Although the economy may be the key threat to housing, natural disasters still lurk at the back of our minds. In response to the catastrophic floods across Britain in 2007, Norwich Union, along with the support of the RIBA, set off to discover how to keep us safe and sound.
The Flood Houses for the Future competition was launched last July, attracting over 80 entries from around the world, all attempting to create the perfect flood-proof house.

Flood Houses
See more of the winning entries from The Flood Houses of the Future competition
The competition’s brief was for a single house with a garden, intended as part of a larger housing development, only built on a flood plain. The four joint winners, London-based Nissen Adams, Pohkit Goh from Edinburgh, Newcastle firm Hopper Howe Sadler, and Malaysian practice Eleena Jamil architects, were announced last week, and each received a £3,500 money prize. London’s Moxon Architects were also highly commended.
What happens next? Frail finances won’t necessarily help these designs go forward. Ewan Willars, RIBA’s Head of Policy, stated diplomatically that ’the RIBA and Norwich Union are considering taking the submissions received to Government and using them as a basis for why building regulations should perhaps be amended to take flood risk into account.’ Developers might also benefit. ’We hope [the designs] will stimulate new ideas and solutions on how to deal with homes and flood risk,’ he added.
Ranging from adaptable designs which are intended to respond to a potential flood, raised buildings with a zone-defence plan, to special drainage systems which mimic the natural water movements, the winning designs were diverse, approaching the issue from a variety of different angles. The ultimate aim is to prove that great design not only makes our lives easier, but also considerably safer.