therefore it is our responsibility to develop a way to adapt to this occurrence as there is nothing that we can do to stop it. Lately I have been researching the megacity of Lagos and the life of the Lagos lagoon. On average, it rains in Lagos about seven months out of the year. When the lagoon floods it not only removes people from their homes but it also clogs the lagoon with various waste and debris, thus the living conditions for the people of are very unsanitary. This idea and the floating that responds to flooding are the two driving forces behind this project.

Research

I started this project by analyzing the current site conditions. The current growth and expansion of the lagoon reminded me of bacteria, because it is growing out of control in no particular pattern or order. I started researching natural processes that could quell bacteria growth and came across bioremediation. This is a process that uses microorganisms to clean an ecosystem or infected area. The microorganisms start to reproduce and establish their own growth pattern and eventually overtake the bacteria. A subset of bioremediation is a process called phytoremediation, the principles are the same except you introduce plants into a damaged ecosystem and they are able to withstand the harmful toxins and slowly clean the air, land, or water. The idea of plant growth and phytoremdiation lead me toward the idea of flowers and how they bloom and grow. I found that flowers, while simple as a closed bud, are very performative and dynamic on the inside and this is what inspired my project.

The Prototype

Essentially I developed a cube. I settled on this very simple strategy because it was important to me to have a prototype that could be constructed in Lagos by the inhabitants of the unit. Also, it’s important that all parts of the cube be recyclable so when one is abandoned it can be taken apart and the individual parts can become parts of another person’s house or something completely different. The cube is able to accommodate up to 10 people.

Performance Strategies

Floating

The cube is able to float in the water because there are aluminum pontoons supporting it on either side. These pontoons sit underneath a ‘porch’ that is directly attached to the enclosure. This also gives the cube some stability. The unit has a flat bottom that also gives it stability in the water. It is weighted underneath the water by a water filtration tank, water storage, and a self-composting toilet tank.

Water collection

The roof allows the Cube to collect water because is strategically angled so that when rainwater hits it, it will run off the roof and into one of the collection tubes. There are four collection tubes, one in each corner. The inhabitants are able to access the water by a faucet-like siphon that is connected to the tube from the inside of the dwelling. There is also water treatment and filtration. Underneath the main cube there is water filtration that actually cleans the water that exists in the lagoon, so the inhabitants can have fresh water all year round. The exact components can be seen in the water filtration diagram.

Enclosure

There are two solid walls made from structural plastic that protect from the elements completely. The other two walls are composed of a layer of wood louvers and a wire mesh screen layer, thus allowing for ventilation and light penetration when open and solid enclosure when closed. The only interior walls surround the toilet. The great advantage of being able to enclose and protect oneself is that there is a definite boundary between the inhabitant and the outside. Being able to protect yourself from the elements is necessary in all parts of the world, this is why every human being requires shelter, regardless of whether they are protecting against rain, snow, or heat.

Connection

The prototypes are able to connect to each other using hooks and cords that attach to the pontoon tubes underneath their ‘porch’. Connection is an important strategy because this allows people to be able to form networks and communities. One advantage to this is that in connecting themselves they would start to create paths and walkways that would allow them to get around from unit to unit other than by boat, it would also give the units more stability.

Phyotremediation

The planters that bioremediate the bacteria that is removed from the filters not only give each unit greenery but they are also using the bacteria that is in the water to grow plants that will actually improve the quality of life. This is an important aspect of the project because using natural processes to improve an ecosystem is much more effective than using chemicals or allowing the bacteria-ridden landscape fester. Thus, the project is a self-sustainable organism that is able to clean, filter, and store water, as well as remove harmful bacteria, while also providing shelter.