Climate change poses significant challenges to Shanghai, and flood risk in particular is a serious issue to which the city will need to adapt. Multi-story tenement buildings are a common typology in historic Shanghai. The risk of flooding is especially acute for residents living on the first and second floors of these buildings, many of whom are elderly.

As a solution for residential communities likely to suffer from increased flood risk, the project explores the potential for multi-functional walkways to connect existing buildings. The new structures not only create barrier-free walkways during flood crises, but also extend the service life of the building, enriching the daily life of residents in all seasons throughout the year. The structures create opportunities for improved accessibility, planting, solar shading, play and refuge, and in so doing, offer opportunities for rejuvenation of the extant historic building stock in the community.