Baca Architects

摘要

Q In a nutshell, describe your practice A The practice specialises in enabling, designing and building on, in, near and (now) under water. We call this 'Aquatecture'. Within this specialism we have developed an expertise in floating and flood-resilient building typologies. Q What do you do that is different from more mainstream practice? A We embrace water as an opportunity, rather than a threat, to engage with this constraint early in the design process, rather than as an afterthought. This leads to innovative uses of landscape to contain or protect against water and, where we let it in, it creates opportunities for new architectural typologies. Q Tell us about a current project that exemplifies this A In Stratford-upon-Avon we have replaced a 1960s block with 12 flood-resilient homes. The landscaping goes beyond the SuDs sustainable drainage approach, with water flowing below and around the buildings. In policy terms we have created a covenant across the site that allows for individual ownership but enables the development to work as a whole in terms of flood storage. The homes (in a conservation area) are deliberately familiar but raised 1.6m off the ground. We anticipate this will become the model for most new homes in areas designated Flood Zone 2 or on the edge of Flood Zone 3.