Project description
We are living in a climate crisis.
Greenhouse gases are at a 4.5 million-year high, over 1 million species are currently at risk of extinction and by 2050, it is estimated that there will be 1.2 billion climate refugees displaced globally.
This thesis investigates the relationship between the climate crisis and humanitarian architecture and critiques our typical response to disaster. The underlying issue is reactive architecture, where the lag between emergency and response often exasperates the impact. But what if emergency architecture became proactive, instead of reactive?
Sink or Swim seeks to change this narrative, by creating a proactive climate-resilient vision for Stratford. This includes a deep-retrofit of the existing stadium, with wider strategies to future-proof the surrounding area. By utilising a holistic design approach, with targeted and proactive measures at every scale, we can fundamentally mitigate the architecture of displacement.
Site location
Stratford
On-Site Bamboo Growth
Community Perspective
Future Stratford (2030)
Zafir is an architectural designer and campaigner, with a demonstrated history of environmental design, grassroots activism and education.
Zafir currently works at dRMM, assisting on a range of projects from masterplanning to domestic retrofits. Zafir previously worked at Hawkins\Brown, and completed his Part 1 from the Manchester School of Architecture.
Outside of work, Zafir is engaged with a range of organisations. He previously coordinated the Architects’ Climate Action Network (ACAN), has undertaken workshops with CAUKIN studio, and currently collaborates on live projects with international NGO MEDLIFE.
Most recently, Zafir was elected as Student Rep on the RIBA National Council.