Kamila Kudlata

RECOVERING SUBMERGED CITY | COMMONS OF COMMUNITY VALUE

We recognise the ongoing issues related to climate change and the effects they have on our future. In the worst-case scenario of global warming, where sea-level rises significantly and floods become more persistent, Hull will be SUBMERGED in the coming decades. This project formulates a governance model in response to this environmental crisis, building on the permanent devaluation of land and incoming flood water as resources for a new type of commons rather than merely problems to surmount.

‘Living with water’ is presented as an opportunity for the recovery of a submerged city. As a way of reclaiming the city, it explores the use of underground spaces in devalued sites for public use and the reoccupation of air space using new infrastructures which sit above the water to replace living spaces. The project presents Queen’s Gardens as an Advanced Technology Hub that optimises the use of floodwater for energy generation and water sufficiency using nanotechnology for filtration. This serves Hull, the surrounding region and potentially beyond. It becomes a pilot site that absorbs the flood water to allow for slower deterioration of other parts of the town.