Architects from Amsterdam to Lagos are building on water to try to tackle the twin urban pressures of population density and climate change.
City planners across the world are starting to look beyond the traditional confines of the city, towards building on water as one of the answers to reducing inner-city population density and also developing flood-resilient designs. Global damage to cities from flooding could amount to $1tn a year by 2050 if no action is taken, according to a World Bank report.
This building designed by London-based Baca Architects has a unique feature – it floats.
The house was developed as a prototype by Baca and Floating Homes, a manufacturer specialising in flood-resilient housing. It is intended to be practical, affordable (a two-bed unit will sell for £200,000) and equipped to deal with floods, by rising with the water levels.
For London architect Carl Turner, who has designed a pre-fabricated, open-source amphibious house specifically designed to float on floodwater, called the Floating House, climate change means needing to work with water.
“You either protect the house or protect the land,” he says. “Creating large-scale flood protection zones is expensive and in itself potentially harmful to the environment. Once breached, homes are left defenceless, as opposed to floating homes that can simply rise with flood waters.”
Source: Floating homes: a solution to flooding, crowded cities and unaffordable housing
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| Aerial illustration of DRMM’s Docklands project |
City planners across the world are starting to look beyond the traditional confines of the city, towards building on water as one of the answers to reducing inner-city population density and also developing flood-resilient designs. Global damage to cities from flooding could amount to $1tn a year by 2050 if no action is taken, according to a World Bank report.
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| ‘The Chichester’ prototype floating home designed by Baca Architects |
This building designed by London-based Baca Architects has a unique feature – it floats.
The house was developed as a prototype by Baca and Floating Homes, a manufacturer specialising in flood-resilient housing. It is intended to be practical, affordable (a two-bed unit will sell for £200,000) and equipped to deal with floods, by rising with the water levels.
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| The living area of ‘The Chichester’ showing the roof terrace stairs |
For London architect Carl Turner, who has designed a pre-fabricated, open-source amphibious house specifically designed to float on floodwater, called the Floating House, climate change means needing to work with water.
“You either protect the house or protect the land,” he says. “Creating large-scale flood protection zones is expensive and in itself potentially harmful to the environment. Once breached, homes are left defenceless, as opposed to floating homes that can simply rise with flood waters.”
Source: Floating homes: a solution to flooding, crowded cities and unaffordable housing
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