This Amphibious Home Floats on Britain's Thames River
Katherine Pendrill — February 4, 2016 — Art & Design
Robert Barker and Richard Coutts of Baca Architects recently designed an amphibious home that combats some of the challenges of building houses in flood-prone areas. With more than 20,000 British homes being built in flood-prone areas this year alone, this revolutionary design could solve a major construction dilemma.
The amphibious home from Baca Architects is located on an island in the Thames River. In the event of a flood, the home is designed to float up along with the rising water. This is possible thanks to a unique design that mimics the hull of a ship. As Coutts explains, "The buoyant concrete base sits in a wet dock, which has a permeable concrete bottom, so as water comes in, the whole house floats up with it." Flexible pipes also help the residence from becoming unplugged as it floats upwards. In total, the house can rise more than two and half meters in height.
The revolutionary construction method represent a new way to deal with the issue of housing located in flood-prone areas.
The amphibious home from Baca Architects is located on an island in the Thames River. In the event of a flood, the home is designed to float up along with the rising water. This is possible thanks to a unique design that mimics the hull of a ship. As Coutts explains, "The buoyant concrete base sits in a wet dock, which has a permeable concrete bottom, so as water comes in, the whole house floats up with it." Flexible pipes also help the residence from becoming unplugged as it floats upwards. In total, the house can rise more than two and half meters in height.
The revolutionary construction method represent a new way to deal with the issue of housing located in flood-prone areas.
Trend Themes
1. Flood-resistant Architecture - The Baca Architects' amphibious home showcases an innovative design concept for building flood-resistant homes.
2. Eco-friendly Floating Homes - The unique design of the amphibious home presents a disruptive innovation opportunity in the field of eco-friendly floating housing.
3. Adaptive Construction Techniques - The use of a buoyant concrete base and flexible pipes in the amphibious home opens up possibilities for adaptive construction techniques in flood-prone areas.
Industry Implications
1. Architecture - The innovative design of the amphibious home by Baca Architects offers opportunities for architects to explore new approaches in flood-resistant housing.
2. Real Estate Development - The concept of amphibious homes could disrupt the real estate development industry by providing sustainable solutions for flood-prone areas.
3. Engineering - The use of innovative construction techniques, such as the buoyant concrete base, creates opportunities for engineers to develop new technologies for flood-resistant infrastructure.
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