tom scrimgeour design.

Barking Barges & the Thames Mussel Conservation Centre

24 / RCA / The Grand Challenge / Terra Carta

Barking Barges uses native ecology and local waste streams to implement natural water filtration systems in urban rivers, resulting in improved water quality, biodiversity, local economy, community engagement, ecological conservation, and ocean-city relationships globally. The proposal in London, situated in Barking, uses end-of-life river barges to create a Mussel Conservation Centre. Built to study, breed and re-introduce native mussel species into UK river systems, this project will clean and filter the Thames while also restoring the habitat of other species in the process.

Winner of The Grand Challenge

Barking and Dagenham, one of the most underserved boroughs in England, the easternmost borough of London, and a national urbanisation priority, faces impending changes, including the relocation of the Billingsgate Fish Market. This urban shift risks ecological loss, further community alienation from their natural ecosystems and also loss of access to low-barrier third spaces for residents.

This speculative design proposal envisions leveraging conservation efforts for the Freshwater Pearl Mussel Species to positively impact Barking’s socio-economic development. Over the next 40-50 years, this plan envisions a self-sufficient and sustainable network of reclaimed barges, serving as versatile platforms to support recreational, conservational, communal, and agricultural spaces.

Presented to UNESCO and TERRA CARTA mentioned

The aim is to reimagine the urban development of Barking with minimal intrusion into the local ecology, fostering a sustainable and regenerative future while also serving a pivotal purpose in judging the impact of the Greater London Area on waterways and ecosystems around the world.

The Barking Barges team: Thomas Scrimgeour (MA Design Products) and Keerthi Pradaa Balajee (MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering) , inglei Cao (MA Service Design), Yiming Pan (MA Fashion).