XVIII 1.5 degrees

TUTORS: ELLY DEACON-SMITH + MATT HAYES
Welcome to the setting of Unit 18 – 1.5 Degrees C

In 2018, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a special report documenting the impacts of a global warming of more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. However, in many regions warming has already increased above this.

We declare a climate emergency. The Welsh Parliament was the first government to declare at a national level on 29 April 2019 – but as of the 20th of May 2020, almost 1,500 jurisdictions in 30 countries have done likewise – creating a collective of 820 million global citizens, rallying for systemic change for the good of our threatened world.

Michael Braungart and William McDonough investigated the role that specifically materials play into the destructive cycle of usage today in their book, Cradle to Cradle. Applying this to architecture, a goal of being less bad which is purported by many firms is now just not good enough.

Their statement became the setting for our initial precedent investigation into sustainable architecture today – are supposedly highly sustainable schemes really that environmentally sympathetic? This ultimately took the form of a group-produced research publication that investigated the supposed ‘high sustainability’ of todays architecture and allowed discussion about their self-certified credentials, being the most sustainable schemes at the cutting edge of environmental design. With this in mind, the Isles of Scilly is the ultimate site for the projects of 1.5 degrees C – an isolated community that is at the forefront of climate change, affecting their daily lives.

The Isles of Scilly are located 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall. A popular holiday destination for UK residents but also tourists from around the globe. The archipelago was once a single landmass, but is now made up of 5 main islands; St Marys the largest to the South East; Tresco; St Martins; Bryher; and St Agnes. The location in the Gulf Stream means the islands receive favourable climactic conditions year-round – likening them to an almost tropical climate.

The isles are under significant threat from sea-level rise due to their low-lying elevation. The main civic centre of the Isles, Hugh Town on St Marys, sits just 1m above sea-level, as do a number of other coastal settlements, that in over the next 50 years, could potentially be washed away. An initial site research phase looked at human, natural, geographic and sociological features of the islands.

Our site visit revealed the difficulties that are faced by the islanders due to their reliance on the tourist trade in the summer months, subsequently leading to a housing shortage at present. The second housing market is rife on Scilly with houses exchanging hands for hundreds of thousands of pounds. This is far more than the average Scillonian salary, which is also exacerbated by land ownership issues brought about by the proprietor, The Duchy of Cornwall. Keeping plots in lease agreements that escalate in price every year are forcing Scillonians out of their homes.

How can we create architecture that is not only better sustainably, but also highlights an inherent message of holistic wellness that is inevitably tied to an environmental sympathy? How can we make architecture that is better?

How can we communicate the immediate vital importance of a unified environmental message at a global scale to create and imagine a different future? We are using Scilly as a successful test bed for radical ideas of systemic change in society.