Formalising ‘45
In 2045, climate change has passed its tipping point, rendering vast equatorial regions uninhabitable and displacing 3 billion people. Manchester, one of the few cities unaffected and seeking to redeem its missed 2038 climate goals, welcomes climate refugees.
Traditional building methods prove inadequate to deal with the influx of people due to resource shortages, leading to the emergence of informal settlements on available land. Balancing environmental resilience with solutions to overpopulation is critical for Manchester's future.
Our project, Formalising '45, presents an innovative solution to these challenges through computational methods, including stochastic aggregation, to design urban layouts for new settlements. By intervening on sites before informal housing becomes critical, we aim to mitigate associated problems and promote sustainable urban growth.
Our approach enhances site capacity, ensures full accessibility and offers substantial amenities, fostering a vibrant, connected community. We provide a steel shell structure for inhabitants to customise, with formal elements like white polycarbonate framing the informal, self-built features, thus highlighting the community's character and creativity.
