This project focuses on the concept of ecotourism to create educational and environmental experiences in the landscape, while also making efforts to remediate it and increase its biodiversity. Showcasing how natural ecosystems can be re-introduced in the dense urban environment, the project looks to embed unique human experiences alongside natural systems in order for them to co-exist harmoniously. Ecological design is not simply about creating better natural environments, but also enhancing people’s perceptions and experiences of ecological and environmental restoration as a way of raising public awareness, encouraging people to care for and look after the landscape.

The proposal is to introduce a mosaic of wetland systems in order to restore riparian ecology, enhance biodiversity, improve water quality, alleviate flooding and create an educational experiential landscape for the public around Channelsea Island in the Lea River. Historically associated with sewage, chemicals and heavy industry, and subsequently forgotten by humans, the site is one of Lea Valley’s most opportune areas for development. By taking the user on a journey through various stages of water remediation, the river is manipulated to channel, filter and pool water in different areas through a wetland system, enhancing these habitats for local wildlife to thrive.