Mud | Guard: Negotiated Sediment

Mud | Guard is a 2-part project that takes inspiration from the form and materiality of the World War II anti-tank blocks in Landguard Nature Reserve to investigate new approaches to coastal erosion and flooding. The first stage includes a coastal pathway that incorporates a pier designed to limit coastal erosion. The speculative material – shinglecrete – is reinforced concrete that uses local shingle as the aggregate and cement from regionally sourced oyster shells as the binder, exploring more sustainable ways of managing coastal construction.

The second part of the project extends the design along the inland mudflats and salt marshes, using a strategy of sediment and environmental management to mitigate seawater rise and coastal erosion. The intertidal mudflats and salt marshes are key habitats and vital in the protection of the coasts from erosion and flood risk for the rivers Orwell, Stour and Deben, as highlighted by the Special Protection Area (SPA), a Site of Special Scienti­fic Interest (SSSI), Ramsar and GEOSites designations. Central to the design is a pathway system of revetments that mediate between human and non-human stakeholders and environmental challenges of dredging, construction, and farming.