Floating Houses

I was born in the Netherlands, a country built largely on deltas, the outlet of some of the largest rivers in Europe. A huge chunk of that small country lies below sea level. Their ingenuity at reclaiming land from the sea, and keeping the sea at bay, is very admirable. But the way we’re screwing things up in the world, sea levels are almost certain to rise. Rise to a level that all the ingenious methods the Dutch have devised will prove unable to keep up with. Rather than trying more of the same, architects are now looking at living with the water, rather than fighting against it. Namely, floating houses.

http://www.ecoboot.nl/artikelen/floating_houses.php

http://www.escapeartist.com/OREQ14/Architects_Of_The_Floating_World.html

http://inhabitat.com/dutch-floating-homes-by-duravermeer/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6405359.stm

Given that, my country of birth won’t be the only place affected by this troubling prospect, and given the number of places in the continent I now live in that are damaged or destroyed by flooding, (which seems to be getting worse with each passing year), perhaps it’s time to stop doing things the traditional way, and start building with an eye towards designs better able to deal with rising water levels.