Urban Floodplains

1.2 billion people worldwide live in areas that are vulnerable to flooding, and nearly 200 million live in high risk coastal flooding zones

Cities that are extensively paved are especially vulnerable to flood events, because the water has fewer places to go; and floodwaters can be dangerous, with the strength to move cars and more.

Increasing risks of flooding from extreme and unpredictable weather events, exacerbated by rising sea levels, have inspired the residents of the Urban Floodplain to proactively improve the resilience of their city through various methods that absorb, redirect, or harness the power of the intermittent floods. These include soft or “spongy” landscaping that helps to slow and drain the water away from populated areas, lifting buildings up on floats or stilts, and designing grounds that are specifically meant to flood and can be enjoyed in both a dry and watery state.

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Rising Residences

Housing
[Y/N] Studio

Rising residences are futures proof houses in a changing climate. Stepping up to escape rising sea levels on a constant journey of treating symptoms of global warming rather than the causes, portraying the humans idiosyncrasy towards this threat.

[Y/N] Studio is a creative platform established to ask questions of the built environment. The complexity associated with designing and constructing our cities is astounding and a great deal of architecture serves only to add complexity. We think the role of the designer is to question these established but convoluted processes and reduce complexity to simple yes or no answers.

www.ynstudio.eu

@ynstudioarchitects

VOTE for Rising Residences

MiraHiVE

Docklands
ARTES London

MiraHiVE is a concept project for animal watching tower and platform that float above the waterside. The platforms are connected via walkways and cycle lane that span across the water. This simple idea is very versatile, meaning that it can be as tall as desired and sited in any location and orientated to suit both landscape and city views.

Artes London is an international, creative, innovative & fresh thinking design studio for Architecture, Research, Technology, Environment + Sustainability. We are Architects, Designers & Masterplanners. Our mission is simple: to create spaces that resonate with their surroundings, reflect the rhythm of nature, embrace the pulse of technology, and respect the cultures they inhabit.

www.arteslondon.com

@artes_london

VOTE for MiraHiVE

Overboard House

Buttermilk Boat Club
Atelier 41 Architects

The proposed “Overboard house” is a two-storey building characterized by large horizontal blocks providing stunning views of the river. The ground floor features a boat house constructed with gabion walls made from river pebbles. The first floor houses a sports center accessible through a lift and monumental external stairs.

Atelier 41 Architects are reliable and experienced RIBA chartered architects based in Whetstone, North London specializing in planning permission and building regulations. Over the past 20 years, we have prioritized quality and client satisfaction in every domestic and commercial architecture project completed. As well as designing beautiful buildings for businesses and homeowners from Islington to the rest of North London and beyond, we liaise with local planning authorities, navigating planning policies and building regulations. We deliver a wide range of services to the highest quality, in narrow timeframes.

@atelier41architects

VOTE for Overboard House

Nutmeg Terrace

Housing
Elliott Wood Partnership Ltd

A series of unique terraced houses designed to work with the active floodplain from the river below. Sustainability is brought to the forefront by raising the residential housing so that they are not affected by the flood water and in turn limiting the effect on the river and the biodiversity below.

Elliott Wood is a design led consultancy offering services from structural and civil engineering, digital, transport and sustainability services for the built environment. We are Engineers who deliver on better. Driven by strategic consultancy with creative and technical problem-solving, we act as originators, advisors and doers for the built environment. We inspire clients and organisations to think differently about their spaces – not just aesthetically and commercially – but for the benefit of the planet and the people who use them every day.

www.elliottwood.co.uk

@elliottwood_partnership

VOTE for Nutmeg Terrace

Catch, Contain, Convert

Wildlife Reserve
EV Architects

‘Catch Contain Convert’ a waffle grid of routes across the site inhabited with enclosures for wildlife articulating this floodplain.

“visibly different architects” meaning that, unlike most small domestic practices, we have high end visualisation and VR options in-house, enabling our clients to see and experience their project, no matter how small, before they commit the budget in the real world.

www.evarchitects.com

@evarchitects

VOTE for Catch, Contain, Convert

The SALT Institute

University
Gatti Routh Rhodes

Our proposal pays homage to Louis Khan’s Seminal SALK Institute – a biological research centre perched on a Californian cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Four storey ‘thinking towers’ protrude from the main research centre, and angled windows mean that each room has three curated views of the sea.

We’re architects who like to make things, with our own hands or in partnership with others; from a coat-hook to a city block. We’re architects who think, research, write and teach. We believe good architecture can make the world a better place.

www.grr-architects.com

@gatti_routh_rhodes

VOTE for The SALT Institute

Sugarstock Dock

Barges
Haverstock

Our design comprises of 2 barges, moored to a pier. The pier is an extension of the landscape on one even level – making the pier and entrance to the barges accessible. The changing levels of the landscape is reflected in the design of the barges.

Haverstock is an architectural practice that puts people first. Our buildings are designed to enhance people’s lives, and in their own small way, make the world a better place. We strive to ensure our buildings improve all our lives and our communities and we strongly believe that modern buildings should be inclusive and accessible for all.

www.haverstock.com/

@haverstockarchitects

VOTE for Sugarstock Dock

Florentine Barge

Barge
HLM Architects

Florentine barge consists of a floating public garden with a large central greenhouse that is used to grow a variety of plants from vegetables to flowers. At the base of greenhouse, water is allowed through to celebrate this environment. Visitors can see this as they cross the path suspended above.

Thoughtful design and the desire to make spaces and places that improve lives sits at the heart of every discipline within HLM. We make places of education that inspire, healthcare environments that nurture, homes that are part of thriving communities and infrastructure that is sustainable in its widest sense: environmentally, economically and socially.

www.hlmarchitects.com

@hlmarchitects

VOTE for Florentine Barge

Cinnamon Stadium

Sports and Concert Stadium
Hopkins Architects

Cinnamon Stadium is inspired by the Roman Colosseum, which in circa.80AD was flooded in order to hold Naval battles. Combining both Roman and contemporary architectural design with sustainable drainage measures, our sports and concert stadium will provide Gingerbread City with a delicious and spicy new destination, a masterpiece of gingerbread engineering.

Founded in 1976, Hopkins Architects is one of the UK’s leading architectural studios. The practice designs innovative, cost effective, historically sensitive and beautiful buildings that enable clients to make the most of their site, programme and budget. It is led by five Principals and has completed projects of recognised architectural excellence throughout the world from their headquarters in London and Design Studio in Dubai.

www.hopkins.co.uk/

@hopkinsarchitects

VOTE for Cinnamon Stadium

Twinkle Treat Power Station

Power Station
LSA (Jayne G; Priya H; Anthony H; Alexi R)

Taking its form from the natural landscape, following the curves of the river, the circular foundations support a fluid superstructure that responds to the threat of flooding. Additionally, the design provides the opportunity to create a sustainable power source by utilising the rivers currents whilst simultaneously offering multi-purpose public spaces.

We are a team of 3rd Year Architecture students supported by the Lancaster School of Architecture.

www.lancaster.ac.uk/lica/architecture/

@mjaygomes

@Anthony.h.4

@priya_handaa

@alexireade

@lancsarc

VOTE for Twinkle Treat Power Station

Amethyst Fields

Nature Reserve
Mado Homes Ltd

The structure is a conversion of an equestrian stable block and agricultural barn to a sustainable family home set within a conservation area, and an equestrian menage.

Mado Homes is an innovative and multi-disciplinary architectural design practice in the residential sector, serving customers in Surrey, Sussex, London, Berkshire, and the surrounding area. The practice is led by director and founder Sellasie Humado, who has over 10 years of experience in planning and architecture. Together with the support of our excellent team of architects, interior designers, structural engineers, and contractors, we aim to make your dream home a reality. Mado Homes differs from the conventional practice of other architectural firms by challenging the boundaries to produce the most unique and exquisite homes, providing excellent client experience.

www.madohomes.com

@madohomes

VOTE for Amethyst Fields

Eclair Eco Resort

Resort
Mark Pinney Associates

The Eclair eco-resort takes inspiration from water villages with multiple structures connected by bridges. Elevated on stilts, the resort is ingeniously designed to endure and harmonize with the surrounding elements.

We are a bespoke architectural and design studio with over 25 years experience in creating intelligent and beautiful design. From our riverside studio in London, our team of architects, designers and administrative staff collaborate with highly skilled consultants, craftsmen and suppliers from around the world. This allows us to conceive, coordinate and deliver complex and challenging projects. Our aim is to build lasting relationships between the people we work with and the places we create.

www.markpinneyassociates.com

@markpinneyassociates

VOTE for Eclair Eco Resort

The Sugarlake Treehouse

Treehouse
Michaelis Boyd

Michaelis Boyd has earned a reputation for its award-winning architecture and interior design with studios in London and New York. With experience across the hospitality and residential sectors, our sophisticated, design-led approach has an emphasis on environmentally-conscious materials and building techniques.

www.michaelisboyd.com

@michaelisboyd

VOTE for The Sugarlake Treehouse

The Marooned Picturehouse

Cinema
Nyima Murry, Jim Stephenson and Sofia Smith. Stephenson& Photography and Films

Marooned on and island in the middle of the wetlands, our little picture house continues to show films to the local community. In addition to the cinema, the site is home to a wooded wetland ecosystem and archipelago of smaller islands.

We are a collaborative architectural photography and film making studio. Between the three of us we have made films about architecture and design across the UK.

www.clickclickjim.com

@nyimamurry

@clickclickjim

@twicelynamed

@stephensonand_cuts

VOTE for The Marooned Picturehouse

MERRY MARSH

Floodplain Park
tala mikdashi architecture

On a flat marshy plot on the water’s edge, a bird hide safely nests in an elevated planted mound that seamlessly ties into a landscape of rocks, grasses, and shrubs. It is accessed by a pedestrian bridge that crosses over a water element, an extension of the water front and a welcome habitat for birds that roam the urban coastline. A playful yet discrete structure that respects the original landscape yet modifies it to protect the public park from the risk of flooding.

Respect of the natural landscape, context, materiality, sensitivity. The focus of the practice lies in finding a balance between these elements and creating a body of work that is harmonious both within and in its surrounding environment.

www.talamikdashi.com

@talamikdashi_architecture

VOTE for MERRY MARSH

Sweet Raisin Research Centre

Research centre
Webb Yates Engineers

The structure is formed by a series of stacked boxes of varying heights to create both individual functional spaces for the research centre, and open community areas. The structure uses trusses, cores and diaphragms to create stable bases to build the upper storeys from and support green roofs.

Webb Yates Engineers is an award winning structural, civil and building services engineering design practice with offices in London and Birmingham. We offer a collaborative, enthusiastic and responsive service with an efficient, innovative and creative design approach.

www.webbyates.com

@webbyates

@steevieweevy

VOTE for Sweet Raisin Research Centre

Peppermint Biodiversity Centre

Research Centre
Yuliya Kaizer, Sustainable Conservation Trust

Re-purposed fortification and lighthouse. The main building, Peppermint Fort, blends with its natural landscape, creating a walkable roof. The sloping roof is planted with the same plant species as the surrounding site. This, and the large windows between historic arches, provide a safe place to enjoy the display of local biodiversity. The South-East part of the building has an exhibition space, where visitors can learn and co-work, while exposed to the sea view. Flora and fauna enthusiasts are also welcome to visit the old lighthouse to discover mesmerising views and one of the best birdwatching observatories in the area.

The Sustainable Conservation Trust is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation and use of historic structures. We see ourselves as proactive advocates of heritage – promoting, educating and campaigning to protect it. ​Our aim is for every vacant or underused asset within the historic built environment to be meaningfully preserved through sustainable, productive reuse, for the benefit of the wider community.

www.sustainableconservationtrust.com

@sustain_conserve_trust

VOTE for Peppermint Biodiversity Centre

BubbleBurst Bonbon Museum: Spherical Symphony of Sweet Delights

Raised art museum and cultural event space.
Zaha Hadid Architects

Emerging and gently rising up from the ground, a collection of continuous spherical and effervescent volumes coalesce to create an interconnected world of exhibition spaces which form the museum. The varying levels of the structure intersect with each other to generate surprising and delightful pathways to discover, learn, and play.

Zaha Hadid Architects work across all scales and sectors, creating transformative cultural, corporate, residential and other spaces that work in synchronicity with their surroundings.

www.zaha-hadid.com

@zahahadidarchitects

VOTE for BubbleBurst Bonbon Museum: Spherical Symphony of Sweet Delights

The Museum of Architecture is pleased to present the 7th edition of the ​hugely popular annual exhibition The Gingerbread City® at

Westfield London, White City

2nd December 2023 – January 7 2024

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

GINGERBREAD ACTIVITIES
TO DO AT HOME

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​Join one of our festive gingerbread house-making workshops taking place every day during the exhibition. Advance booking is essential.

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