Jun Zeng

The Soil Lab

Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA)

Project Discription

This project in Hofn, Iceland, is designed to address soil issues caused by unsustainable agricultural activities and climate change.

Considering the scarcity and fragility of Icelandic soils, and the whole ecosystem, the project decided to not only build a laboratory environment for soil experimentation, that allows soil protection action to happen but also protect the wetlands surrounding the agricultural place where influenced by agriculture and facing degradation.

Site Challenges_Hofn, Iceland

We maped places having degredation problems in Hofn. In terms of erosion spots in wetland, wetland influenced by agriculture, and communities that may be affected. We also maped out the water movement caused by glacier melting, considered glacier melting is an important element in this landscape, that would affects the land.

Site Challenges Plan_Glacier Melting & Farming Influence in Hofn, Iceland

Strong wind is one of the characteristic of the site's climate. This map visualizes how the wind comes from different direction and causing effects to the land. Sediments flow, decrease in exposed land, accumulates in the river. Soils under bad condition are very likely go through hard time. The fragile soils, the fragile landscape become more delicate with strong wind.

Wind Flow & Sediment Movement Plan_Hofn, Iceland

This map shows how water moving in Hofn. Also records small waterscapes, pond, marsh, streams. I wanted to see how water moving in between soild land and imaging how water could shape the topography

Water & Sediment Movement Plan_Hofn, Iceland

The Soil Lab

The Soil Lab is a place includes areas for soil research and areas open to visitors. Aiming at helping with the challenges soil facing in Hofn, especially soil degradation caused by agriculture, the design creates a Soil Lab to allow soil experts to work here, to improve the ecology of this site.

Not only an area for staffs, but the design also considered about educational value of the place. The Soil Lab is designed to open to the public, people could visit the site and learn knowlege of protecting soi, nature...Moreover,there are a corridor and an outside area designed to let users to interract with soil, plant, wind, and nature. By creating these diverse experiences, to create site specific memories, to allow nature to come to our lifes.

A corridor of the Soil Lab, west-facing, different windows create different experiences. People interract with the corridor space.

Rammed Earth Corridor Visualisation_West-Facing_Visitors and staffs use th place__The Soil Lab_Hofn, Iceland

A corridor of the Soil Lab, east-facing, access to open area.

Rammed Earth Corridor Visualisation_East-Facing_Visitors use the place_The Soil Lab_Hofn, Iceland

Public Area of the Soil Lab place, includes an area for "the Soil Festival", area to feel the wind, and a Wind Garden.

Soil Lab Public Area Visualisation_During Soil Festival_People use the place_Isometric_Hofn, Iceland

Soil Lab Public Area Section_People use the place_Hofn, Iceland

Helping Degraded Wetland

This is a part of the wetland design, at the first stage. We will firstly build ponds on this wetland field, to see how vegetations in ponds grow and effect on the surrounding area. Then expand this strategy to wider context. In order to help the ecosystem of the wetland.

There is a huge area of the existing wetland affected by agriculture activities, especially the ditches been added to the wetland for drainage use. The wetland is facing big challenge. The design wants to help with the wetland, not only the soil here, but also the vegetations, the animals accounting on this environment.