Future by Design
︎Accra, Ghana︎Helensburgh, Scotland
︎2021
︎Partners: Cove Park Scotland, Tom Morton (Arc Architects), Ashesi University D-Lab, Macintosh School of Architecture (Glasgow), The Midunu Institute
︎Funded by: British Council ADP “Future by Design”and Art and Business Scotland
Supported by the British Council’s Future by Design program, Willow worked with Cove Park and Tom Morton of Arc Architects, Scotland to explore how design can address flooding caused by climate change in two sisters sites across the Atlantic.
The design of a landscape installation in response to flooding conditions in the southwest corner of Accra’s largest public green space, Efua Sutherland Children’s Park. Responding to the shifting urban water flow and change in rainfall patterns, the installation aims to slow down, store and use water discharged into the park using high water retention soil media and flood tolerant flora. An experimental demonstration “bioswale” was built at the Efua Sutherland park in a section of the park that is prone to flooding due to the changes in the surrounding urban context waterways. Bioswales are systems used throughout cities around the world particularly in hardscaped urban areas, to slow down and absorb water runoff before draining into the municipal water system. Typically bioswales are composed of different grades of permeable stones, soil retention media as well as a range of flood tolerant flora that are able to absorb water according to rainfall patterns onsite.
In collaboration Scottish architect Tom Morton, of Arc Architects, Willow participated in the design of a hybrid, eco-sustainable ‘open classroom’ for Cove Park, developed collaboratively with a multi-disciplinary cohort of young people from across Scotland and Macintosh School of Architecture.
Featured Links:
British Council, Future by Design Winners
Future by Design Panel Discussion
Cove Park Classroom