Against the backdrop of rising flood risk in East London, Create London takes a fresh look at what it means to build in wet and flooded areas with our commission ‘Rising from the Water: Designing in a Climate Emergency’, in collaboration with Material Cultures and acclaimed architect Yasmeen Lari. 

Back in 2011, Lari created a bamboo structure on raised stilts – the Darya Khan Village Women’s Centre – to avoid flooding in Pakistan. This groundbreaking project forms the starting point for our commission, which explores the potential of making buildings from plants that grow in wet and flooded areas.

Throughout May 2024, we conducted a series of workshops involving the design and build of an experimental flood structure, which went on show throughout June 2024 as part of the London Festival of Architecture. Embodying Lari’s approach to building and living with nature, the structure used natural materials such as willow and reeds, which can be found at the water’s edge in nearby Barking Riverside. Built by architecture students, the project was presented at A House for Artists and was used to spark conversations about climate change, our industrial heritage and the rising risk of flooding in East London.

This project forms part of our Breaking Waves programme, coinciding with the anniversary of the Great Flood of 1953. The devastating aftermath saw the construction of several flood defences, including Barking Creek Flood Barrier. Now, to coincide with the anniversary of the Great Flood, we explore what it means to build during a climate emergency.

Rising from the Water: Designing in a Climate Emergency is a part of Breaking Waves, a series of free events and creative activities raising awareness of the connection between climate crisis and industrial heritage. Breaking Waves was commissioned by Create London and made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The architecture commission is additionally supported by the British Council’s Architecture Design Fashion department’s International Biennales and Festivals programme. With thanks to the architecture students and young people who took part.