Future by Design Ghana Flood Control Project Signup

The Future by Design Ghana Project in Accra is an experimental “bioswale” 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 media as well as an appropriate variety of plants that are able to absorb water according to rainfall patterns onsite. Towards our goal to promote the use of local materials and flora as part of the landscape, we aim to integrate and study the performance of a variety of soil water retention media and indigenous plants at Efua Sutherland Park. We have chosen soil retention media and plants that are flood tolerant and also increase the biodiversity, health and maintenance of the bioswale across the wet and dry seasons.

Supported by the British Council’s “Future By Design” project around climate change, we have been working with both students and participants from Ashesi University’s Design Lab here in Ghana and students from Mackintosh School of Architecture in Scotland. We are a multidisciplinary team made up of architects, a culinary professional, scientist, artists and community organizers working with students from Ashesi’s Mobile Lab to understand and experimentally develop sustainable solutions to urban flooding in Accra.

Kindly register by filling the form.