D.A.F.T.Y. [Deptford Air Force Technician Youth]

The project addresses a crisis of air pollution in London. In 2018 the UK high court ruled that the government’s current policy on air pollution was “unlawful”, and ordered changes. At the same time, in South East London’s Deptford, 43% of residents reported someone in their household had developed health conditions as a result of air pollution. With no action from the government, this proposal enables local residents to reclaim clean air for their neighbourhood. It imagines the retrofitting of a large urban redevelopment in Deptford - the site of the London home of John Evelyn who wrote about London pollution in Fumifugium (1661). The design is composed of a series of seemingly makeshift interventions which [1] envelope the sources of air pollution (such as: vehicle exhaust fumes and construction processes), [2] gather the polluted air in the a large existing historical building, [3] clean the air by selected vegetation species, then finally [4] distribute the clean air to nearby playgrounds and local schools via tubes and spouts. Digital hand-held devices are also part of this design - disseminating knowledge and inspiring further direct action across London. The combination of low-tech and digital interventions reflect the collective agency of designer and  community.    

 < The studio brief was focused on designing for direct action to advance ecological justice and urban equity >