Cases

Makoko Water Cities – Regeneration Plan

Lagos, Nigeria 2013-current

We are building a visionary water-based community—an inclusive, sustainable, and economically viable model that redefines how African cities can thrive with water, not against it. Designed for Makoko in Lagos, Nigeria, it offers a bold blueprint for climate-resilient, health-secure urban futures across the continent. The Makoko Waterfront Regeneration Project is a pioneering, community-centered development on… Continue reading Makoko Water Cities – Regeneration Plan

Mekong Delta Hospitality

African Water Cities Book

June 2023

African Water Cities is a vivid collection of essays, research, photographs and visions of African cities and communities by waterfronts evolving through two of the most significant trends of our time: rapid urbanization and a changing climate. Coastal and waterfront cities in particular experience loss and damage due to significant increases in sea level,… Continue reading African Water Cities Book

Research

Water Cities aims to constantly increase our understanding of waterfronts and waterfront development, and work with our partners in developing impactful research and understanding of urban and rural waterfronts. Reach out for more information

Urban Planning

Development Studies

The impact of rapid urbanisation and economic growth of cities is now common knowledge, yet it cannot be overemphasised. At the same time the impact of climate change is now day-to-day reality. Particularly in coastal cities in the global south that now experience significant increases in sea levels, rainfall and flooding. Water Cities has a… Continue reading Development Studies

Design & Engineering

We conceive, design and develop building and infrastructural solutions on and around water. With our partners and in house design firm NLÉ, we assemble design and engineering teams to meet our clients requirements in challenging conditions, globally. Through architecture and design, we add critical value to projects and the resulting built environment in Africa and… Continue reading Design & Engineering

MFS™ IV – Floating Music Hub / Mansa Floating Hub

Mindelo, Cabo Verde 2021

Floating Music Hub, Mindelo (MFS IV) / Mansa Floating Hub, is a cultural and creative platform located in the beautiful bay of Mindelo, in the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde, West Africa. The platform is based on NLÉ’s innovative floating building solution called Makoko Floating System (MFS)–a simple way to build on water-using lightweight,… Continue reading MFS™ IV – Floating Music Hub / Mansa Floating Hub

Makoko Floating System – MFS™

Since 2011

Makoko Floating System – MFS™ is a simple way to build on water by hand. It is a prefabricated, modular, floating A-frame, sustainable timber structure that can be locally produced, assembled and disassembled, quickly and manually for developments on water, in advanced or developing regions around the world. Since 2011 there’s been extensive research and… Continue reading Makoko Floating System – MFS™

Education

As think tank for urban and rural transformations, Water Cities is a global thought leader in the fields of architecture, urban theory and practice. We develop workshops, masterclasses and lectures for advocacy of nature based solutions and climate change adaptations. Reach out for more information

ACCRA REVISITED 2015

ArchiAfrika Foundation is hosting a conference entitled Accra Revisited: an urban conference on Accra, in Accra, with friends of Accra. The conference will take place from February 25-27, 2015 at the Children’s Library in central Accra and is open to the public. Key participants of the conference include the Deputy Minister of Finance Honorable Mona… Continue reading ACCRA REVISITED 2015

BONNY KINGDOM MASTERPLAN

| BONNY ISLAND, NIGERIA | 2014 | BONNY ISLAND, NIGERIA | 2014 | BONNY ISLAND, NIGERIA | 2014

In Bonny Kingdom there’s a plan, a plan to make this one of the most important investment destinations in West Africa. The plan is called ‘Green Heart City’. And it will mean Bonny Kingdom will be home to much more than oil and gas. There’ll be a diversified economy low unemployment rate, strong infrastructure and… Continue reading BONNY KINGDOM MASTERPLAN

Green Building Council Namibia Convention 2014

Sustainable development is defined as: “development in which resource use aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come.” As the world is moving closer to an all-encompassing pursuit of sustainability, the construction industry is not being… Continue reading Green Building Council Namibia Convention 2014

TEDxEuston SALON 2014

| London, UK | 2014 | London, UK | 2014 | London, UK | 2014

TEDxEuston is an event that aims to reflect the ideas and inspired thinking of a new generation of African leaders, presenting to an audience committed to engaging and re-engaging in an active and meaningful manner with the continent. TEDxEuston is a TED-like event locally organised by a team of African professionals in the spirit of… Continue reading TEDxEuston SALON 2014

CORNELL UNIVERSITY AAP SPRING LECTURE 2014

AMSTERDAM WEEK VAN DE STAD 2013

| Amsterdam | 2013 | Amsterdam | 2013 | Amsterdam | 2013

“Amsterdam’s first Week van de Stad (Week of the City) took place November 6-10. The Week had a full programme of activities that celebrate the city, but also have it take a closer look at itself. The theme of the first Week van de Stad was ‘Water and the city, Amsterdam as water city’. Amsterdam… Continue reading AMSTERDAM WEEK VAN DE STAD 2013

Prototype – MFS IIIx3

CHENGDU, CHINA 2018

MFS IIIx3 is the fourth prototype and third iteration of the Makoko Floating School — a prefabricated self-build system for water to address the challenges and opportunities of urbanisation and climate change. Following NLÉ’s first prototype the Makoko Floating School (MFS I) developed in Africa’s most populous city of Lagos, Nigeria in 2013, Waterfront Atlas (MFS… Continue reading Prototype – MFS IIIx3

MFS™ – Small

2023

MFS™ – Small is a product for (self)building 25m2 of real estate on water, by hand. Makoko Floating System (MFS™) is a simple way for people to build on water by hand. It is a prefabricated, modular, floating, timber structure that can be assembled manually for developments on water in different regions.The iconic triangular shaped… Continue reading MFS™ – Small

2022 World Cup City Masterplan

With Qatar’s vision to stage the world cup in 2022, and its commitment to creating a world class venue – a new city – for this historic but momentary event, our ambition goes further to ensure that this new city remains a valuable cultural legacy for Qatar – far beyond 2022.

4th MAINLAND BRIDGE & MASTERPLAN

| LAGOS, NIGERIA | 2008 | LAGOS, NIGERIA | 2008 | LAGOS, NIGERIA | 2008

There are great opportunities in the heart of Lagos… With these opportunities come an intense congestion; causing pressures that threaten to paralyze the city’s circulation, its growth and its people. To reduce this pressure, we propose an operation – the 4th Mainland Bridge. The operation will be the insertion of a bypass; a bridge within… Continue reading 4th MAINLAND BRIDGE & MASTERPLAN

EKO ATLANTIC ROUNDTABLE FORUM, LAGOS

| Lagos, Nigeria | 2012 | Lagos, Nigeria | 2012 | Lagos, Nigeria | 2012

With Heinrich Böll Stiftung.

SHENZHEN STOCK EXCHANGE HEADQUARTERS

| Shenzhen, China | 2006 | Shenzhen, China | 2006 | Shenzhen, China | 2006

For millennia, the solid building stands on a solid base; it is an image that has survived modernity. Typically, the base anchors a structure and connects it emphatically to the ground. The essence of the stock market is speculation: it is based on capital, not gravity. In the case of Shenzhen’s almost virtual stock market,… Continue reading SHENZHEN STOCK EXCHANGE HEADQUARTERS

SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

The Seoul National University Museum is defined by its siting on the side of a small hill, close to the entrance of the university. The building’s form was conceived as a basic rectangular box, sliced diagonally by the incline of the hill. This form is then raised up on a small central core – the… Continue reading SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

LAGOS WATER COMMUNITIES PROJECT

| LAGOS, NIGERIA | 2012 | LAGOS, NIGERIA | 2012 | LAGOS, NIGERIA | 2012

The impact of rapid urbanisation and economic growth of cities in Africa is now common knowledge, yet it cannot be overemphasised. At the same time the impact of climate change is now day-to-day reality. Particularly in coastal African cities that now experience significant increases in sea levels, rainfall and flooding.

MFS™ – Medium

2023

MFS™ – Medium is a product for (self)building 90m2 of real estate on water, by hand. Makoko Floating System (MFS™) is a simple way for people to build on water by hand. It is a prefabricated, modular, floating, timber structure that can be assembled manually for developments on water in different regions.The iconic triangular shaped… Continue reading MFS™ – Medium

MFS™ – Large

2023

MFS™ – Medium is a product for (self)building 220m2 of real estate on water, by hand. Makoko Floating System (MFS™) is a simple way for people to build on water by hand. It is a prefabricated, modular, floating, timber structure that can be assembled manually for developments on water in different regions.The iconic triangular shaped… Continue reading MFS™ – Large