ABSTRACT
Estuarine intertidal zones are extraordinary landscapes and dynamic waterland habitats. As ecological zones where two distinct ecosystems overlap or grade into one another, they contain an abundance of diverse species and a complex set of exchange dynamics. Scientists call these habitats ecotones. As typologically unique ecosystems connecting two distinctly different plant and animal communities and the physical characteristics that support those communities, ecotones are more than just zones of transition. They are their own systems with their own distinct characteristics and species. By nature, they are zones of disturbance, catalysed by the differences in the two ecosystems. This chapter applies the concept of the ecotone to the design of an ecosystem for architectural education where innovation is intended to flourish. But it does so with the belief that it is scalable to other disciplines, institutional systems, and situations, either directly or by analogy. Within the dynamics of the 21st century environment, simple polarized positions are no longer productive. Instead of honouring the paradigms of edge versus core or teaching versus research, ‘learning about’ versus ‘experimenting with’, the innovation ecotone concept outlined in this chapter, proposes a third thing—a model for a sustainable educational environment as a space of pervasive innovation that is talent rich and talent diverse. And it presents a way of creating just such an environment.
