Bloom: The Open Laboratory
Wareham, Massachusetts
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Advised by Rosalea Monacella
Bloom: The Open Laboratory reimagines the agricultural and hydrological landscapes of Wareham, Massachusetts, as a productive, publicly accessible laboratory of ecological remediation, biotechnology and scientific experimentation. Situated between the dammed freshwater systems of Massachusetts and the saltwater estuaries of Buzzards Bay, the project challenges the tightly controlled infrastructures governing the movement of water, nutrients and chemical pollutants. Through the cultivation of algae, the proposal transforms these systems into an evolving landscape of environmental repair, circular production and collective scientific discovery.
Wareham's extensive cranberry bogs have long depended on intensive agricultural practices, with fertiliser and pesticide runoff contributing to the eutrophication of surrounding waterways. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus have encouraged harmful algal blooms, degrading aquatic ecosystems and threatening local fishing economies. Rather than treating algae solely as a symptom of ecological degradation, the project repositions it as an agent of transformation, capable of absorbing nutrients, degrading pollutants and generating valuable biological materials.
Across the watershed, a network of microalgae cultivation pools is introduced along existing agricultural drainage systems and nutrient-rich waterways. These productive landscapes intercept agricultural runoff, while harvested algal biomass is repurposed into biofuels, fertilisers, animal feed and construction materials. Former cranberry plots are gradually transformed into a mosaic of colourful cultivation basins, their changing hues reflecting variations in water chemistry, temperature and nutrient concentrations. New berms, planted edges and public pathways establish an accessible landscape in which biological production, ecological remediation and recreation coexist.
The laboratory extends beyond the agricultural landscape to address the region's ageing water infrastructure. At Parker Mills Dam, the proposal investigates the removal of the deteriorating structure and the remediation of accumulated heavy-metal-contaminated sediment through specialised algal cultivation. Treated sediment is subsequently reused for coastal wetland restoration, while newly accessible tidal waters support macroalgae farming integrated with public piers and restored estuarine habitats. Together, these interventions reconnect fragmented freshwater and marine ecologies, transforming obsolete infrastructures into productive landscapes of environmental renewal.
Central to Bloom is the ambition to democratise scientific experimentation. Through public cultivation plots, shared infrastructure and citizen science programmes, residents, workers and visitors participate in monitoring water quality, testing algal species and maintaining evolving ecological systems. The landscape becomes both a site of production and an instrument of scientific observation, where chemical transformations are made visible through the changing colours, forms and material qualities of algae.
Bloom: The Open Laboratory proposes a new relationship between scientific research, ecological labour and the public realm. By expanding experimentation beyond the confines of the conventional laboratory, the project imagines an adaptable regional landscape in which biological processes, technological innovation and collective stewardship respond to changing environmental and social conditions.