Dutch aquatecture: Engineering a future on the water

[Simon]

Check out this interesting video on Dutch "aquatecture" and sustainable buildings that float on the water - ideal housing solutions in a world where global sea levels are rising. 

The Netherlands is one of the lowest lying countries in the world. Over one-quarter of the nation lives below sea level. But a growing number of urban planners and architects believe it is time to stop fighting rising sea levels and instead find ways to live with it.Koen Olthuis calls himself an 'aquatecht', an architect who uses water to help improve the design of a city and work with rising sea levels. Koen's idea comes down to some pretty simple technology - floating foundations that can support a new generation of buoyant buildings. He has created over 100 floating houses in the Netherlands in the past 12 years, ranging from apartments to luxury villas but believes his technology can also make a big difference to people in poorer countries who are most vulnerable to rising seas.Russell Beard travels to the towns of Katwijk and Rotterdam to see how the Netherlands is engineering a future on the water.

 

 

I would love to live in one of those floating villas! What about you?

Do you think Dutch "aquatecture" can become a solution for not just the rich but for the world's poor who are living near rising sea levels?

Edited May 11, 2015 by Simon Leufstedt