Floating Tower Prototype

person adding white sculpture to a pile of similar sculptures
  • Sida Zhang, M.Arch. 2016
  • Hometown

    Beijing, China
  • Class

    ARCH 5115 Water and the City II, Lagos
  • Instructor

    Gensler Visiting Critic Kunlé Adeyemi
    Visiting Critic Suzanne Lettieri

Lagos is experiencing high population and a rapid growth rate. The relationship between city and water is being redefined in the context of modernization and globalization. The historic slum site Makoko has recorded a domestic way of living with water since it emerged. It is facing complete transformation by population overgrowth, water pollution from living and industrial waste, and demolition and gentrification acts proceeded by the government.

Using local materials and constructing techniques, this project tests the possibility of creating more living space under certain economic and cultural constraints, at the same time inheriting from the traditional way of living with water. Taking architectural prototypes as vehicles, it establishes a connection between vernacular and modern society, and serves as stimulus of a spontaneous urban renewal process.

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