The Netherlands are a country where more than half of the population lives below sea level. For centuries now the Dutch have been fighting against the waters by building canals and dykes. More recently they even started to gain ground by creating artificial expanses of land called polders. These solutions helped to protect the country until now but are not foolproof, as the 1953 floodings proved.
The country is now facing an even bigger challenge as climate change causes the sea to rise at an alarming level. Indeed, dykes might not be enough to face an elevation of 3 meters of the sea. Considering that in 2050 approximately 70% of the world’s population will live in cities and that 90 % of these cities are situated near the sea, the rising of the oceans is set to be a major challenge. But don’t worry, the Dutch have already found a solution : floating houses.
The country is now facing an even bigger challenge as climate change causes the sea to rise at an alarming level. Indeed, dykes might not be enough to face an elevation of 3 meters of the sea. Considering that in 2050 approximately 70% of the world’s population will live in cities and that 90 % of these cities are situated near the sea, the rising of the oceans is set to be a major challenge. But don’t worry, the Dutch have already found a solution : floating houses.
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/4/3/124335238/editor/koen-olthuis.jpg?1557110411)
The Dutch architect Koen Olthuis is a pioneer on that matter. He created his own company, Waterstudio, which focuses exclusively on building floating houses. Among his many projects is the Ijburg district in Amsterdam, the first floating neighborhood, which includes not only houses but also cafes, gyms, parks and schools. Ijburg is built on four artificial islands connected to each other via bridges. In 2017 it was inhabited by 21,000 habitants and was filled with floating houses, setting an example for the entire world.
The advantages of such buildings are clear: they function as normal houses but are are unaffected by the sea rise. When the water goes up, the houses go up, protecting them from flooding and rising sea levels.
But they are also more versatile than conventional houses. They are modular and can be moved at will. Entire neighborhoods could change depending on the season, for example. A single house could even have a long and enduring life traveling from Amsterdam to London, from Copenhagen to Barcelona, and so on.
These accommodations are often made from prefabricated and/or recycled materials. In Ijburg, their foundations are made from concrete and from Styrofoam, a floating polystyrene-like material, making them stable and virtually unsinkable. This kind of house can also be made from more sustainable materials like old shipping containers.
But they are also more versatile than conventional houses. They are modular and can be moved at will. Entire neighborhoods could change depending on the season, for example. A single house could even have a long and enduring life traveling from Amsterdam to London, from Copenhagen to Barcelona, and so on.
These accommodations are often made from prefabricated and/or recycled materials. In Ijburg, their foundations are made from concrete and from Styrofoam, a floating polystyrene-like material, making them stable and virtually unsinkable. This kind of house can also be made from more sustainable materials like old shipping containers.
Furthermore, these kinds of initiatives are also beneficial for the Netherlands from an economic point of view. The Ijburg neighborhood itself is set to create 12,000 jobs. But it is also an inspiration for many other cities in the country. All of these solutions have already been taken over in numerous city plans across the Netherlands in a general effort to ‘Live with Water’.
The expansion of floating areas is set to create even more economic opportunity and activity in the future. Indeed, this solution attracted observers from countries all around the world concerned by the rise of the sea. The Netherlands could become the world’s leading country in matters of floating buildings technology.
Floating Houses can still cause harm to the environment because of their foundations or by altering river beds, but they still constitute a better solution than normal houses for the moment.
Floating houses are all-round more sustainable, cheap, durable and adaptable.
The expansion of floating areas is set to create even more economic opportunity and activity in the future. Indeed, this solution attracted observers from countries all around the world concerned by the rise of the sea. The Netherlands could become the world’s leading country in matters of floating buildings technology.
Floating Houses can still cause harm to the environment because of their foundations or by altering river beds, but they still constitute a better solution than normal houses for the moment.
Floating houses are all-round more sustainable, cheap, durable and adaptable.
References :
Cohen, Josh. 2015. ‘New Maps Show World’s Cities Disappearing Under Water.’ Next City, November 16, 2015. https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/maps-cities-future-flooding-climate-change.
Mecking, Olga. 2017. ‘Are the Floating Houses of the Netherlands a Solution Against the Rising Seas?’ Pacific Standard, August 21, 2017. https://psmag.com/environment/are-the-floating-houses-of-the-netherlands-a-solution-against-the-rising-seas.
Paddison, Laura and Eleanor Ross. 2016. ‘Floating homes: a solution to flooding, crowded cities and unaffordable housing.’ The Guardian, October 29, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/29/floating-homes-architecture-build-water-overcrowding-cities-unaffordable-housing.
Pineda, Chelsea and Jacob Shamsian. 2015. ‘The Netherlands is building entire neighborhoods that float on water.’ Business Insider, December 17, 2015. https://www.businessinsider.com/netherlands-floating-houses-2015-12?IR=T.
Schweighöfer, Kerstin. 2014. ‘Floating houses to fight climate change in Holland.’ Deutsche Welle, March 31, 2014. https://www.dw.com/en/floating-houses-to-fight-climate-change-in-holland/a-17532376.
Temmen, Janina. 2017. ‘Living on the water: Amsterdam’s boldest dream.’ Smart Urban Stories, July 21, 2017. https://smart-urban-stories.com/ijburg-amsterdam-architecture/.
Waterstudio, n.d. ‘Ijburg Archive.’ Accessed May 5, 2019. https://www.waterstudio.nl/tag/ijburg/.
Waterstudio. n.d. ‘Vision.’ Accessed May 5, 2019. https://www.waterstudio.nl/the-floating-vision-by-koen-olthuis/.
-- R.P.
Cohen, Josh. 2015. ‘New Maps Show World’s Cities Disappearing Under Water.’ Next City, November 16, 2015. https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/maps-cities-future-flooding-climate-change.
Mecking, Olga. 2017. ‘Are the Floating Houses of the Netherlands a Solution Against the Rising Seas?’ Pacific Standard, August 21, 2017. https://psmag.com/environment/are-the-floating-houses-of-the-netherlands-a-solution-against-the-rising-seas.
Paddison, Laura and Eleanor Ross. 2016. ‘Floating homes: a solution to flooding, crowded cities and unaffordable housing.’ The Guardian, October 29, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/29/floating-homes-architecture-build-water-overcrowding-cities-unaffordable-housing.
Pineda, Chelsea and Jacob Shamsian. 2015. ‘The Netherlands is building entire neighborhoods that float on water.’ Business Insider, December 17, 2015. https://www.businessinsider.com/netherlands-floating-houses-2015-12?IR=T.
Schweighöfer, Kerstin. 2014. ‘Floating houses to fight climate change in Holland.’ Deutsche Welle, March 31, 2014. https://www.dw.com/en/floating-houses-to-fight-climate-change-in-holland/a-17532376.
Temmen, Janina. 2017. ‘Living on the water: Amsterdam’s boldest dream.’ Smart Urban Stories, July 21, 2017. https://smart-urban-stories.com/ijburg-amsterdam-architecture/.
Waterstudio, n.d. ‘Ijburg Archive.’ Accessed May 5, 2019. https://www.waterstudio.nl/tag/ijburg/.
Waterstudio. n.d. ‘Vision.’ Accessed May 5, 2019. https://www.waterstudio.nl/the-floating-vision-by-koen-olthuis/.
-- R.P.