Recently, the East Coast endured weather extremities that left flooding devastation for many. Hurricane "Irene" was called the "Perfect Storm" that only comes around every 100 years. OK, so this storm that left some with out electricity, under water, and some even homeless, comes around once in a blue moon and is just one of those things we put up with, occasionally; or is it? There are people who live and work in areas where they never experienced flooding until recently. In the past few years I watched as some of these individuals gradually watched as there buildings became submerged in water from torrential rains. First year, it was 4 inches, next 8 inches, then 1 foot and after Irene, straight to an entire basement (7 feet) under water. Maybe it's time to rethink design.
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| Dura Vermeer |
Well, the Dutch have already been on top of this. Places like Holland, which is located in low lying areas have had to deal with rising sea levels due to climate change. Architects like Dura Vermeer and Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio have already begun designing floating houses a.k.a. amphibious homes. It makes perfect sense instead of throwing their hands up to an inevitable doom, they have reinvented the boat house.
