Amphibious houses

We have witnessed devastating floods this year effecting not only far flung villages but also commercial hub such as mumbai. Calamities such as flood are getting more usual and visibly creating more damages.

Gearing up to tackle such challenges, Dutch are coming up with amphibious houses. If rivers rise above their banks, the houses rise upwards as well.

37 “swimming” houses are already strung along a branch of the Maas. At first glance, they seem quite unremarkable. The cellar, in this case, is not built into the earth, but on a platform. The hollow foundation of each house works in the same way as the hull of a ship, buoying the structure up above water. To prevent the houses from floating away, they slide up two steel posts – and as the water level sinks, so they sink back down again.

“The columns have been driven deep into solid ground,” explains Dick van Gooswilligen from the construction company. “They are even strong enough to withstand currents you would find on the open seas. As global warming causes the sea level to rise, this is the solution.”
[via wmmna]