intervention for each distinct spatial characteristic.

Abstraction of Land Uses and Potential Bio-based flows in South Holland

A biofunctional vision for South Holland emboldens the interdependencies of the urbanized realms with the surrounding

Dune Landscapes Industries and Port of Rotterdam Urban Realm Agricultural Zones

These regenerative strategies have been further strengthened by creating links surrounding the exchange of biodegradable material and clean energy between the stakeholders of these land uses. This would serve as an additional economic incentive to support the pressing need to mitigate environmental damage. The proposal, along with the layers of data that support it is a case of why soil remediation through bio-based economic activity is vital to climate justice, resilience, and sustainable growth.

Sustainable sourcing of raw materials and energy holds the potential to rectify the damage done by the linear agro-industrial model of the economy. Fixing the disjoint between the economic and the ecological perspective is vital to ensuring equitable development and climate justice.

Feed for Livestock

Industrial Waste Water Purification Water for Irrigation

Excess Heat

Excess Heat

Methane to H₂ Fuel

Feed Stock Food

Natural Fertilizers

Accessible Open Soil

Productive Open Soil

Protected Soil

Preventing degradation to avoid the release of GHGs.

Miscanthus

Vertical Farming

Maintaining an organic flow of nutrients by valourising bio-degradable wastes

Productive Open Soil

Creating carbon sinks by growing vegetation to enhance carbon storage. practices that replace monocultures and chemical fertilizer, and pesticide use

Protected Soil

Restoring peat landscapes and protecting it from human access, to improve its carbon sequestration performance

Thank you

Portfolio

Ann Eapen

Selected Works from 2020-2023

ann.eapen707@gmail.com