Makoko Floating System – MFS™ – by NLÉ is a simple way to build on water by hand. It is a prefabricated, modular, floating A-frame, sustainable timber structure that can be locally produced, assembled and disassembled, quickly and manually for developments on water, in advanced or developing regions around the world.

Since 2011 NLÉ has been researching and building expertise in nature-based solutions for developments on and around water. Specifically through its body of work, the ‘African Water Cities’ project and the creation of ‘Makoko Floating System’ (MFS™)’ – a unique, locally produced, prefab, easy-to-assemble, sustainable-timber, floating building solution, which has been successfully deployed in 5 countries across 3 continents. Whether for housing, hospitality, healthcare, education, culture, agriculture, freshwater ecosystems, forestry or protecting the environment by water, we believe the infrastructure, architecture and built spaces to support these industries should embody sustainable values by being part of and adapting to their environments.

In 2012 we created the first prototype ‘Makoko Floating School’, a building concept conceived to address significant issues faced by many of today’s major world cities – rapidly expanding urban development and the impacts of climate change. The prototype was developed with a vision for an inclusive, locally adaptive and scalable building system, designed to transform how we urbanise areas around water globally. In view of the fact that over 80% of the world’s major cities are situated by water – many of which are prone to flooding and growing rapidly – particularly on the Asian and African continents.

Makoko Floating School was built for and with the historic water community of Makoko, located on the lagoon heart of Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos. It was realised with the vision of bringing this system to many communities, cities and places around the world – by creating individual floating vessels, to multi building centres, for expanding communities and for whole new cities on water.

MFS™ is modular, scalable and available in 3 sizes – small, medium and large vessels. The three sizes range from 1 to 3 floors respectively and are available in different internal floor configurations to create floating homes, lofts or large performance spaces.