Living in Water
Located along the Thames River, Thamesmead site is at the intersection of core wetlands and prime green areas, and with the extension of the new DLR line, will be easily accessible from London and other surrounding towns. However, the area is challenged by flood risk along the Thames. With the region getting more and more urbanized, the softscapes have been transformed into hardscapes over time, and forming a patchwork of green and blue. As a result, these disconnected permeable surfaces are not able to handle the flooding and rainfall that is increasing every year.
Thamesmead had been built on a marshland site initially with the vision of living in the green spaces and natural reserves with connectivity to the water. Due to the danger of flooding, the strategy was to lift up all the housing to the first level and link the places through elevated walkways, these were seen as very futuristic at that time. However, this vision became a threat as this elevated living left the streetscape unoccupied, disconnected, and unsafe. In understanding the context, the project investigates the relationships with water, and explores three concepts: Water and Resilience, Water and Economy, and Water and Community.
1. Connect the ecological network:
To alleviate the pressures, the first strategy is to expand and connect the existing blue patches in Thamesmead area to integrate them into a larger ecological system and have them serve as potential water reservoirs.
2. Provide public access to the waterfront:
In order to provide public access to the waterfront, and bring people into the site, the existing patches of green are extended as green links along the water streams. The marshlands are connected as a one permeable system allowing biodiversity to grow and sustain, and the waterfront is understood as a continuous public trajectory linking west-east of the site.
3. Link the community:
Through inserting community pavilions near important water bodies all around Thamesmead, the community is interlinked and integrated to the waterfront development through a pedestrian/bike trail in red, while the tram line in blue loop also extend access into the existing neighborhood from and to the DLR and waterfront.
