Courtesy: NLÉ

A floating school in Lagos, Nigeria could be setting the standard for the future as architects, designers and city planners look for sustainable housing solutions.

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Ever-changing water levels have forced the fishing community of Makoko to build its structures on stilts. Despite sitting on stilts, flooding remains an issue because heavy rain and rising sea levels still flood homes.

In 2011, Nigerian architect and founder Kunle Adeyemi visited Makoko. As he spoke with members of the community, it became clear to him that they needed to expand the nursery and primary school. Much like the homes, the school was inundated – and useless – when heavy rain would send rising water flowing into the building.

Adeyemi and his team specifically to adapt to the area's rising waters and frequent storms, according to the firm's web site. The floating foundation is tied to 256 recycled empty plastic. The A-frame exterior, made of local wood and bamboo, gives the structure a low center of gravity; not only ideal for floating, but also less vulnerable to high winds. Solar panels on the roof supply the energy.

The idea of floating structures is growing, particularly in coastal cities that are already seeing impacts of rising ocean water and climate change. Rotterdam, a port city in the Netherlands, built a in their harbor, with plans to expand into urban districts, according to the Rotterdam Climate Initiative. Baca Architects reports that it has approval to build the United Kingdom's first along the Thames River.

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The Makoko school prototype, which opened for use in the spring of 2013, is likely just the beginning of floating buildings in coastal Africa.NLÉ says it is researching challenges and opportunities in other coastal communities throughout the continent.

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