Four architects win design competition

The designs for four “flood-proof” houses have been unveiled at the Thames Gateway Forum.

Insurance giant Norwich Union teamed up with the RIBA to stage a competition to find a “flood-proof house of the future”.

The competition, which had a prize of £3,500, attracted 85 entrants from around the world. The winners were Nissen Adams, Kuala Lumpur-based Eleena Jamil Architects, Pohkit Goh and Hopper Howe Sadler.

Sunand Prasad, the RIBA president, said: “Reducing the risk of flooding does not begin and end with concrete walls and buildings on stilts, as the results of the competition show.

"Good design lies at the heart of creating communities that are more resilient against flooding, of lessening the cost caused by flooding when it does occur and of minimising the impact it has on local livelihoods and safety. The variety of the approaches demonstrated by the entrants shows the enormous potential of design-led solutions.”