Designing for Resilience: Embracing Water in Architecture

At Sasaki, we’ve seen firsthand how resilient strategies can transform projects, protecting communities while creating beautiful, functional, and enduring spaces. Through projects like Manomet, Boston Children’s Museum, Lincoln Beach, and Davenport, we’ve developed and refined approaches that acknowledge water’s power while harnessing its potential as an integral design element.

Strategies for Water-Resilient Design

Water is a foundational element of any ecosystem, yet not fully integrated in the design of urban environments. To create resilient architecture, we should think about designing with water instead of resisting it. Integrating water into our designs and keeping it in mind requires a layered approach—one that considers retreat, adaptation, and long-term flexibility.

• Retract from the water: In flood-prone areas, strategically pulling development back from vulnerable zones allows natural landscapes to absorb and manage water more effectively.
• Mitigate and let water in: Rather than building rigid barriers, we can design spaces that welcome water in controlled ways—whether through absorbent landscapes, elevated structures, or floodable public spaces.
• Phase and measure the investment: Resilient design is not a one-time fix but an ongoing process. Phased investments allow for flexibility as climate conditions evolve.
• Use adaptable materials: Choosing materials that can withstand water exposure, be easily cleaned, or replaced helps extend a building’s lifespan in flood-prone areas.
• Move utilities upward: By elevating mechanical systems, electrical and data infrastructure, buildings can remain functional even when lower levels are compromised.
• Transition from hard to soft edges: Hard barriers often fail over time, but integrating natural buffers—like wetlands, permeable pavements, and green roofs—helps dissipate water’s energy while creating more inviting public spaces.

Resiliency in Architectural Form

Resilience is not about creating impenetrable bunkers; it’s about designing dynamic spaces that can adapt to changing conditions while maintaining essential functions. Simplicity in form is often the most effective approach—clean, straightforward designs are easier to repair and rebuild when needed. Rather than assuming structures will remain unscathed, we want to design with the understanding that some level of rebuilding will likely be part of the lifecycle. This perspective allows us to prioritize ease of reconstruction and adaptability, creating buildings that can evolve with the environment.

Porous architecture also plays a critical role in resilient design. Rather than attempting to keep all water out, we have to acknowledge that some water will inevitably find its way in. Controlled permeability—using permeable materials, green roofs, and stormwater management systems—allows structures to manage and release water safely, reducing the risk of catastrophic failure. Our approach often includes overlapping systems—multiple layers of defense that work together to protect both the building and its occupants. These may range from elevated foundations to deployable flood barriers to backup power systems. Ultimately, resilient design means understanding that nature can go full force and being ready to adapt when it does.

Lessons Learned in Resilient Design

Years of research and practice have taught us that resilient design is an opportunity, not just a challenge. By working with natural systems, we create more sustainable solutions that can adapt to changing conditions:

• Higher ground presents new opportunities: Elevating landscapes and structures not only provides protection but also creates engaging spaces for public use and recreation.
• Resilience can be a teaching tool: Adaptive design can educate communities on climate risks and demonstrate innovative solutions for coexisting with water.
• Living with nature, not against it: Working with natural systems—rather than trying to control them—results in more sustainable, long-term solutions.
• Time and probability matter: Designing for water requires understanding risk over time. Floods may not happen every year, but when they do, buildings must be prepared.
• Nothing is truly permanent: Resilient design embraces the idea that all structures have a lifespan. Designing with flexibility in mind allows buildings to evolve with changing conditions.

Moving Forward

Resiliency is not just about preventing disaster—it’s about creating spaces that endure, adapt, and even improve in response to change, and that the people that inhabit them have a sense of ownership and stewardship over their land. Designing with water can generate environments that are not only more durable but also more beautiful, engaging, and sustainable.

At Sasaki, we continue to explore innovative ways to integrate water resilience into our work, ensuring that the communities we design for today remain vibrant and functional for generations to come.