Revealing a Hidden Landscape
Beneath the Merseyway Shopping Centre lies a hidden asset. The River Mersey, confined within concrete walls, has for decades flowed out of view in its culvert. Originally a source of clean water and later a force harnessed by industry, the river today is devoid of life and waiting for rescue. This project releases the river from its concrete cage and allows it to once again flow naturally within a new flood tolerant wetland park.
Incorporating a Hidden Species
This project aims to design for White Clawed Crayfish with a hope to bolster their population. New refuges spaces, too small for invading species are abundant and areas to retreat during times of flood are provided. For us, the inclusion of a bio indicator as the basis of the design helps to reduce large scale management requirements encouraging the development of a natural, self sustaining ecosystem.
Minimising Carbon, Maximising Biodiversity
Throughout the site, the remnants of dismantled buildings are preserved and recycled concrete aggregate is used in place of natural stone to replenish the scoured river bed. This material, produced on site from demolition waste is appropriately sized to provide suitable refuges for White Clawed Crayfish. A new balance between human and nature is found through the inclusion of abundant wetland vegetation which not only improves the visual character of the public realm for us but also allows for the development of a self sustaining new urban ecosystem for wildlife. By implementing these measures, along with the introduction of new wetland vegetation, an estimated 1849% increase in site biodiversity can be realised and a total carbon sequestration of 4260m tons of CO2 can be achieved from the site within 50 years.
