BIOGENIC RESTORATION

Mohammad Shayan Mahoutforoush (MSc),

Dimitrios Mitsimponas (MSc)

Konstantinos Sideris (MSc)

2025– 2026

The thesis addresses the continuing decline of seagrass meadows in the Dutch Wadden Region through a regenerative architectural system. Seagrass meadows sustain biodiversity, stabilise sediment, improve water quality and store carbon, yet their recovery remains constrained by hydrological changes and unstable seabed conditions. In response, the project investigates how temporary architectural interventions can assist meadow establishment while supporting research, material production and low-impact ecotourism. To bring these activities together, the system follows shared environmental and spatial criteria. Geographic and marine datasets are combined through machine learning and computational site-selection methods to identify suitable restoration areas and integrate the environmental requirements of seagrass into the design. These criteria establish two vertically connected layers, with a biodegradable lattice that stabilises sediment below water and facilities that extend across interconnected timber platforms above it. Material research forms the basis of the submerged intervention. A biodegradable composite is developed from seagrass fibers combined with bio-based binders, additives and aggregates. The design process initially treats the restoration area as a continuous surface formed from this composite. Structural analysis identifies its principal stress lines, which are abstracted into a materially efficient lattice that creates open, sheltered pockets across the seabed. Within these pockets, the lattice moderates sediment movement by reducing near-bed current velocity and erosion, allowing seagrass to grow. Material degradation is treated as an active design parameter, so the lattice gradually biodegrades as the seagrass root and rhizome network expands and meadow density increases. Above water, Cellular Automata position a network of timber platforms in relation to the underwater lattice and cluster the functions according to their spatial relationships. Branching timber columns and beams, developed through graphic statics, are aligned with the lattice zones to support this elevated framework while leaving the restoration pockets below unobstructed. The programme includes facilities for environmental monitoring, seagrass collection, drying and biomaterial fabrication, alongside exhibition spaces, observation areas and temporary visitor accommodation. Timber forms the primary structure, while seagrass is combined with seashells in a functionally graded composite developed as compression-resistant infill within platform assemblies. Seagrass is also used as insulation, drawing on its vernacular application in coastal construction across the Wadden Sea region. This extends the material research from the submerged lattice into the architecture above water. Furthermore, the architectural envelopes respond to the environmental conditions of the site. Façade and roof options are designed for each building according to solar exposure and the prevailing wind direction and compiled into a computational catalogue. The catalogue assigns typologies according to programme, orientation and adjacency. This lightweight architectural system is designed for disassembly, relocation and reuse, so it can move between sites as restoration activities progress. Impermanence therefore becomes a design strategy that links architecture to the spatial and temporal progression of seagrass restoration.