Y2 Project 4 Shifting Tectonics (1)

The final project of the year, named 'Shifting Tectonics', dealt with a dramatically shifting landscape around the village of Happisburgh in Norfolk (pronounced Hayes-Burgh). This was a site of contant coastal erosion, and despite the best efforts of all our knowledge and monetary power thus far, the speed of the erosion hasn't dimmed. It is under threat now of not existing at all within the next 100 years.


The cliffs were being eroded at an astonishing rate, and within 100 years the town will be almost underwater. The government has given up on repairing the sea defences along the coast for the most part because they are now far too expensive to maintain. First thing on the agenda was some in depth research about the erosion and why it happens in Happisburgh more than perhaps other places.




The main factors which contributed to the rapid erosion process were


1. Strong winds from across the North Sea, which in turn increased the power of the waves. This meant a greater impact on the cliff face.
2. Longshore Drift was a contributing factor. Taking away the materials, and reducing the size of the beach, which ordinarily would have slowed the waves down and reduce the kinetic force.
3.Side effects of coastal defences further up the coast such as reducing the amount of sediment which reaches Happisburgh (Trying to reduce the impact of longshore drift by the use of Groynes) and so the impact of the local longshore drift is increased.


This will become the focus of my project, which in the initial stages was pitched as a place where sediment along the coast could be re-used as a coastal defence itself. 


Here are a few site photographs to get an understanding of the situation.



This landscape provided an interesting architectural challenge. Not only was it in almost constant motion (referring of course back to 'Shifting Tectonics' the project title) but it was also a place where the population had been forgotten about, and ignored by almost everyone. It created a multitude of opportunity to design.