Nigerian architect Kunle Adeyemi created an innovative floating school to address the impacts of climate change and the need for safer, more livable buildings in Lagos. This story first appeared in GreenSource. There are no roads or much infrastructure of any kind in the floating world of Makoko, a shantytown flowing out from Lagos, Nigeria’s waterfront. Teetering atop small piers, the maze of tenuous wooden structures is frequently inundated by floods. Like many coastal cities, Lagos’ burgeoning population is faced with the increasing threat of more frequent flooding from rising sea levels. The architecture firm NLÉ, with offices in Lagos
Image courtesy Waggonner & Ball An international team led by Waggonner & Ball is designing a water-management plan for New Orleans. Related Links: Working With Water Record Reveals: New Orleans Since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, local architect David Waggonner has been working to improve the way his city deals with water. In 2008, he initiated the Dutch Dialogues, a series of workshops that aimed to facilitate conversations about water issues between New Orleans and the Netherlands. His firm Waggonner & Ball also has projects that draw from the Dutch concept of “living with water,” such as Lafitte
Photo courtesy Wikipedia The Original Passivhaus, in Darmstadt, Germany. Photo courtesy North American Passive House Conference About 350 practitioners from across the U.S. attended the North American Passive House Conference, held November 4 to 7. Just a few years ago, the first North American Passive House Conference was attended by a handful of passionate adherents trading tips around folding tables in Urbana, Illinois. But this year, with a keynote speech by green energy prophet Amory Lovins, and attended by roughly 350 practitioners from across the country, the 2010 conference, held from November 4 to 7 in Portland, Oregon, helped establish