Carlos Grados
I wish our architects would consider this technology. Our region has traditional \"disasters\" with flooding every year. Yet here people build these sandbag dykes to protect their homes. They get volunteers to pitch in to save their homes each year. Each year the news crews get video of the same stressed out owners thanking the same volunteers (sometimes school kids or prisoners) for the temporary dykes. The amphibious home concept seems like an elegant solution to this problem. I hope our architects and city planners get to visit these homes and bring back these ideas.
Mana Leituala
I hope this works... I work in construction and there is a real disconnect between what architects think on paper is going to work and the actual reality of things working out...
Nathan Holmes
Compared to the other floating house conceppts I\'ve seen, this one certainly looks a lot less reliable. Honestly wouldn\'t bee too surprised if the waters rose faster than the house due to the obstruction to the flow caused by everything around it. Or for that matter if the house didn\'t rise at all. Considering how moisture proof the base would already be, you\'d think they would drive a tunnel to the river just above/below the normal water level (depending on considerations. It would make fluid flow a lot easier, the house would begin to rise earlier and it would drain off better afterwards. Just my tuppence.
Reason
Have to wonder how much extra such a house would cost over the more obvious, cheaper solution (to build on piers - 2.5 metres is nothing). I\'m guessing it is justified on the basis of avoiding local building height restrictions ... but if they were changed ...
Richard Dinerman
What about the connections to the utilities when the house rises (water in, sewage out, electric, telephone)?
Martin Yale
If it is merely stationary water then I can see this working - in a flowing water environmnt with the extreme force water can generate, I just hope those stays are strong enough or you would be off floating down the flood. Great concept, though not sure I would live in one.
jochair
the attached boathouse seems to be missing, In case of flooding I need to sail to the amphibious grocery, for food and barbecue stuff.
Slowburn
re; mcsblues
If you had read the article you would know that it was designed this way to avoid being an extra story above the garden.
windykites
Carlos, why don\'t they build houses with a garage on the ground floor, and living accommodation on the first floor? This is a lot easier than a floating house. This problem often arises because houses are built on flood plains. In England, quite a number of people live in house boats moored on the river. No problem!
Slowburn
re; Richard Dinerman
The house only moves 2.5m so for the \'wired\' utilities put 3m worth of slack in the wires.
For water, and gas use flexible tubes again with 3m worth of slack.
For sewage you will need one or more sliding expansion joints again with 3m worth of expansion, you will also be advised to put a flexible coupling above and below the expansion joint to avoid problems from small lateral movements.