Dutch Prepare for Climate Change With Floating Houses
With rising sea levels and more extreme weather events on the horizon, the Dutch are building houses modeled after arks. These houses become buoyant during floods.
There is a string of 37 houses located along the Maas River in Holland that were designed and built by Dura Vermeer. Such houses can rise 16 feet without problems and contain flexible pipes, electrical, and sewer lines.
The foundation of the sits on the river bottom. If you were to drill a hole through the basement floor, water would come in (so this is not recommended).
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When the river floods, the house becomes buoyant. Unlike a boat or an ark, two broad steel posts driven deep into solid ground hold the house in place.
“In the other village we have lived, there was always the water,” said Mariana Smits, a floating homeowner in Maasbommel. “I was very scared. Two times, we have evacuated to leave our old house. This was very scary for us. And we got the opportunity to buy this house. It’s a safe place.”
Design Advances
Floating houses are nothing new, but they are in higher demand and increasingly popular. Buoyant gardens are also being designed, because nobody wants to loose their daisy collection after an extreme weather event. Technology is now being developed to allow entire city blocks to float. Having multiple structures connected adds stability, benefiting everyone.
Rising Sea Level Increasing Demand
Some degree of climate change is inevitable despite emission reduction efforts and adaptation initiatives are being considered. “As global warming causes the sea level to rise, this is the solution,” explains Dick van Gooswilligen from the Dura Vermeer. “Housing of this type is the future for the delta regions of the world, the ones which face the greatest danger.”
Market conditions are ripe for this building design. “The momentum is just right,” said Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio, an architectural firm that specializes in living and working on water. “Because of the climate change, because of the Al Gore story, because of New Orleans, because of the financials of this moment, everybody is waiting for new innovations.”
Photo Credit: Dura Vermeer
hi,
am an architecture student from India.i really liked this particular article,its very informative.the houses shown here are all g+1 structures.i want to know if this technique can be used to construct entire floating townships consisting of g+4 or g+5 structures?could this method be used in flood prone,high density areas?and how valid is this whole thing in terms of low-cost housing?
I was just thinking the same thing…. even people on the coast of Texas where I am may have to start doing this.