Archi-pelago is a visionary floating community anchored in Cody Dock, London, reimagining a post-industrial site as a hub for future-focused, water-based living. With sea levels rising and urban resilience becoming essential, Archi-pelago embraces water not as a threat, but as a resource. Here, creatives and specialists prototype a new typology of human habitation — multidisciplinary, adaptable, and ecologically integrated — where daily life is shaped by the rhythm of the tides.

The floating architecture honours natural water cycles: dwellings and well-lit workspaces shift with the tide, promoting a healthy daily routine and encouraging environmental awareness. Design decisions were guided by two core principles: lightweight construction and low embodied carbon. These informed the selection of glulam-partitioned structural insulated panels, buoyancy systems, and passive environmental strategies. Every choice — from active balance mechanisms to energy systems — was tested against future climate resilience, with the resulting units achieving double the efficiency of standard benchmarks.