2024 European Research Prize
Coastal Register: Research and Design of Nature-based Solutions for Wetland Water Security

Against the backdrop of the EU Nature Restoration Law, wetland degradation is coming into sharp focus as a critical water-security issue. Ireland faces the highest loss, an estimated 75% of its wetlands have depleted over the past 30 years (Wetlands International, 2024). The European Court recently found Ireland guilty of failing to implement adequate measures to protect these critical ecosystems (2023). There is an urgent need for interdisciplinary action across research and design.

In the face of these challenges, this project asks the research question: How can architectural methods and interdisciplinary collaboration support the implementation of nature-based solutions for water security?

The project aims to lay the foundation for efforts to protect and restore coastal wetlands along the western seaboard in County Mayo. It employs a research-and-design methodology with a threefold scope:

• Framework: The project assembles an interdisciplinary team, bringing together architecture, geomorphology, “citizen scientists” from the community, the farmers forum, County Council, local government, and students. We aim to explore roles and responsibilities of community members, researchers, practitioners, educators and policymakers facing the complex relationship between water and the built environment at the coast.
• Fieldwork: Studies into pilot Nature-based Solutions will inform the design of a ‘test-site’ in Mulranny, County Mayo. We aim to propose data collection instruments to measure changes in the dynamic wetlands at three scales—landscape, project, and detail. This approach is aimed at activating small-scale interventions with large-scale implications for water security, ecosystem health, and community sustainability.
• Groundwork: The project will inform Ireland’s Building Change curriculum, preparing students to integrate nature-based solutions, climate literacy, and water security into their projects through cultural and ecological lenses. The project will guide student-led satellite projects. We aim to produce a report and exhibition synthesizing research findings through drawings, writings, models, photography, and observations. These outputs will shape long-term policies and actionable phases of work, advancing towards a water-secure future for Ireland.

References

European Court of Justice (ECJ). (2023). Case C-494/01 - European Commission v Ireland - Judgement. Court of Justice of the European Union. friendsoftheirishenvironment.org/eu?start=17.

Wetlands International Europe (2024). EU Mission Soil Manifesto. europe.wetlands.org/wetlands-international-europe-signifies-wetland-soils-importance-by-signing-the-eu-mission-soil-manifesto.

Team

This project is interdisciplinary: Dr. Steve Larkin and Helen McFadden (Architecture, TU Dublin); Dr. Iris Moeller and Dr. Mary Bourke (Geomorphology, Trinity College Dublin); Robert Coyne (Engineering, Tourism Recreation and Amenities, Mayo County Council); Mulranny Community Futures, Mulranny Farmers Forum, Rose Conway-Walsh (TD), Paul Lawless (TD), Alan Dillon (TD) and Dara Calleary (TD).

The jury was delighted to award the 2024 European Research Prize to “Coastal Register” by the School of Architecture at the Technological University Dublin. Wetland degradation is a critical global water-security issue; this is especially urgent in Ireland which faces the highest loss with 75% of its wetlands depleted over the past 30 years. We considered “Coastal Register” a well-conceived approach to researching and designing nature-based solutions to wetland degradation. By engaging interdisciplinary teams including farmers’ networks and citizen scientists as well as student groups, the project has the potential to inspire far reaching change.
Jane Withers, 2024 European Research Prize

This award is important as it offers an opportunity to develop architectural design-based research methodologies that can help solve coastal challenges alongside disciplines such as geomorphology, ecology, hydrology, engineering, and policymaking. This addresses the critical need for interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure the EU Nature Restoration Law can be implemented fairly and strategically for communities and stakeholders. The SOM Foundation award initiates and provides crucial support for new interdisciplinary research and design solutions. It is particularly meaningful as this is the first time it has been given to Ireland.
Steve Larkin and Helen McFadden