yuelinliu_portfolio_year2_term2&3

WINSPIT'S NOMADIC NURSERY

Lowland Calcareous Grasslands Restoration

YUELIN LIU

MLA, STUDIO 5

STUDENT NUMBER: 21087780

BARC0113: ADVANCED LANDSCAPE DESIGN 2 22/23

TUTOR: LAURENCE BLACKWELL THALE & PETE DAVIES

THE BARTLETT SCHHOL OF ARCHITECTURE

24 APRIL 2023

PROJECT STATEMENT

In the last centuries, with the escalated effects of humanity in manipulating wild areas, the collective vision for urban construction permanently alters the natural environment in which it is excavated. The historical and present quarrying reveals the exploitation, co-dependency, and power dynamic between humans and nature. Under competing uses and shrinking land in Dorset, these abandoned quarries seem to be an opportunity for decreasing lowland calcareous grasslands, reversing the historical loss of this vital habitat.

The project proposes transforming Winspit Quarry into a nursery to redescribe, utilize, and stabilize past industrial scarring, acting as an anchor to expand habitats in Dorset. This nursery facilitates the missing ecological interactions and provides a mediate across the complex geological and material transformation of the post-industrial ruins. It develops a strategy to promote a return to local material and habitat cycles, converting the migration process of stone and seed dispersal to habitat recolonization. Tangible and intangible resources of light, wind, vegetation, agriculture, land, material, labour, and biodiversity are remanaged in this project. The production of this semi-nature habitat patches the ecological gaps, progresses from the old wild to the new, and manages other wildlife and ecosystems at large.

Winspit Quarry, UK

CHAPTER 1

/ WINSPIT'S NOMADIC NURSERY RESEARCH

Winspit Quarry is a disused quarry on the cliffs in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England.

The Dorset area where Winspit Quarry sits was once home to hundreds of quarries during the eighteenth century, most of which are now abandoned.

For centuries, this area has undergone an entanglement between productive activities and the natural environment. From the 18th century, quarrying and agricultural activities continued to cause habitat loss, especially lowland calcareous grasslands.

For centuries, this area has undergone an entanglement between productive activities and the natural environment. From the 18th century, quarrying and agricultural activities continued to cause habitat loss, especially lowland calcareous grasslands.

NATURE

Lowland calcareous grassland was once widespread in limestone hills of southern England. It was formed by woodland clearance and grazing that started from the Mesolithic Period.

From 1700, artificial fertilizers became widely used on arable land and replaced traditional grazing.

The land use for quarrying, scrub encroachment caused the loss of habitats.

The rate of loss accelerated rapidly in the second half of the 20th century due to modern farming.

Woodland Clearance

Medieval Terraces

HISTORY

Traditional Grazing

Winspit Quarry

Quarrying started at Winspit

World War II Defense Base

Agricultural Intensification

Outside Activities

Under competing uses and shrinking land, now the only areas remaining tend to be on valley sides or cliffs. Today

Quarrying ceased at Winspit

Winspit Quarry (Reader, 1910)

In Winspit, large cliffside quarries have been opened on both sides of the valley. Historic farming and quarrying activities have created many unique landscape heritages.

Building

Remains of Quarry

Path & Road

Medieval Terraces

Farmland

Watercourse

Mean High Water Line

Mean Low Water Line

Contour Line

Cliff or Slope Line

Landform Line

Stone Working Area Remains

Medieval Terraces

West Man

CURRENT LANDSCAPES

Human Activities

Bats Research Medieval Terraces

Researchers will count the bats from the gaps in caves (About 1000 bats in the west quarry). There are 3 surveys per winter. In winter, bats will hibernate in stable and disturbed areas.

Stone Working Remains

The general hiking trails are:

Climbing Hiking

The landforms shaped by quarrying activities attract a lot of climbers. There are about 14 climbing paths (ukclimbing.com)

Winspit Quarry was privately owned but the public is allowed to access the quarry and its caves at their own risk.

Walk

West Quarry

1.Worth Matravers-Winspit-St. Aldhelm’s Head

2.Worth Matravers-Winspit-Seacombe walk

Quarried Stone (Winspit Quarry, 2023)

Cliff Edge (Winspit Quarry, 2023)

Remnant of Mill (Winspit Quarry, 2023)

Chapter 1 : Research SEMI-NATURAL HABITATS WINSPIT'S NOMADIC NURSERY:

Lowland Calcareous Grassland

(thin, well-drained lime-rich soils) CLIMATE (cooler, moister)

Lowland Calcareous Grasslands

Supporting a high richness and diversity of species including invertebrates.

LOWLAND CALCAREOUS GRASSLAND FORMATION DEGRADATION

INTENSIFICATION OF AGRICULTURE

GRASSLAND ABANDONMENT

LANDUSE CHANGE

Bats Habitat

East caverns have been closed for the habitat conservation of bats.

Bare Portland Rock

Calcareous Grassland

Shrub & Tree

Pasture

Path & Road Water

Invasive species

Bat Cattle Seabirds Reptiles Pollinators

12

Mechanical Production Chemical inputs

Re-seeding Quarrying

UK faces continued habitat loss

43 000 ha in 1990

30 000 ha in 2007

Distribution Of Lowland Calcareous Grass In England

Why Do We Support Grasslands Instead Of Woodland?

CARBON OFF-SETTING Grasslands sequestrate more carbon than woodland, storing in their roots and the soil. (Califonia University, 2017)

POLLINATION

A vital resource for pollinators and basic food supplies of the food web.

MAINTAIN SPECIES DIVERSITY On a coast that cannot support trees, it still can support a high richness and diversity of species.

THREATS TO LOWLAND CALCAREOUS GRASSLANDS

In Winspit, Lowland calcareous grasslands are threatened by invasive species, habitat fragmentation, and scrub encroachment due to the surrounding intensive agriculture and historical quarrying.

Bare Portland Rock

Calcareous Grassland

Shrub & Tree

Today, in Dorset, agriculture remains the major user of land. Under competing uses and shrinking land, these abandoned quarries which can provide suitable substrates seem to be an opportunity for the expansion of this species-rich habitat.

In Winspit Quarry, pioneer plants gowned directly onto the mineral substrate through natural succession.

SPECIES

Sea Carrot (Daucus carota subsp)

Rock samphire (Crithmum maritimum)

Sea aster (Tripolium pannonicum)

Squills (Scilla)

Thrift (Armeria maritima)

Rock-roses (Helianthemum Collection)

Bare Portland Rock

Calcareous Grassland

Shrub & Tree

Pasture

Invasive Species

Pioneer Species

Carlina (carline thistle)

Sea Campion (Silene uniflora)

Black medick (Medicago lupulina)

Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)

Yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus minor)

PASTURE

Ryegrass (genus Lolium) Plantain (Broadleaf plantain) Clove ( genus Trifolium)

SHRUB & TREE

Douglas iris iris douglasiana）

Golden Samphire (limbarda crithmoides (l.) dumort)

Rock stonecrop (Sedum reflexum)

Procumbent Pearlwort (Sigina procumbens L.)

Brassica montana Brassica montana）

Old Man's Beard (Clematis vitalba)

Agricultural improvement has led to the establishment of highly impoverished plant communities typically dominated by a limited range of competitive species.

Cynosurus cristatus (Cynosurus cristatus)

Portland Stone

Red fescue (Festuca rubra)

Sheep’s-fescue (Festuca ovina)

Yellow Oat-grass (Trisetum flavescens)

Narrow-leaved Meadow-grass (Poa angustifolia)

Sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum)

Lichens & Mosses

Thrift (Armeria maritima)

Hawthorn (crataegus laevigata (poir.) dc)

Rock samphire (Crithmum maritimum)

Rock-roses (Helianthemum Collection)

Sea Carrot (Daucus carota subsp

Hawthorn (crataegus laevigata (poir.) dc)

Sheep’s-fescue (Festuca ovina)

Douglas iris ( iris douglasiana）

Old Man's Beard (Clematis vitalba)

English ivy ( Hedera helix）

Red fescue (Festuca rubra)

Pioneer communities have established directly onto the mineral substrate through natural succession.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)

Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)

European hornbeam (carpinus betulus)

Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster)

Areas that were abandoned reverted to scrub and woodland through natural succession, which threatened the grasslands.

Cynosurus cristatus (Cynosurus cristatus)

Red fescue (Festuca rubra)

Rock samphire (Crithmum maritimum)

Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)

Brassica montana Brassica montana）

Early stages of calcareous grassland habitat can be established directly onto the mineral substrate.

Brassica montana Brassica montana）

Lowland Calcareous Grassland

WINSPIT'S NOMADIC NURSERY: Lowland Calcareous Grasslands Restoration

GEOLOGY: LIME-RICH SUBSTRATE

Geological Mapping

Portland Stone Formation Process

Lime-Rich Substrate & Natural Succession

Superficial Deposits

Portland Freestone - Limestone

Portland Cherty member - Limestone

Interbedded Limestone & Argillaceous Rocks

Interbedded Limestone & Mudstone Artificial Ground

TRIASSIC JURASSIC

The geological condition (portland Stone) can provide a lime-rich substrate for the creation of calcareous grasslands.

Triassic red beds deposited under desert conditions

Some pioneer plants already grow on the bare surface through natural succession, which means biological communities can recover by themselves without anthropogenic disturbance. However, it requires 50100 years to restore the abandoned quarries to a stable state. (Tang and Shen, 2013)

With Jurassic sea-level rise, clays, sandstone and limestones form in marine environments

EARLY CRETACEOUS

Early Cretaceous sea levels drop, and mudstones form in coastal settings.

Rocks are tilted to the east then eroded

LATE CRETACEOUS

Marine Chalk deposited as Late Cretaceous seas rise again

QUATERNARY

Quaternary erosion forms the modern landscape

Portland Shelly Bowers Roach

Natural Portland Stone from Winspit Quarry

Portland Stone

PORTLAND STONE

Stromatolitic & evaporitic & marl Micrite with "shrimp" (Rare)

Shrimp Bed (fine-grained and splintery)

Bowers Roach

The stone is an extremely shelly stone with a large number of holes scattered throughout it.

Shell-sand with large bivalves & ammonites

PORTLAND SAND

Shell-sand (packstonegrainstone)

Fine shell-sand

Shell-sand with large bivalves & ammonites

Titanites Bed (includes Blue Stone & Spangle) Pond Freestone

The stone is a fine grain and a tight texture.

Listy Bed & Chert Vein (the chert is a useful marker horizon)

Suitable for polish

The stone is a fine grain and a tight texture.

Suitable for substrate

House cap (look for large shells beneath)

Under Picking cap (cut to waste to get at under freestone)

Impurity-filled bed with open fissures

Suitable for polish

Shell-sand (packstonegrainstone)

Under Freestone

THE MAIN QUARRIED STONE

PORTLAND CHERTY SERIES

Fine shell-sand

KIMERIDGE CLAY

Tighter granular structure, free of fissures and with minimal inclusions.

More easily weathered layers are conducive to soil accumulation and plant colonization.

Sponge spicule limestone with silica from spicules forming the chert

Rhaxella Wackestone

Parrallel Bands

The Massive Bed

The White Cement-Stone

Portland Stone

STONE TRANSPORT AREA

The cranes were used to load the stone onto barges for transport to Swanage and beyond.

STONE WORKING AREA

Some of this stone was roughed out into the sizes and shapes needed by architects to reduce the weight.

STONE MINING AREA

Portland stone was quarried using traditional methods by hand. White limestone slabs were lifted, moved, and split using a hammer and chisel.

Wagons on the sea worn rock ledge below then carried the stone to waiting boats.

The stone that was worked in the 19th century left the quarry by sea. It was lowered over the cliff edge by gibbet cranes.

Stone were carried to a shipment point at the very edge.

To support the roof, quarrymen left pillars in the in-situ limestone or else built pillars from stone wasters.

Portland stone was quarried using traditional methods by hand. White limestone slabs are lifted, moved, and split using a hammer and chisel. And moving stone through wooden logs.

Rutway Gibbet Cranes Mine Cart Apophygate Columns

Years of mining have reshaped landforms and topography, The exposed rock face creates a strong visual contrast with the vegetation.

Temperature & Humidity

Temperature(C) - Hourly

Sunpath & Shadow Area

The rich microtopography also brings about changes in microclimate, with light trails and shadow ranges producing variations throughout the year.

a. Spring

Humidity(%) - Hourly

b. Summer

Wind Rose

Hourly Data: Wind Speed (m/s)

Yearly Wind Rosa

c. Autumn

Windy Area

d. Winter

WINSPIT'S NOMADIC NURSERY: Lowland Calcareous Grasslands Restoration

Wind Speed (M\S)

Land Surface Temperature (°C) Humidity (%) Sunny bare portland stone surface

Shaded bare portland stone surface Sunny vegetation surface

Shade has the greatest contribution to Land surface temperature. and there is a negative correlation between vegetation and land surface temperature. (Kumar, 2015) Differences in the microclimate of the site will further influence the restoration and intervention measures to create a stable growing environment for plants.

645

Total persons

263

Residents in employment

A large number of residents who are of working age are unemployed, with traditional employers of the quarry and agriculture no longer viable.

AGE STATISTICS OF THE POPULATION IN WORTH MATRAVERS

(Source: National Statistics)

EMPLOYMENT OF WORKERS IN WORTH MATRAVERS

(Source: National Statistics )

1975-1994

1995-2014

In 2022, The National Trust purchased a 350-acre farm and nearby Winspit quarry with the aim of returning the farm fields to wildlife-friendly grassland and creating a continuous wildlife corridor.

“Nature recovery is at the heart of what we do, but so is connecting people with nature and the outdoors.

“We aim to create a landscape that is richer in nature...... land, and life will be restored to the soil using natural regenerative farming methods.

“As the land is given time to rest and recover, the ground will store more carbon, and streams flowing off the land will be cleaner and healthier.”

The ownership change of this area will give a new opportunity to negotiate the ecology, the local community, and the visitors. In this way, converting the quarry into a nursery provides resources for the 'wildlife corridor' and new economic benefits for locals. residents, reconnecting people with nature and local quarrying history.

2022- Winspit Area

Winspit Quarry

Worth Matravers

Maintaining high species richness

Scrub and other aggressive species management

(Keep the sward shorter than 10 cm)

Aviod seed predators

WINSPIT QUARRY

NURSERY

NURSERY ESTABLISHMENT

Sunlight & Shade

Climate

Wind

Soil moisture storage

HABITAT MANAGEMENT

Grassland establishment typically takes 3 to 5 years. (Ashwood, 2015)

Landform

Moving unstable rock

Constructing microterrain

Growth Blocks

Carbonate

Adjusting mineral substrate

Soil

-Calcareous mineral wastes

-Weathered industrial wastes

-Require nutrient addition

Material transformation

Vegetation

Seed Bank: Local Source

-Wildflowers

-Grasses

Cultivation Strategy

-Turf inoculants

-Natural colonisation

-Green-hay strewing

-Seeding

This project proposes transforming Winspit Quarry into a nursery for lowland calcareous grasslands restoration. It develops a strategy to promote a return to local material and the creation of new habitat cycles and long-term management.

Tangible and intangible resources such as light, wind, material, labour, and biodiversity are remanaged in this cycle.

Light grazing

HABITAT CREATION

The patches create gaps for new plants to establish and then microhabitats linked into a whole.

Cutting

SEEDING STONE MIGRATION WIND DISPERAL

Surrounding National Trust Land National Trust member, visitor - Wider range

Mature Nursery Become a new seed bank for wider area.

Working with local farming communities & visitors

Organic matter Seed Mix

Portland Stone (convert volume to weight)

1 M³ = 2371 KG

Mine Cart: 4000KG Max Weight Load

4000KG÷2371=1.687M³ =1.19M×1.19M×1.19M

Female Safe lifting weight: 16KG

16KG÷2371KG/M³=0.0067M³

=0.189M×0.189M×0.189M

Male Safe lifting weight: 25KG

25KG÷2371KG/M³=0.01M³

=0.215M×0.215M×0.215M

Packpack Load: 15KG

The waste stone can be reused as a source of material for conditioning the soil or media for plant colonization.

With safe lifting weight, calculate the size of portland stone that can be moved by people.

Case Study: Swanworth Quarry, UK

The research informed that topsoil provides nutrients that may encourage weedy species and bring in seeds of unknown origin. In this way, Incorporating waste crushed limestone from the quarry is a good base for habitat restoration, the waste stone will be powder or broken to provide a substrate.

Substrate For Restoration

Characteristics of the Soil for Calcareous Grassland

Source: Ashwood, F. (2006) Lowland Calcareous Grassland Creation And Management In Land Regeneration Functional Ecology. [Online] Available at: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications/bestpractice-guidance-for-land-regeneration/ (Accessed: 20 August 2023).

Turf inoculants

Green-hay strewing Seeding

Portland stone contains 95% carbonate

49.84% Others

Shrub management and grazing can provide compost, aged animal manures, green manures.

30% CaCO3

The waste stone can be powder to provide carbonate for soil improvement.

20% Clay

16% Silt

64% sand

Calcareous Topsoil

19% Organic matter

1.16% Total nitrogen

Mowing / Light grazing

Stone Breaker

Rock Splitter Stone Blocks Powder Gravel

Substrate for seed sowing in Swanworth Quarry, UK Source: https://consbiol.wordpress.com/quarryrestoration/

PLANTING TYPES FOR RESTORATION

Submitted 19June2017

Accepted 27September2017

Published 14November2017

Correspondingauthor

BarbaraMariaSmith, barbara.smith2@coventry.ac.uk, barbarasmithmail@gmail.com

Academiceditor

JianguoWu

AdditionalInformationand

Declarationscanbefoundon

page17

DOI 10.7717/peerj.3942

Copyright 2017Smithetal.

Distributedunder

CreativeCommonsCC-BY4.0

OPENACCESS

Source: Ashwood, F. (2006) Lowland Calcareous Grassland Creation And Management In Land Regeneration Functional Ecology. [Online] Available at: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/ publications/best-practice-guidance-for-land-regeneration/ (Accessed: 20 August 2023).

Grasslandhabitatrestoration:lessons learntfromlongtermmonitoringof SwanworthQuarry,UK,1997–2014

BarbaraMariaSmith1 2 ,AnitaDiaz3 andLintonWinder4 CentreforAgroecology,WaterandResilience,CoventryUniversity,Coventry,UnitedKingdom GameandWildlifeConservationTrust,Fordingbridge,UnitedKingdom LifeandEnvironmentalSciences,BournemouthUniversity,Bournemouth,UnitedKingdom PrimaryIndustries,ScienceandEnvironment,ToiOhomaiInstituteofTechnology,Rotorua,NewZealand

ABSTRACT

Habitatrestorationprojectsareoftenconductedwhenprioruseorextractionof naturalresourcesresultsinlanddegradation.Thesuccessofrestorationprogrammes, however,isvariable,andstudiesthatprovideevidenceoflongtermoutcomesare valuableforevaluationpurposes.Thisstudyfocusedontherestorationofvegetation withinalimestonequarryinDorset,UKbetween1997and2014.Usingarandomised blockdesign,theeffectofseedmixandseedrateonthedevelopmentofcommunity assemblagewasinvestigatedincomparisontoanearbytargetcalcareousgrassland site.Wehypothesisedthatseedmixcompositionandsowingratewouldinfluence boththetrajectoryofthegrasslandassemblageandfinalcommunitycomposition. Wefoundthatspeciescomposition(inrelationtobothrichnessandcommunity assemblage)wasstronglyinfluencedbytimeandtosomeextentbyseedrateandseed mix.However,notreatmentsachievedstrongresemblancetothecalcareousgrassland targetvegetation;rathertheyresembledmesotrophiccommunities.Weconcludethat (aswithpreviousstudies)thereisno‘‘quickfix’’fortheestablishmentofagrassland community;long-termmonitoringprovidesusefulinformationonthetrajectory ofcommunitydevelopment;sowinggetsyousomething(inourcasemesotrophic grassland),but,itmaynotbethetargetvegetation(e.g.,calcicolousgrassland)you wantthatisdifficulttoestablishandregenerate;itisimportanttosowadiverse mixassubsequentrecruitmentopportunitiesareprobablylimited;post-establishment managementshouldbeexploredfurtherandcarefullyconsideredaspartofarestoration project.

Subjects ConservationBiology,Ecology,EcosystemScience

Keywords Calcareousgrassland,Habitatrestoration,Seedrate,Seedmix,CSR,Functional signature,Grimestriangle

INTRODUCTION

Theuseorextractionofnaturalresourcesoftenresultsinlanddegradation,wherethe ecologicalvalueofasiteorareaiscompromised.Oneapproachtomitigatetheseimpacts istoconductarestorationprogrammefollowingthecessationoftheactivity.Thesuccess ofrestorationprogrammes,however,isvariable,andstudiesthatprovideevidenceof longtermoutcomesfromsuchschemesareparticularlyvaluableforevaluationpurposes

Source: Smith, B. M. et al. (2017) Grassland habitat restoration: lessons learnt from long term monitoring of Swanworth Quarry, UK, 1997-2014. PeerJ (San Francisco, CA). [Online] 5e3942–e3942.

Howtocitethisarticle Smithetal.(2017),Grasslandhabitatrestoration:lessonslearntfromlongtermmonitoringofSwanworth Quarry,UK,1997–2014. PeerJ5:e3942;DOI10.7717/peerj.3942

Seeds Selection

PLANTING PALETTE

Animal-dispersed & Wind-dispersal Species

Forbs

Sea Campion (Silene uniflora)

Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)

Sea aster (Tripolium pannonicum)

Thrift (Armeria maritima)

Yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus minor)

Procumbent Pearlwort (Sigina procumbens L.)

Sea Carrot (Daucus carota subsp)

Golden Samphire (limbarda crithmoides (l.) dumort)

Carlina (carline thistle)

Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

Black Medic (Medicago lupulina)

Brassica montana Brassica montana）

Flowering Time Dispersal Time

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium

Grasses

Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)

Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

Bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Rough Hawkbit (Leontodon hispidus)

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia)

Cynosurus cristatus (Cynosurus cristatus)

Red fescue (Festuca rubra)

Reproduce Asexually

Forbs

Sheep’s-fescue (Festuca ovina)

Yellow Oat-grass (Trisetum flavescens)

Narrow-leaved Meadow-grass (Poa angustifolia)

Sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum)

Flowering Time Dispersal Time

Douglas iris iris douglasiana） Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

Rock rose (Helianthemum Collection)

Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)

Rock samphire (Crithmum maritimum)

Rock stonecrop (Sedum reflexum)

Flowering Time Seed Ripening Division & Planting

Seeds of Forbs dispersal

Seeds of Grasses dispersal Seeds of Forbs ripen

Reproduce asexually: division Seeds of Grasses dispersal

During grassland restoration, regional seeds have competitive advantages over arable weeds, ruderal, and invasive alien species. (Walker et al., 2015 ) The selection of seeds of native origin (as dominant species) facilitates habitat establishment, which also extends the richness of the native community. There is a seasonal cycle for Seed collection and sowing, and a lot of species from grasslands spread dependent on animals and wind.

The range of long-distance seed dispersal by wind is 80m, the key factors promoting the spread distance are:

A. High Weed Speed

B. Strong Updrafts

C. Seed Accumulation

Wind direction affects seed dispersal

Plants that depend on wind dispersal become an anchor point once they have settled, spontaneously expanding to the periphery. The mean angle of dispersal is closely related to the prevailing wind direction. Moreover, the extent of wind dispersal of seeds is related to species characteristics, wind speed, and height of dispersal.

Therefore, some landscape interventions such as landforms can be used to increase wind speed, increase dispersal height and promote seed accumulation in order to increase the dispersal range.

Source: Cresswell, J. E. et al. (2010) aerodynamics and efficiency of wind pollination in grasses. Functional ecology. [Online] 24 (4), 706–713.

80M

Continuous Expansion

Range of Long distance seed dispersal

Seed Dispersal Range

Adjusting microclimate and wind dispersal efficiency through the intervention of landform, material, and vegetation. The extent, direction and efficiency of seed dispersal is related to the height of dispersal, air temperature and wind speed.

Calcareous

WIND DISPERSAL SEQUENCE

The habitat can be continually expanded through wind dispersal, but this is dependent on long-term management. The establishment of an anchor point consists of a pre-preparation, a growth period, and a management period, with different environmental measures being taken at each stage to help establish the microhabitat.

Short-term intensive grazing

6 Weeks for allowing the soil to settle

The trampled patches

0 Year 3 Years

During the dry season of autumn and winter, there are strong winds.

Long- Term Grazing

Use 0.5 cattle or 2.5 sheep ha-1 yr-1 (Ashwood, 2015)

Phase 1: Mosaic Creation

Phase 4: Wind Barrier & Avoid herbivory

Phase 2: Topography & Soil Adjustment

Phase 5: Wind pollination & seed dispersal

Phase 3: Seeding

Seed mixes can be sown in spring (Mar./Apr.) or Autumn (Sep./ Oct.)

Phase 6: Grazing Management

FUTURE SCENARIO: FLOWING & SPREADING NURSERY

( Site boundary depends on the extension of wind dispersal. )

Nomadic Nursery will consist of three stages; the establishment of the nursery, the migration of the seeding stone, and the wind dispersal. The Portland stone that has been mined and transported in the past will be transformed into a medium for habitat creation.

Visitors can carry the seeding stone and seeds to help create a microhabitat. In addition, the national trust builds the trig points to continuously recover the historical loss of grasslands through seeding stone and wind dispersal on the wider area.

The site boundary after 5 years

The site boundary after 3 years

DIFFUSION ZONE INITIAL

Prevailing Wind

Seed Dispersal Trig

Efficient dispersal range

Maximum dispersal range

Prevailing Wind

PHASE 3: WIND DISPERSAL

The Permanent Boundary of Initial Nursery

HABITAT CREATION IN DIFFERENT SCALES

National Trust, local community, and visitors will participate in the restoration, the grasslands will be restored in national trust land and our backyards. The expansion of the nursery will overlay different scales and timelines.

Visitors take the seeding stone back home or the surrounding area to create a microhabitat.

Continued habitat expansion through seeding stone and wind dispersal on National Trust land.

Winspit Quarry National Trust Land UK National Trust

Visitors

DESIGN ITERATIONS

By transforming Winspit Quarry into a nursery, it acts as an anchor to expand habitats in Dorset. The movement of visitors, wind dispersal, and dynamic management will facilitate the missing ecological interactions and reverse the historical loss of nature and the local economy.

1.BREEDING

Winspit Quarry

Treated patch Mosaic CaCO3

3. SEED DISPERSAL

2. PLANTING

Green-hay strewing

Seeding

Storyboard Of Exsiting Tourist Trail

During the site visit, historical and ecological traces are documented in sketches, and changes in light and microclimate provide a rich sensory experience for the visitors.

Section of Winspit Quarry

Two caves of the current quarries are still open, the rest have been closed due to security and bat protection.

Draft Plan Of Quarry

Enhance light reflection to promote plant growth conditions.

DESIGN ITERATIONS

Deepen the visitor's experience with human viewpoint sketches. Ecological restoration will be overlaid with experiential journeys in this Nomadic Nursery.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

The design will combine industrial traces with ecological restoration based on the microclimate of the different areas of the site and the conditions of the intangible and tangible resources.

NOMADIC NURSERY: Lowland Calcareous Grasslands Restoration

Different geological formations and erosion will affect the efficiency of light reflection, which is enhanced by polishing parts of the rock surface to reflect light into the planting area.

Natural Rough Stone Surface

Polished Stone Surface

MODEL TEST: Light Reflection Of Portland Stone

Model Testing With A Polished Portland Stone

The angle of the light-receiving surface will affect the range of refraction, and model tests have shown that an angle of 60 to 80° favours the projection of light onto the ground.

Natural Rough Stone Surface

Polished Stone Surface

MODEL TEST: Column Matrix

The matrix consists of columns, each of which is enclosed by Portland stone. It will attenuate wind speeds, promoting plant settlement and growth.

MODEL TEST: Wind Dispersal Stages

The columns will tilt with the wind and become an orbit for seed dispersal, promoting dispersal efficiency by elevating the height of dispersal.

Initial Matrix

After 3 Years

Initial Matrix

After 3 Years

After 5 Years

CHAPTER 2

/ WINSPIT'S NOMADIC NURSERY

PROGRAMME

WINSPIT'S NOMADIC NURSERY

Lowland Calcareous Grasslands Restoration SITE

Winspit Quarry, Dorset, UK

AIMS

Re-Introduce Native Lowland Calcareous Grasslands

AMBITIONS

- New form of economy

- Reversing the trend of persistent habitat losses

- A medium of ecological, historical, and material transformation of the post-industrial ruins

WHO IS IT FOR Locals Visitors

National Trust

1. Stratum

3. Planting Field

2. Cave Pool

4. Vertical Garden

6. Debris Garden

5. Rocky Nursery

1. Stratum

2. Cave Pool

3. Planting Field

4. Vertical Garden

5. Rocky Nursery

6. Debris Garden

WINSPIT'S NOMADIC NURSERY: Lowland Calcareous Grasslands Restoration

EXPERIENTIAL TOUR

IRRIGATION SYSTEM

The historical quarrying process in the quarry will be transformed into a restoration process. It will be an experiential journey for visitors, including stone cutting, growth block processing, and transplanting. By capitalizing on the natural features of the site, the project will create different planting areas and biotopes to support wider habitat creation.

Since calcareous grasslands do not require high moisture. A main channel will run through the site, using the existing caves to reduce evaporation. In this way, the irrigation system including traditional methods such as dew pond, Olla Irrigation Pot and Irrigation Line are is conducive to water saving and weed reduction.

Stone Cutting

Growth Block & Seed Production

Olla Irrigation Pot

Dew Pond

Irrigation Line

Seeds Collection

PLANTING PLAN AND MANAGEMENT METHODS

Stratum Zone & Planting Field Zone

Gentle terrain & stable microclimate

Grass

Seeds can be transported outside of animals or ingestion by animals.

Phase1: Sowing seed mixtures Phase2: Light grazing management Phase3: Transplanting

A mixture of wildflower and grass seeds are sown at the same time. The species planted tend to be reproduce asexually and animaldispersal.

Vertical Garden

Wildflower

Long-term management through grazing is essential for maintaining this semi-natural Habitats.(Ashwood, 2015) And the cattles and sheeps will also serve as seed dispersal agents.

Wildflower Grass

Grazing and human activity will carry seeds over greater distances. In addition, the seeding stone will capture some seeds for dispersal.

Steep terrain & stable microclimate

Phase1: Sowing seed mixtures of Wildflower & Grass

Planting species that depend on wind for seed dispersal in the area.

Rocky Nursery & Platform Zone

Phase2: Mowing management

The steep and complex terrain is not suitable for grazing management. Mowing may be suitable for small sites and those on gentle slopes (Ashwood, 2015).

Phase3: Transplanting

Vertical Garden's planting height enhances the wind dispersal of seeds. In addition, the seeding stone will be placed to capture some seeds for transplant.

Windy microclimate

Phase1: Sowing seed mixtures of Annual Nurse Grass & native wild flowers

Annual Nurse Grass can provide rapid initial cover, and its vigor will declines with time, allowing wildflower species sown. (Mitchley et al., 1996)

Phase2: Mowing management Phase3: Transplanting

After mowing, cuttings should be removed from the site. (Ashwood, 2015) The height of sward should kept at 10cm.

The mature stone column and cutted sward with seeds can be used for transplanting on other sites.

Lolium perenne

Wildflower Nurse Grass Grass

In the Stratum zone, the project organizes a route to the geological layers and disused caves which reveals different quarrying techniques and various types of stone and geological properties. Therefore, the movement of visitors forms a process of perception and constructs a space outlining geological information and historical traces, crossing the deep time of nature.

STRATA LAYERS

Part of the decayed rock face is cut and polished to visually reveal the hidden geological layers.

RECONNECTING THE CAVES

A walkway was built in the quarry face to extend the accessibility of different heights of caves. Moreover, the magnificent rock face and cave scenery will be reflected in the water, promoting a visual experience and ambience.

Existing

The Winspit Quarry is an area of significance in terms of geology, flora, and fauna. The reconnection of caves and platforms with varying elevations offers people all-round perspectives to enjoy the scenery and reveal the entanglement between historical quarrying activity and habitat.

HISTORICAL QUARRYING TRACES

Cross Section Planting Area Water Path

The platform points in two directions, one for nature recovery of a wide area and one for the abandoned East Quarry.

The main irrigation channel takes the visitors into the project, forming a circuit connecting the main points. The gentle channel winds through the bare Portland stone ground to the disused cave which is transformed into a pool for irrigation. The caves are the result of years of quarrying and supported by irregular pillars. The cave will be filled with water, where the recomposition of material, light, and structure will enhance the unique atmosphere.

Irrigation System

Light Reflection

Dew Pond Olla Irrigation Pot

Step 1: Excavate the dish shape

Step 2: Line with lime ash and puddled clay

Step 4: Filled with Water

Step 3: Pave with stone sett

Dew ponds are a traditional way to collect and hold water in a limestone area.

The irrigation pot can provide a self-watering system.

The Calcareous Grassland does not require high moisture, through the irrigation system of the project, natural precipitation will be stored and distributed at the site. The natural irrigation system will be established by traditional methods including pots, channels, and a dew pond to water carefully.

Olla Irrigation Pot

Dew Pond

Cave Pool

POOL & PLANTING FIELD

The Planting Field is divided by four passages embedded in the ground, where the light conditions affect the planting types. The passages are designed based on the light-shadow boundaries at various seasonal and daily times. The sunlight will move between different passages, and the different angles of light and height of views intertwine to form a series of sensory sequences.

WINSPIT'S NOMADIC NURSERY: Lowland Calcareous Grasslands Restoration

VERTICAL GARDEN & ROCKY NURSERY

The project will clear an area that is cluttered with quarrying waste stone, and replace it with a stone terrace for planting. The sunlight reflection will be promoted by the polishment of the rock face, creating a suitable microclimate.

The matrix consists of columns, each of which is enclosed by Portland stone. It will attenuate wind speeds, promoting plant settlement and growth.

In time, as the biome builds, the columns tilt with the wind and become the track and anchor point for the wind dispersal of seeds.

Species of calcareous grassland require good drainage and unfertile soil. The waste rock and sand from the quarry will be reused as part of the planting substrate, which will not bring unknown seeds and rebuild native vegetation communities. In addition, annual Nurse Grass can provide rapid initial cover, and its vigor will decline with time, allowing wildflower species to be sown. (Mitchley et al., 1996)

Lolium perenne

Nurse Grass

Stone Column

Portland Stone Block

Portland Stone Planting Substrate

Column Matrix

Wind

Sunlight Reflection

The polished stone surface enhances the refractive effect. By adjusting the angle of the cliff, the refraction of the light can enhance the light in the shadows, promoting the growth of plants in the planting areas.

In the Debris Garden, the project converts the remnant of the ancient plant where Portland Stone was processed into workshops and shop spaces of seeds and species of calcareous grasslands.

In this space, visitors will realize the richness of species that make up the calcareous grassland and experience the production of growth blocks and seed collection. This garden will also be the base for Nomadic Nursery's outward expansion through National Trust and tourists.

Cross Section Planting Area Water Path

Seeds Collection

Placing grow blocks in Calcareous grassland planting areas to capture the seeds. The mature stone blocks and cut sward with seeds can be used for transplanting. In addition, some herbs are dried to harvest the seeds.

Habitat Creation

The movement of visitors and wind will continually dispersal the seeds. The blocks will be built in a stack or column as a trig point in the wider area for habitat creation.

Blocks Production

Drilling holes in the stone and adding soil to form the grow blocks. These blocks will help capture the seeds and dispersal.

Wind Dispersal

Harvested seeds will be placed at the top of the column to expand the habitat by wind dispersal.