The World Monuments Fund in Britain and English Heritage have announced their participation in the 2025 London Design Biennale, which will take place at Somerset House. From June 5th to 29th, they will present ‘Coastal Connections: Sharing Solutions, Building Resilience’, an immersive exhibit that spotlights the stories, challenges, and shared futures of coastal heritage sites worldwide, all part of the growing Coastal Connections network.
Launched in 2023 as a joint initiative between the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and English Heritage, Coastal Connections emerged in response to the inclusion of Hurst Castle on the 2022 World Monuments Watch, highlighting the urgent and shared risks facing heritage along the world’s coastlines.
From sea level rise and intensified storms to development pressures and resource limitations in remote areas, many of the world’s most treasured historic places are under threat. The program aims to establish a global network founded on community-based stewardship, resilience and shared learning. Today, Coastal Connections includes over 50 sites across six continents.
Today, Coastal Connections includes over 50 sites across six continents. The initiative focuses on developing and sharing best practices for managing heritage in volatile environments, exploring solutions such as sea defences, citizen science, creative reuse, and forward-looking strategies like adaptive release.
Through a series of online workshops and digital resources launched in 2024, site managers, conservation professionals, and local communities can exchange practical tools and knowledge, no longer facing these challenges in isolation.
The program reflects WMF’s commitment to inclusive, community-centred preservation, grounded in the belief that global collaboration is essential to safeguarding coastal heritage for the long term.
“Coastal heritage sits at the intersection of culture and climate, and Coastal Connections is about ensuring that no site faces these challenges in isolation,” said Alex Kent, Coastal Connections Lead at World Monuments Fund. “Together with English Heritage, we’re building a network that not only shares knowledge but also inspires action. Through this exhibit, we hope to deepen public understanding of what’s at stake—and what’s possible—when we work collectively to safeguard these remarkable places.”
The Coastal Connections Pavilion at the Biennale will spotlight seven representative sites—from Port Lockroy in Antarctica to Christiansborg Castle in Ghana—through visuals, local voices, and innovative design. These stories will offer insight into why these places matter, what challenges they face, and how communities and professionals are coming together to protect them.
Curated by Vanessa Norwood with design and fabrication by Install Archive, the Coastal Connections Pavilion invites visitors to consider the future of our heritage in the face of environmental change.
Rob Woodside, former Estates Director at English Heritage, said, “I never imagined that when I submitted Hurst Castle to the World Monuments Watch, we would end up engaging with so many people from around the world facing similar challenges. It’s only by sharing experiences that we can learn more about how best to manage heritage at risk, and the perspectives gained from hearing from colleagues in Ghana, Antigua, and Rapa Nui have been both fascinating and invaluable.
“I’m delighted that English Heritage is playing its part as a national heritage charity in raising the profile of a truly global challenge.”
“For 30 years, World Monuments Fund in Britain has worked in partnership with others to safeguard extraordinary sites across the UK and beyond, and Coastal Connections represents a powerful continuation of that mission,” adds Magnus von Wistinghausen, Executive Director of World Monuments Fund Britain.
“To be part of the London Design Biennale—a space for creative, global dialogue—is a landmark moment for us. We’re proud to bring together partners and perspectives that are reshaping how we understand and care for our shared coastal heritage.”
For more information on Coastal Connections and WMF’s global work, visit www.wmf.org.
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