In an attempt to provide sustainable housing for low-income communities in flood-prone areas, Prithula Prosun has designed and constructed an innovate house in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Called the “Lift House,” short for low income flood-proof technology, this eco-friendly house is designed to float upwards with rising water levels due to floods and water logging, and return to ground level as the water recedes. It had been successfully tested and presently houses two families.
Backed by a International Development Research Centre grant, the project is designed to be completely self sustaining with no connection to the city’s service systems. The lift house made from bamboo employs two methods to achieve buoyancy – a hollow Ferro cement foundation for one design and a bamboo frame foundation filled with used plastic water bottles in the other. It also includes two 60W solar panels that generate enough energy to power fans and lighting.
The rainwater is collected and filtered using service spine, after which is further goes for recycling through biosand filtration, so that it can be used throughout the year. An underground pipe system directs urine to the garden as a source of nutrients, while the shared composting toilet allows the residents to create compost from human waste that can be sold or applied to the vegetable garden after 10 years of use.
