July 15, 2022

The Blue Drempel

Since our scheme on the Isle of Man has gone public, we’ve received a few requests about the flood-resilient planning theory that informed the designs. Enclosed is an abstract of ‘The Blue Drempel’ or blue thresholds, which was first presented at the Architectural School in Warsaw, Poland, aspart of the international symposium on amphibious architecture. This thesis sought to explore how amphibious houses might work in larger numbers alongside other resilient archetypes, as part of a landscape-led masterplan that makes space for water.

 

Designs also include concept plans developed in collaboration with our friends at Waterstudio in the Netherlands.

 

Further publications include "Aquatecture: Buildings and Cities Designed to Live and Work with Water" by Robert Barker & Richard Coutts, RIBA Publishing.

Credits: Richard Coutts, Matthew Sharman-Hayles, and John Napier.

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Attending WATER: Resilience & Innovation for the Built Environment

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W-Roads

January 15, 2026

The Future of Resilient Waterfront Development and Floating Infrastructure

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The Circular Waterfront Economy

December 11, 2025

Living With Water, Not Against It

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