bastion
Baracade for coastal flooding.
1190 x 603 x 140 cm
Material: steel preforated, reused collapsed building materials
Bastion reimagines demolition debris as a resilient line of coastal defence, turning destruction into protection.
A speculative infrastructure project exploring how building rubble from flood destruction can be repurposed as a structural, biomimetic defence system. One that channels water away from inland zones and reinforces vulnerable coasts.
A Crisis of Collapsing Coasts
In 2022, the KwaZulu-Natal floods destroyed thousands of informal homes in Durban. Bastion explores the emotional and ecological aftermath, and how we might rebuild with what remains.
[Using Blender’s fluid simulation, I modelled water dispersal across a 3D representation of Durban’s coastal region to study how floodwaters interact with terrain and structural interventions.]
Inspired by biomimicry and Buckminster Fuller’s synergetic thinking, Bastion is a system that transforms rubble into usable material. The project uses gabion-like walls filled with debris, guided by bone and insect wing microstructures to strengthen the build while allowing water to pass.