The UK's first amphibious house is to be built on the banks of
the River Thames.
Work will start on-site later this year for the 225 sqm
home, which is set just 10m from the edge of the River Thames
in Buckinghamshire. It will be built on fixed foundations but if
the site floods, the house is designed to rise up and float.
The firm behind the design is Baca Architects. "The upper
part of the house is a lightweight timber construction that rests
on a concrete hull," the company explained," creating a
free-floating pontoon, while the whole house is set between four
'dolphins' -- permanent vertical guideposts to keep it in place.
These guideposts, more normally found on marinas, have been
integrated with the design and are a visible feature on the
exterior of the building."
The architects add that the garden has been designed to act as
an early flood warning system with terraces that step down from
the house to the water's edge. This design will also help water
flow away from the house and "reduce the siltation of the
Richard Coutts, the company's director, explained to Wired.co.uk
that, while this house is a first for the UK, his team has
collaborated with experts from other countries on amphibious, flood resistant and floating homes. In 2005, the Dura Vermeer Group built 32
amphibious dwellings and 14 floating homes in Maasbommel in the
Netherlands. Designed to accommodate a water level difference of up
to 5.5m, they were put to the test during floods last year.
Also involved in the Thames house were academics from the
Buoyant Foundation at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
Coutts says that amphibious homes offer distinct advantages over
elevated houses even though, he admits they are around 20-25
percent more expensive to construct than traditional homes. The key
advantage is "their engagement with the ground", which allows
owners to more easily use their garden. He says: "The prototype
elevated houses built in New Orleans, for example, are elevated so high that
they have become islands in the sky, which affects how the owners
interact with their neighbours. Their verandahs have become
Baca Architects is also working on a scheme for 700
flood-resistant homes in Norwich, but Coutts adds that both
developments are as a result of a wider research project for Defra
Initiatives for Flood Risk Environments (LifE). "This allows
water into environments in a pre-determined fashion," says Coutts.
If this scheme goes ahead, Coutts says that the whole community
infrastructure will be designed to counter the potential damage
caused by floods, including the roads, landscaping (which can act
as sponges, says Coutts) and even the energy strategies.
"Amphibious design is one of a host of solutions that can enable
residents to live safely and to adapt to the challenges of climate
change," says Coutts.