Autoflux embodies two key concepts, the idea of a responsive mechanical system and of being in a state of constant change. Our project tackles urban flooding at the inhabitable scale, enabling a symbiotic relationship between flood zones and the urban population that they impact, by reclaiming those parts of today’s cities that are currently seen as at risk to submersion. We refer to this reciprocal relationship, and the act of purposefully occupying these regions, as Aquatic Urbanism, whereby the architecture not only withstands the flooded state but thrives and is fuelled by it. The objective is not to prevent or inhibit geological events, but rather to learn to exist in a symbiosis with them, to design a new kind of strategy for life among - and not disrupted by - the instability of susceptible environments.

Our case study for AutoFlux is the Okayama Prefecture in Japan, particularly the city of Kurashiki, which suffered a disastrous flood in 2018, and is still in search of solutions to prevent another event of this severity from occurring. Existing on this site will test our project’s capability of functioning for both the gradual temperament of seasonal flooding, as well as the more instantaneous catastrophic flash flooding, both of which impact this site.

Inspired by both the mass-producibility and pseudo-nomadism of the automotive industry, the goal of our project is to create an architecture that grants the occupant freedom to relocate or aggregate, following a need-based life sustaining protocol. The brief for our thesis is to envision a new generation of architecture that has the capacity to move, transform and evolve, as a response to environmental change and contemporary inhabitation requirements. Situated at a time where global environmental conditions are changing and becoming more volatile, the goal of this project is to design a resilient architectural strategy that will combat extreme environmental conditions, and acknowledging that surviving and thriving in these states will become the new norm in the near future. At a time of radical advances in both design and fabrication, we will draw inspiration from both the nautical and automotive industry, focusing on material efficiency, resourceful fabrication, structural innovation, resilient form, minimal space and mass producibility.