Through co-design, objects and materials are created in response to local contexts and ecosystem needs, allowing humans to move beyond their extractive anthropocentric narratives and into a more reciprocal relationship with their surroundings.
Photography: Brendan Stewart-Jacks
Graphic Design: Ivy Vo
Located in London, with a focus on the Thames, the project interrogates the Golden Clam (Corbicula fluminea), a non-native species present since 2004 that is causing damage to the river ecosystem, both locally and globally.
The clam is an ecosystem engineer, and so its presence in non-native environments has a significant impact on the surrounding species; changing the river sediment, displacing the native species and altering the water nutrient levels.
CLAM-CRETE became a solution: a material derived from Golden Clam shells, reimagined as an aggregate replacement within a concrete-adjacent composite, simultaneously alleviating the need for harmful sand extraction, which is damaging water-centric ecosystems across the world. Material experiments included mixes with Portland cement, sodium alginate, and lime mortar as binders, exploring ways to move away from carbon-intensive materials.
The clam is an ecosystem engineer, and so its presence in non-native environments has a significant impact on the surrounding species; changing the river sediment, displacing the native species and altering the water nutrient levels.
CLAM-CRETE became a solution: a material derived from Golden Clam shells, reimagined as an aggregate replacement within a concrete-adjacent composite, simultaneously alleviating the need for harmful sand extraction, which is damaging water-centric ecosystems across the world. Material experiments included mixes with Portland cement, sodium alginate, and lime mortar as binders, exploring ways to move away from carbon-intensive materials.
- The Golden Clam
- Material Scalability
- Material Tests
Alongside its physical objects, CLAM-CRETE became the foundation of a series of ‘walking workshops’ where local participants are able to engage with eco-cultural design and the Golden Clam.