Greenpeace launched an architectural competition to stimulate ideas for ways to fortify the Airplot in case a new government allows BAA’s third runway plans to proceed. Effectively, the brief was to come up with a 21st century fortress – capable of resisting BAA’s bulldozers and stopping construction of the runway. Greenpeace asked for an exemplary piece of sustainable design: a practical solution with cultural and aesthetic power to match the depth and importance of what’s at stake. What better fits the committed Greenpeace spirit than devoting the hereafter to the ideal of a better world? What better way than offering those true partisans the ultimate act of eternal activism by embracing the most courageous gesture and radical devotion- Greenpeace’s first dedicated burial ground. Building upon Britain’s proclaimed ‘best in the world’ graveyard heritage, the project concentrates on the actual social immovability of the undertaking and less on the physical immovability. The proposal aids the resistance of evection predicated on the understanding that by law any graves less than 75 years old cannot be removed. The initiation of the project would secure the parcel from development close the 22nd century. The local borough, which would seize to exist due to the runway extension, had planning powers to grant planning permission. With each landing at Heathrow Airport incoming passengers can witness the effectiveness of a peaceful resistance. The entry was made in collaboration with the befriended office Space and Matter (http://www.spaceandmatter.nl), headed by Tjeerd Haccou, Sascha Glasl, and Marthijn Pool.
The first series of action that are undertaken on the site, by the local community and activist alike, are honoured by incorporating them fully in the proposal. The planted and adopted Cox’s Orange Pippen trees flourish abundantly and the serene qualities of proposed site go hand in hand with the activities on the allotments and keeping the beehives. The site fully capitalizes on what the borough of Hillingdon describes as part of the Greenbelt, as well as an area of environmental opportunity. The serene quality safeguarded by its resisting inhabitants is the borough’s first natural ‘reserve’. It is tended by a small army of living volunteers who preserve the home of 27 species of butterfly, a rare bumblebee, woodpeckers, sparrowhawks and the elusive firecrest. The 18,298 local schoolchildren visit every year for outdoor nature lessons and information on climate change; “It’s a beautiful haven for small wildlife and people.”
Arguably, after the 75 years of ‘burial occupation’ a renewed environmental understanding and monumental cultural shift has swept through industrialised societies, rendering the battle obsolete. With 221.000 members Greenpeace UK has a solid base of support. Although some 72% of Britons choose to be cremated (of a registered average mortality rate of 500 deaths per 100,000 population) the numbers show great potential. It is projected that 330 Greenpeace members will pass away annually. This project is designed to immediately facilitate those who embrace their last act as one of protest and insures them an active role in Greenpeace’s ongoing fight for environmental awareness. By will, a request for burial at the Greenpeace site can become a positive and effective way of leaving the legacy of a healthy, peaceful planet for future generations.