Going with the Flow / Amphibious Architecture

NOVEMBER 8, 2018 / 5 minute read

Before coming to Denmark, I was really excited at the prospect of looking at floating architecture (as maybe exhibited in my Netherlands post). I was fascinated by the promise of buildings literally rising with the tide, the sustainable energy opportunities, the flexibility of location, and even modular configurations that promote community. It almost seems like a no brainer - homes that basically act as boats that would have no problem in fluctuating water environments.

Since delving deeper into this topic, I’ve come across a new building type: amphibious structures. While the floating projects I’ve seen are on water at all times, amphibious buildings are able to operate on both land and water. Unlike static, elevated buildings on piles or stilts, amphibious buildings maintain their connection to the ground under ordinary conditions, but float as high as they need to in the event of a flood.

The Prototype: Maasbommel Amphibious Homes / Dura Vermeer, 2005

One of the first successful amphibious home projects was demonstrated in, you guessed it, the Netherlands. Located in the village of Maasbommel, these homes have a hollow hull base made of waterproof polystyrene surrounded by concrete that rests on the ground, not anchored in bedrock. Like the hull of a ship, this area provides the necessary buoyancy to float a 100 ton house. Attached to 2 mooring poles (otherwise known as “dolphins”) at the front and the back, the homes are stabilized to move only vertically as the water pushes it upward. As the water recedes, the house “lands” in its original location.

Relationship to Ground: Amphibious House / BACA Architects, 2016

Similar to the Maasbommel development, UK-based firm BACA Architects created a house that could withstand the frequent flooding of the adjacent river. While the Maasbommel hollow hull foundation was exposed, BACA’s amphibious house carved out a wet dock for the foundation to sit in dry conditions, which further connects the house to the ground. Floodwaters fill this “dock” beneath the house, and the water levels push the buoyant house upwards. It is almost completely disguised as a normal house, but allows for a 2.5 meter (about 8 feet for my American friends) high floodwater clearance. I found it clever of the architects to incorporate the dolphins (remember our new vocab word?) into the zinc facade, and used terraced landscaping to act as an early warning sign of rising waters. Animation demonstrating deployment down below:

Potentials in Practice Around the World: LIFT House / Prithula Prosun, 2011

While I certainly applaud the earlier projects mentioned on these innovative techniques, they do not come cheap. The Maasbommel homes cost about 300,000 euros for approximately 120 square meters, while the BACA Amphibious House 750,000 euros for 225 square meters. As we already know, they places that need this structure type the most are areas of urban poor, where affordability is crucial. Prithula Prosun, a student of Elizabeth English (Founder of the Buoyant Foundation Project) at the University of Waterloo, decided to do a prototype for an amphibious house in her home country of Bangladesh. Similar to the BACA Amphibious house, Prosun used a “dry dock” method of concealing the foundation, but includes a rainwater cistern, waste storage for fertilizer, and community spaces between the two houses. Using local materials (including brick, bamboo, and plastic water bottles for the base) and building methods, she was able to construct TWO amphibious homes for about $10,000 CAD. “LIFT” stands for “Low-Income Flood-proof Technology” and Prosun pretty much nailed it.

How Far Can We Push This?

Of all these projects, I was most impressed by the LIFT House, not only as a low-income solution, but in the architectural response. The project demonstrated the possibilities of flood resilient buildings that also fit in the local vernacular and could be replicated throughout the community by its own members. That being said, how can we use these same strategies to better inform the public how these structures are working? For the BACA and LIFT Houses, the structures are pretty well disguised as regular houses and hide the water coming in, but what if we highlighted these unique functions? What if the water that is already being collected in these dry docks become treated and reused by the same inhabitants? How might these projects function on an urban scale, and give power back to the poorest communities? We’ve proven the possibilities of amphibious architecture, so now let’s kick it up a notch.

Resources

BACA Architects, Amphibious House, https://www.baca.uk.com/amphibious-house.html

Buoyant Foundations Project, http://buoyantfoundation.org/

English,Elizabeth; Klink,Natasha; Turner, Scott. “Thriving with water: Developments in amphibious architecture in North America”. School of Architecture, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. 2016.

Lee, Evelyn. “Dutch Floating Homes by Dura Vermeer”. https://inhabitat.com/dutch-floating-homes-by-duravermeer/

Louisiana Resiliency Assistance Program, “Maasbommel, Netherlands”. https://resiliency.lsu.edu/case-studies-blog/2017/11/10/maasbommel-netherlands

Prosun,Prithula. “The LIFT House: An amphibious strategy for sustainable and affordable housing for the urban poor in flood-prone Bangladesh”. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. 2011.