STHAYI is a disaster-resilient architectural project that addresses the challenges of climate change, flooding, and displacement in vulnerable communities. Rooted in vernacular techniques and ecological sensitivity, the design proposes an amphibian architectural model that adapts dynamically to flooding events while enhancing local socio-cultural lifestyles.

Blending sustainability, adaptability, and community resilience, the project aims to create a self-sufficient built environment that offers thermal comfort, psychological wellbeing, and spatial flexibility mitigating destruction and binding the community together through architecture.

This thesis proposes an innovative approach to post-disaster housing through the lens of amphibious architecture a design methodology where structures are not fixed to the ground but rest on a foundation that allows them to float and rise temporarily during flood events. This approach redefines how architecture can adapt, survive, and support communities in flood-prone regions without permanent displacement.

Concept & Design Approach:
The housing units are developed on amphibious foundations, allowing them to remain on the ground under dry conditions and elevate with rising water levels during floods. This duality ensures safety and continuity without relying on large-scale infrastructural changes.

Buoyant substructures using bamboo rafts or lightweight hollow blocks are integrated beneath the plinth, enabling the structure to lift safely in response to water level changes.

The design emphasizes passive cooling, cross-ventilation, and modular adaptability, ensuring comfort, scalability, and ease of relocation.

Community layouts are planned with collective resilience in mind, incorporating elevated walkways, shared courtyards, and strategically placed utility cores to maintain essential services even in inundated conditions.

Impact:
By embracing the amphibious typology, the project provides a cost-effective and dignified alternative to conventional flood-resistant housing, promoting self-reliance, cultural continuity, and environmental harmony in vulnerable coastal settlements. It represents a step toward architecture that responds fluidly to nature’s forces rather than resisting them.