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BUILDING THE DREAM

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CHICOCO RADIO is a floating radio station being built by residents of Port Harcourt’s waterfront slums.

The structure is conceived as a linear composition of public spaces from land to water: a community radio station, recording studios, computer centre, meeting rooms, amphitheater and cinema.

The radio broadcast mast is an integrated architectural component raising the structure like a bridge: launching one end of the building into the water, suspending the other in the air. The waterside of the building is a floating stage and jetty responding to the ebb and flow of the tide. The airside is the broadcast space where programmes and music are made to air. The cantilevered studios open a shaded landscaped area beneath them - open public space beneath a place of open public debate.

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INDUCTION

Built of locally available materials, the structure incorporates renewable energy systems. The concept and design development stages have been closely guided by the local communities: we have involved hundreds ofresidents in design workshops, focus groups and discussions over a number of years.

As a ‘bridge to transformation’, the amphibious nature of the building offers a reconnection between the communities’ life on land and historic connection with the water. Anchored in the bay of Okrika waterfront and reaching up towards the ‘upland’ city, the building establishes a trajectory along which large areas of intense informal growth will be integrated into a more inclusive vision of the city’s future.

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INDUCTION

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CHICOCO RADIO: COLLABORATIVE DESIGNA DESIGN WORKSHOP WITH NLÉ

CHICOCO RADIO: EXPLORING SITE STRATEGIESAND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LAND AND WATER

SHARING IDEAS AND REFINING DESIGNS: THE NEXT PHASE OF PARTICIPATION

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SITE STRATEGY: CONCEPT 2 SQUARE

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SITE STRATEGY: CONCEPT 3 SPINE

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DESIGN OPTIONS THAT RESPOND TO SHARED IDEAS

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DECIDING ON DETAILS: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WITH FOCUS GROUPS AND WORKSHOPS

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‘THIS IS A BRIDGETO THE WORLD’PROMISE TONIPIRIMA AMA

‘THIS IS A BRIDGETO THE WORLD’PROMISE TONIPIRIMA AMA

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Versatile space Flexible roof

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95‘I’M FINDING MY VOICE HERE AT CHICOCO RADIO. AND I’M DISCOVERING MY CITY. I’M SURPRISED AT THE SOUND OF MY VOICE. AND THE CITY WILL BE, TOO’GLORIA ABO AMA WATERFRONT

‘I’M FINDING MY VOICE HERE AT CHICOCO RADIO. AND I’M DISCOVERING THE SOUND OF MY CITY. GLORIA ABO AMA WATERFRONT

96‘MUSIC HAS BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE. I’VE HAD TO STRUGGLE TO PUT IT OUT THERE AND TO REACH PEOPLE. CHICOCO RADIO IS ALL ABOUT REACHING PEOPLE, ABOUT BRINGING THE CITY TOGETHER. THAT’S SOMETHING WORTH STRUGGLING FOR.’VINTA 60 BOROKIRI WATERFRONT

‘MUSIC HAS BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE. I’VE STRUGGLED TO PUT IT OUT THERE AND REACH PEOPLE.

CHICOCO RADIO IS ALL ABOUT REACHING PEOPLE, BRINGING THE CITY TOGETHER. THAT’S SOMETHING WORTH STRUGGLING FOR.’VINTA 60 BOROKIRI WATERFRONT

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‘A MICROPHONE IN THE HAND; AN IDEA IN THE HEAD; A NEW SOUND FOR THE CITY.’DJ MURPHY OKRIKA WATERFRONT

‘A MICROPHONE IN THE HAND; AN IDEA IN THE HEAD; A NEW SOUND FOR THE CITY.’DJ MURPHY OKRIKA WATERFRONT

98‘I HAD NEVER HEARD OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND I WAS ALWAYS QUIET IN SCHOOL. HOW COULD I HAVE IMAGINED I’D BE LEARNING TO MAKE RADIO PROGRAMMES AND SPEAKING UP FOR MY RIGHTS?’NGOZI BUNDU WATERFRONT

‘I HAD NEVER HEARD OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND I WAS ALWAYS QUIET IN SCHOOL. HOW COULD I HAVE IMAGINED I’D BE LEARNING TO MAKE RADIO PROGRAMMES AND SPEAKING UP FOR MY RIGHTS?’NGOZI BUNDU WATERFRONT

99‘INFORMATION IS POWER. THE COMMUNITY’S FOREFATHERS PASSED INFORMATION ON BY SOUNDING A GONG TO CALL PEOPLE TOGETHER. AS SOCIETY CHANGES DIFFERENT MEDIA WILL BE USED AS THE GONG.’PRECIOUS OKRIKA WATERFRONT

‘INFORMATION IS POWER. THE COMMUNITY’S FOREFATHERS PASSED INFORMATION ON BY SOUNDING A GONG TO CALL PEOPLE TOGETHER. AS SOCIETY CHANGES DIFFERENT MEDIA WILL BE USED AS THE GONG.’PRECIOUS OKRIKA WATERFRONT

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‘I AM NOT FROM THE WATERFRONTS.I IMAGINED THEY WERE FULL OF MILITANTS. NOW I WORK THERE EVERYDAYAND I REALISE WE SHARE CONCERNSFACE COMMON PROBLEMS.THIS OUR CITYAND WE SHARE A VOICE.’CHICHIRUMUOKUTA

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‘I AM A FISHERMAN. THIS IS MY COMMUNITY. THIS IS MY CITY.CHICOCO RADIO IS MY VOICE.THIS BUILDING IS MY DREAM. ’SUNDAY OKRIKA WATERFRONT

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‘I WANT TO WATCH FILMS FROM THE WATERAND TO PLAY FOOTBALLWITH MY FRIENDS UNDER THE BRIDGE’EMANUELOKRIKA WATERFRONT

‘I WANT TO WATCH FILMS FROM THE WATERAND TO PLAY FOOTBALLWITH MY FRIENDS UNDER THE BRIDGE’EMANUELOKRIKA WATERFRONT

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THANK YOU