CITY ABOVE THE FLOODS

exhibited idea masterplan

in collaboration with Edmund Limadinata & Amanda Lau
2023, LISMORE ENCORE

Lismore – City above the Floods

Lismore Regional Gallery

Amazed by the perseverance of the citizens of Lismore living amidst the torrential floods, we posit that the residents move to the upper floors of their existing buildings and others building up above the maximum flood level. A series of structural column grids across the city facilitates the building up of existing buildings. Like rebuilding of Seattle after 1889, this new level becomes primary habitable level, connected by bridges and arcades while the original street level is assigned for temporary uses such carparking and market spaces, to be evacuated in the event of flooding. Not unlike Le Corbusier’s proposal for Sao Paolo, a series of suspended sky bridges act as the floating streets above the floods, for transport and pedestrians as well as piers for boats. To Lismore, we are aspired by evocative sunken bell tower of the Italian town of Curon, with the medieval town intentionally flooded to make way of the construction of a dam in 1940s. Similar to Curon rather than seeing flooding as a pejorative event, in this future we foresee flooding as an event of spectacle, drawing tourists from corners of the world to Lismore, City above the Floods.