What does it mean to design a trail through an unpredictable landscape? This project is based on and in dialogue with the geography, landscape and infrastructure conditions of the Campotosto basin in Abruzzo, Italy. ‘Seismic Response: Design in an Unpredictable Landscape’ highlights and makes connections between various cultural phenomena that have been embedded through time onto and into the site; these include hydrological infrastructure, geological significance, agricultural activities and touristic experience. Research through maps, drawings and diagrams allowed for an exploration of the influence of the site’s geological structure and history from a distance.

Synthesised through an exhaustive iteration of drawings of views, sights and sections, the following (deceptively) simple looking drawings outline the remarkable complexity of the history of this site — and its future. These drawings follow the trail that integrates the sites, cultural experiences and daily life for those in the Campotosto basin, working with the very geological structures that influence the local environment to encourage particular crops. All of these are examples of how humans can adapt to their environment — if only they pause to see and to listen.