Research

Ascension Island Housing
Ascension Island, a small and remote island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, is a unique place with its fair share of challenges. Home to institutions like the UK Royal Air Force, the US Air Force, and the BBC, its small population relies on government infrastructure and housing that is at the daily mercy of its unique climactic conditions.
We were commissioned by the Ascension Island government, in partnership with Light Earth Designs, to develop a future housing strategy that would enable them to redevelop their existing, worn housing stock into future-proofed homes that could better withstand the elements, used sustainable and resilient materials, and were practical to construct considering their extreme distance from mainland material stocks.
The civilians living on Ascension are assigned to live in either Georgetown, by the port, or Two Boats, by the base of Green Mountain further inland. Georgetown’s environment is harshly coastal. A strong sea breeze couples with a rocky landscape and limited vegetation to create a dusty and hot environment. This proximity to the ocean causes high levels of corrosion in local housing due to the salty and damp air picked up from the sea by the winds. In comparison, Two Boats experiences higher humidity and a lower temperature, brought on by the lush vegetation and microclimate of the cloud forest. As one of the further in-land settlements, the town is more insulated from the ocean breeze, but more at risk of flooding due to climate change.
Ascension’s mixed housing stock from the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s, with a few houses dating back to the 1800s, are a point of concern. Each building has been subjected to varying levels of refurbishment over the years with materials available to hand at the time. Therefore, no two houses are the same. While each type has its own quirks, many of the houses face similar issues of compromised panels, poor cross-ventilation, and corrosion.
The guidelines that we created fell into a few different categories: reusing but improving existing infrastructure, strategic urban planning for redevelopment, and the use of sustainable materials. First was the task to identify enhancements to the building design, chiefly including removing hazardous materials (asbestos, untreated timber) and outdated features (enclosed lofts, external galvanised steel). Suggested design improvements prioritise better ceiling heights, gutter capacity, veranda comfort, and optimised ventilation and window placement. We also recommended integrating sustainable features such as built-in roof drainage (SuDS), rainwater collection, flood resilience, wastewater storage, low-impact design, and tree shading while decoupling ventilation from windows to enhance well-being.
In this location, durability is key. We proposed housing materials that are low carbon, require little maintenance, can withstand the challenging climate, but can also be quickly constructed. For walls, we recommended hemp blocks that provide thermal and acoustic insulation, fire resistance, insect resistance and humidity control. Accoya timber was the top choice for the structure given it is resistant to pest, low maintenance, and excels in any climate. For the partitions, STRAMEN.TEC (the latest iteration of Stramit board) was proposed, a product proven to be both resilient to the climate and pests on Ascension Island. Lastly, we proposed Rheinzink for roofing as it is the only cost-effective covering that will not corrode on the island.
Moving forward, we identified three phases to refurbish, replace, or – in rare cases – fully rebuild housing on the island. The phases account for limitations like shipping capacity and accommodation for expat workers. Generally, the more dilapidated properties are replaced earlier in the programme and the Georgetown phases are to be undertaken prior to Two Boats. Although the embodied carbon of shipping to the remote location is unavoidable, our material and manufacturing selection help minimise the development’s carbon footprint.
Our guidelines sought to provide a blueprint that would allow the Ascension Island government to create durable, high-quality settlements, with improved comfort and a greater resilience to climate change events. Houses would be better to live in, cheaper to run, more sustainable in construction and operation, and be able to last far longer without major maintenance or redevelopment.
This work was compiled as a bespoke strategy for the Ascension Islands Government, but it could easily be used as a template for the development of buildings for remote island nations around the world; many of which are battling with similar issues in their own unique way.