#LifeEmbracingWater
#ElevatedLivingTriad
#Fisherman’sHub
The integral presence of water in Lagos cannot be ignored – it is a city tormented by floods innumerable times a year, where water levels are unpredictable, rising ever-so-gravely due to the global climate catastrophe, a city in sufferance of valuable assets lost to floodwater, where indigenous communities sink trying to fight for sustenance and livelihood. Water is everywhere is Lagos, and it is only sensible for Lagos people to learn to embrace this reality.
Through our concept, Life Embracing Water, we aim to reflect the vision of sustaining life in the midst of water – be it rain water or sea water – with innovations that will allow citizens to learn how to live alongside flooding. Our flood resilient habitat is designed as an uplifted, triangular housing module, sloped to ward off excessive rainfall and inspired from fishing nets used in the coastal areas of Africa for hundreds of years. Bamboo structures, cheap and available in abundance locally, act as support both to lift the living unit off the ground and to hold its roof firmly in place. The housing unit is designed to stay elevated above the highest water level in a high-risk flood-zone off the coastal area of Lagos, even if it submerges completely. The modules join like puzzle-pieces to create decks suitable for fishing, sustaining livelihood even during flooding; and collective underground rainwater harvesting ensures the supply of clean drinking water to the affected community.
In conclusion, our proposal aims to incorporate the water so prevalent in Lagos, wholly into the lives of Lagos|people – by living sustainably on the water, accommodating a means of sustenance even in water, and securing access to clean drinking water.
