Laura Kragten

Coastal Crofting

Restoring the connection to the Cromarty Firth


My graduation starts with a place, not a problem. 

Intrigued by its nickname ‘the oil rig graveyard’, my curiosity was drawn to explore the Cromarty Firth region. A region where land and water meet in the Northeast of Scotland. 

The glacially shaped, deep and sheltered waters of the Cromarty Firth flow to the neighbouring Moray Firth. Over time people have settled on the gentle slopes next to the Cromarty Firth. Historically, this region has known different identities and significant transformations. Once a local agricultural landscape with crofting traditions, has faded due to global industrial expansion. The current contrast between the natural conditions and the towering oil rigs over the waters of the firth is fascinating. It made me wonder: what is the identity of this place and what will the genius loci of this area become once the oil era ends? 

To discover and encounter the genius loci, a full immersion from peak to edge was essential.  

My journey from the top of the Highlands to the water of the firth revealed a layered landscape: one shaped by forces of nature, history, and human ambitions. Relicts of all those layers are still traceable. The landscape shows a gradient from peak to edge, but is disturbed by barriers that cut across the area. Industrialisation has stiffened the waters and blurred the social connection. The people and water of firth are not physical and emotional tied together anymore. The waters of the Cromarty Firth are slowly forgotten. 

Out of those fieldtrips, the project goal emerged: to restore and revitalise the physical and emotional relationship between the people and the firth, thereby creating a new identity in the post-oil future. Where the water and the land meet, new relationships will be woven. 

Crofting forms the foundation for how this reconnection with water and the local landscape will unfold. This typical Scottish small-scale communal agricultural system, is adapted to the Cromarty Firth. Small crofts and commons form the base of a new diverse connected landscape. The lost relationship between the villages and the water will be rewoven, allowing nature and community to rediscover one another with a cycle of connection and growth.  

With this project, The Cromarty Firth is forming a new identity. Physical and emotional ties are being restored by giving new life to relics from the surrounding landscape. The Cromarty Firth will breathe again. Not as the silent backwater anymore, but as the beating heart of the community. 

Graduation date: 26 May 2025
Graduation committee: Yttje Feddes (mentor), Ziega van den Berk, Dingeman Deijs
Additional members for the exam: Roel Wolters, Brigitta van Weeren