Resilient Rooms

The site is located between the Goodwill Bridge and Macrossan Street. The site was not severely damaged by the flood waters and showed some resilience in its current state. The aim of the design concept is to increase the response time to remove valuable property before the arrival of a flood and the clean up after the flood, as a redesign of the whole site is not economically feasible.

The design is based on a mangrove and how it adapts to tidal conditions, while still creating a liveable habitat for small fish and crustaceans. By creating this vision the site will become more responsive and therefore more resilient in future floods.

Firstly we need to acknowledge the extremes of flooding. The Riverside Walk sustained some damage mainly to underground car parks and first floor businesses. This design proposes to make these spaces into removable “Rooms” in which, everything that is in these spaces can be removed at short notice or bolted down, to deal with the velocity of the river or forces from floating debris. By following this concept the response to the flood is easily managed and the clean up after is minimal as the majority of the items in the “Rooms” will have previously been taken out. If the “Room” sustains major damages the community can adapt and change the “Rooms” activity making it more resilient.
We need to have this flexible aspect where we can adapt and change just as the mangroves do so we can continue to grow in a liveable habitat.