LIFT House
Prithula Prosun
Housing solution for urban, flood-prone areas in Bangladesh.
The LIFT House is an amphibious housing alternative designed for low-income families living in flood-prone areas in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The two-story house combines an attached-to-the-ground service spine structure and a floating dwelling area structure. The grounded service spine features a rainwater cistern, waste storage, and vegetable garden on the first floor and toilet, kitchens, and a terrace. The dwelling area is divided into two parts, each one two-story-high for housing a family on each side.
The house was designed by Bangladeshi-Canadian architect Prithula Prosun as part of her Master’s thesis in Architecture at the University of Waterloo in 2011. The construction of the house was a collaboration of the designer, local engineers, and a local construction company. The pilot project was inaugurated in November 2010. As of 2020, the product has not been further scaled.
Bangladesh
The LIFT House has been implemented by the designer with the support of a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada.
The construction cost of the pilot project was approximately ∼9,360 USD (650,000 BDT)Converted in 2010. However, preliminary cost estimations made by the designer on the implementation of a set of houses between 8-12 units showed a unit could cost ∼3,600 USD (250,000 BDT)Converted in 2010.
The LIFT House represents an uncommon amphibious housing solution; nevertheless, competitive solutions could include the NLÉ Makoko Floating School, Sustainable Incremental Construction Unit, and S House 3.
Target users include low-income families living in flood-prone areas in Bangladesh.
