CATALYZING AQUATIC ARCHITECTURE
A FLOATING INTERVENTION IN THE MAKOKO WATERFRONT COMMUNITY, LAGOS, NIGERIA
INTERVENTION PLAN SCALE 1/32” = 1’
PLATFORM MORPHOLOGY
01. BASIC FORM, DRIVEN BY FUNCTION. GET USERS FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER
02. ENTRY WINGS FUNNEL USERS INTO CENTRAL PLATFROM, CREATE PROTECTED “HARBOR” AND MARKET ALLEYS
03. LAGOON-SIDE PLATFORM EDGE ARTICULATED TO MAXIMIZE TAXI DOCKING AREA
PLATFORM ASSEMBLY SEQUENCE
01. FABRICATE MODULE ON LAND
LIVING ON THE LAGOON TO LIVE OFF THE LAGOON
“THE STRENGTH OF THE COMMUNITY IS FISHING”
THIRD MAINLAND BRIDGE: INFORMAL OCCUPATION
MAKOKO’S DYNAMIC EDGE
MANILA, PHILLIPINES
ACCRA, GHANA
DHAKA, BANGLADESH
02. BUNDLE AND TOW TO SITE
03. CONNECT MODULES + ANCHOR TO LAGOON BOTTOM
04. INSTALL CANOPY CLADDING + SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES
JAKARTA, INDONESIA
POTENTIAL USER GROUPS
ACTIVATING THE POTENTIAL OF INFORMAL URBANISM
MAKOKO ECONOMIC BREAKDOWN
Urbanizing populations have depleted housing resources in many developing cities worldwide, often resulting in the development of informal settlements, or slums. Electricity, potable water, and waste management infrastructure are virtually nonexistent in these areas, and those located near rivers or coastlines must also contend with frequent flooding. Despite these challenges, informal settlements are able to develop challenging topography, distribute resources efficiently, and act self-sufficiently. The intuitive strategies of informal urbanism point towards a more resilient and just model for urban inhabitation. The estimated 100,000 residents of the Makoko Waterfront Community, one of several waterfront slums in Lagos, Nigeria, live in elevated shelters above the surface of Lagos Lagoon. The geography and density of the settlement make access to urban resources difficult, despite the settlement’s location near the city center. This project proposes the implementation of Tan intervention anchored to the bridge’s structural piers to be placed at the edge of each waterfront settlement, utilizing the bridge as an armature for the integration of these disconnected aquatic communities into greater Lagos.
DHAKA, BANGLADESH MUMBAI, INDIA MANILA, PHILLIPINES
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
APPLYING INFORMAL STRATEGIES TO LEGITIMIZE DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES
01 URBAN ISOLATION
02 INFRASTRUCTURAL DEFICIENCY
Immigrants arrive to cities like Lagos with little or no money in search of jobs, the vast majority of which are located near the urban core. Supply of housing and support infrastructure cannot keep up with demand, resulting in the makeshift development of open terrain and highly challenging living conditions. Intuitive informal strategies can be leveraged to improve these conditions: unconventional terrain like the lagoon’s surface can be developed with floating elements, which also overcome the threat of seasonal flooding. Module-based assemblies allow total flexibility, and the inherent mobility of a floating module allows resources to be distributed exactly where they are needed most. Embedding autonomous sustainable technologies into each module eliminates the necessity for a costly and inflexible infrastructural grid.
LAGOS, NIGERIA
MONROVIA, LIBERIA FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE ACCRA, GHANA JAKARTA, INDONESIA
LAGOS, NIGERIA
03 POPULATION EXPANSION
SANITATION/ WASTE MANAGEMENT
CANOPY CLADDING: SOUTH-FACING MODULES EQUIPPED TO COLLECT + STORE SOLAR ENERGY ; ALL MODULES CAN COLLECT RAINWATER REINTERPRETING MAKOKO’S TYPOLOGICAL PALETTE THE MATERIALS AND FORM OF THE MODULES WERE DESIGNED BASED ON THE ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS ALREADY USED TO CONSTRUCT SHELTERS IN MAKOKO: PIERS, STRUCTURAL FRAMES, AND CLADDING SURFACES, TYPICALLY ARRANGED AS A “BOX ON STILTS” WITH AN OPEN GABLE ROOF. PIERS AND FRAMES ARE OFTEN MADE OF WOOD, AND CLADDING MATERIALS VARY FROM THATCHED OR WOVEN MATS TO CORRUGATED METAL AND RECLAIMED MATERIALS. THE SAME MATERIAL AND FORMAL PALETTE WAS USED IN THE STRUCTURE AND CLADDING OF THE MODULES.
MAKOKO + LAGOS: PROXIMITY + ISOLATION
ELECTRICITY
POTABLE WATER
LOCALLY-SOURCED BAMBOO CANOPY STRUCTURE
GANVIE, BENIN - TYPOLOGICAL ORIGIN
TYPICAL MAKOKO SHELTER
OKO BABA SAWMILL
LOCAL BOATBUILDERS
PLATFORM DECKING (WOOD)
LEVERAGING LOCAL SKILLS + FACILITIES
4mx4m MODULE FRAME (WOOD)
“FLOATING BEAM” - LOCALLY-BUILT CANOE HULL MODIFIED TO FLOAT MODULE. EMPTY HULL PROVIDES SPACE FOR WATER STORAGE + SOLAR BATTERIES
RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION
PROGRAMMATIC FLEXIBILITY
EMBEDDING INFORMAL STRATEGIES AT MULTIPLE SCALES EACH MODULE WAS DESIGNED TO FACILITATE CERTAIN INTUITIVE STRATEGIES EVIDENT IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS THAT COULD OFFER SOLUTIONS TO THE SPATIAL AND INFRASTRUCTURAL ISSUES PLAGUING MANY OF TODAY’S DEVELOPING CITIES. THE MOBILITY OF THE MODULES MAKES FOR AN INHERENTLY FLEXIBLE SYSTEM THAT CAN BE MODIFIED AND REARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE NEEDS OF THE USERS. THAT MOBILITY IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE INSTALLATION OF AUTONOMOUS SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES (SOLAR PANELS, RAINWATER CATCHMENT SYSTEMS, DRY TOILETS) MEANS THAT RESOURCES CAN BE GENERATED AND DISTRIBUTED EFFICIENTLY. THE FLOATING MODULE RISES AND FALLS WITH THE WATER LEVEL, DRASTICALLY REDUCING DISRUPTION CAUSED BY FLOODING, AND ALLOWS INDIVIDUALS TO DEVELOP TERRAIN THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE UNUSED.
MODULE INDEX
BASIC PLATFORM MODULE
1851
british capture lagos
MAKOKO GROWTH ILLUSTRATED, 1851 - 2014 project by Eric Bethany advised by Professor Cordula Roser-Gray model assistance from Bryn Koeppel and Selina Wabl, TSA 2019
1900
1960
nigerian independence
2000
2014
lagos population estimated at 21 million, making it Africa’s largest city
TRANSPORTATION + COMMERCIAL HUB: PRODUCTIVE URBAN LINK
EDGE CHAMFER MODULE
TAXI EDGE MODULE
INTER-PIER MODULE
SEATING MODULE
CANOE DOCK MODULE
MARKET MODULE
TYPICAL CANOPY + BASE COMBINATION