Sculptural Lazika Municipality Building Ushers in an Era of Climate Responsive Architecture in Georgia

Even as our leaders fail to properly mobilize in response to global warming and climate change, design firms like Architects of Invention are planning ahead for the rise of sea levels and other pending hazards. Constructed in just 168 days on marshlands bordering the Black Sea, the sculptural Lazika Municipality Building is the first in a series of buildings planned for what is expected to be Georgia's second largest city, but planning appears to have reached a stalemate.

Architects of Invention, Lazika Municipality, global warming, rising sea levels, climate change, vernacular architecture, climate responsive architecture, Georgia, design, sustainable design, eco design

Propped up on stilts to keep it safe from flooding, a common technique in the region, the Lazika Municipality Building is comprised of three distinct volumes that are nonetheless interconnected. The base will hold the public service functions while the curved glass building in the middle is a wedding hall. On top, a rectilinear block with a perforated metal screen will be used as an office building. A red glass elevator connects the various levels.

Problem is, the city for which this municipal building was constructed does not yet exist! "The client needed to be aware of the risks associated with anticipated global warming and subsequent sea level rises which could be in excess of one metre during the next century," Architects of Invention founder Niko Japaridze told Dezeen. Constructed at sea level, the building and indeed the entire "instant city" are particularly vulnerable.