The Watershed Collective: Reimagining Water Stewardship in Fife
An Award-Winning MArch Thesis
Jasmin Solaymantash is an award-winning MArch graduate from Oxford Brookes University, with two years of professional experience in the built environment. Her thesis project—a multidisciplinary centre for water stewardship at Falkland’s historic Kilgour farm steading—demonstrates a forward-thinking approach to community, education, and environmental care.
Where Waters Begin
The Kilgour steadings sit at the foot of the Lomond Hills in Fife, marking the headwaters of the River Eden. Jasmin’s thesis transforms this collection of stone barns into the Watershed Collective — a hub for dialogue and action in water stewardship, designed as a living interface between the land, its people and the waters that sustain them.
Architecture That Engages with Water
At the heart of the Watershed Collective is a simple idea — water is not just a utility but a narrative thread tying together spaces, programmes and users. The design infuses every zone with water in all its forms. Studio floors are animated by rills of flowing water; courtyards collect rain through elegant runnels; flexible event spaces double as laboratories for hydrological observation. Exposed cisterns, transparent drainage elements and an evaporative cooling wall turn infrastructure into storytelling. The hydrological cycle isn’t hidden — it’s celebrated, helping visitors see daily actions as part of larger ecological patterns.
Regenerative Design: Building with the Landscape
The Watershed Collective takes a regenerative design approach grounded in the local vernacular. Existing stone walls are conserved and re-pointed with lime mortar, echoing Fife’s rural traditions while improving breathability and durability. Roof forms are reinterpreted to accommodate photovoltaic panels and rainwater harvesting systems; local timber cladding weathers naturally, providing habitat for mosses and invertebrates. Dry stone garden terraces filter runoff, while planted bioswales invite the broader watershed into the heart of the steading. Together these material choices and water-centric systems turn the site into a model of climate adaptation and circular resource management.
Nature-Integrated Wellness
Beyond research, the Watershed Collective includes a nature-integrated spa fed by collected rain and filtered stream water. Reflection spaces inspired by Japanese ryokan and Finnish sauna cultures offer moments of pause, reinforcing the idea that wellbeing is inseparable from the health of the watershed. Courtyards, sensory gardens and woodland walks invite all visitors — policymakers, schoolchildren or passing hikers — to linger, learn and care.
A Platform for All Generations
Inclusivity and accessibility run through the Watershed Collective’s programming. Workshops and co-creation studios bring together policy-makers, agro-environmentalists, and local landowners to share knowledge and co-design stewardship plans. Flexible classrooms host hands-on education for school groups, while eco-tourists and families find opportunities for informal learning through interactive exhibits and guided tours. Every intervention frames water stewardship not as an abstract goal but as a community endeavour.
Recognition and Future Steps
The thesis has been praised for its ethical ambition and material integrity. More than a collection of spaces, the Watershed Collective functions as a living prototype — one that other rural contexts could adapt and expand to restore relationships between land, water and people.
Connect with Jasmin Solaymantash
Jasmin welcomes connections from practitioners, community organisers and students. Reach out via email at solaymantashj@gmail.com.
The Watershed Collective is an invitation to reconsider our place in the hydrological cycle — both as designers and as citizens.
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