Soon this nice piece of water in Urk will be a lively floating neighborhood
Soon this nice piece of water in Urk will be a lively floating neighborhood which Watertsudio designed. We can not wait to see them float!
Architects look to floating cities as sea levels rise
By Edwin Heathcote
Financial Times
2019.june.5
Some argue that waterborne homes — and stadiums — could be a response to climate concerns
New York, London, Shanghai, Jakarta, Manila, Houston, Miami, Rio de Janeiro — all these cities and more are threatened by potential rises in sea level from climate change. Without dramatic action, in a century or less some of the world’s most expensive real estate could be under water. So it is unsurprising that architects and engineers are looking seriously at a future of floating cities. As often with water engineering, the Dutch are at the forefront. Living in a country which owes its existence to the struggle to find equilibrium with the sea, they are the pioneers of a small but increasingly important-looking architectural future. A short tram ride from central Amsterdam is IJburg, a well-planned suburb of decent housing and wide roads built on reclaimed land. At its edges the streets dissolve into jetties and houses sit on the water. One of the first large floating suburbs, it is an enticing vision of water living, with houses on concrete rafts and ducks swimming between. These are well-designed and built homes for city workers priced out of the centre of a city affected by gentrification, tourism and Airbnb-style rentals. Some houses are minimally modernist, others quirkily eccentric. Some look like suburban cottages on water, others like streamlined nautical hybrids, ready to sail away. One neighbourhood, Steigereiland, was built by architects Marlies Rohmer, an elegant Bauhaus dream of white walls, flat roofs, steel and glass. Could this be the future? Architect Koen Olthuis (“the Floating Dutchman”) has been at the forefront of floating design. “We love the water in Holland and we need to learn to see it as a tool,” he says. “I’ve seen floating architecture go from freak architecture to a real proposition. A hundred years ago the invention of the elevator allowed us to build vertically; now we need to understand water as an extra dimension for cities.” Mr Olthuis, whose Waterstudio practice has designed and built more than 200 floating buildings and who has plans for everything from entire cities to a football stadium, calls the floating metropolis a “blue city” and sees a four-stage process in its development. “They start in the city,” he says, “on the waterfront, where there is an established real estate market. Then they go into the sea but are still connected to the land via their energy and sewerage et cetera — which is an alternative to expensive land reclamation. The third phase is going into the sea, 1km into the water, but still connected, and the fourth is the self-supporting city in the sea with all its energy generated in the ocean.” What is the point of that? “I don’t know,” he laughs, “but rich people love the idea — an unregulated haven!” “We have 2bn people threatened by floods, these problems are in the cities right now.” Is this really a realistic solution to problems of urban overcrowding and resilience? “The big guys [the ‘starchitects’] are now showing idealistic cities in the ocean.” These are fantasies, he says, “but we have to group together as architects to make realistic proposals”. Mr Olthuis also worked on the Arkup, a “liveable yacht” launched last year in Miami. A luxury house with hydraulic legs which can be lowered to the seabed, it has solar power, desalination and a motor. He is also working on structures for the world’s slums, building a mobile platform in Bangladesh which uses waste plastic bottles for buoyancy. These will house toilets, internet stations, communal kitchens and other facilities. Floating architecture’s recent history has not all been plain sailing. Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi designed the Makoko floating school for a Lagos slum. It looked like the perfect project — worthy, elegant and innovative — but it was destroyed by a storm. The idea of a mobile floating architecture is among the more promising futures. Mr Olthuis has even designed a sports stadium. “A football stadium could be leased by a city,” he says. “Why spend all that money? Rent it, like a car.” Architect Alex de Rijke also raises flexibility. “Cities have master plans but plans change and one of their failures is their inability to adapt,” he says. “A floating city could be endlessly reconfigured.” His practice dRMM’s plans for a “Floatopolis” in London’s Docklands show a city of multistorey structures. It went from research project to possible commission but was not built. “The world’s cities are full of post-industrial waterfronts,” Mr de Rijke says. “We were looking at how you create a community, with schools, shops and most importantly density. “We have overpriced land in London, a restrictive planning system and the paradox of a low-density city.” The floating city idea, says Mr de Rijke, goes in a cycle of fashion, “like the tide coming in and going out”. It is a relatively expensive way to build, with prefabricated concrete rafts and high-specification components. But in big cities or densely populated countries such as the Netherlands or UK, where land is expensive, it can be an economical solution. As the technologies become more mainstream, costs will fall. Of course, city centre waterways are a finite resource — but they may be becoming much less finite soon. The tide is coming in.
Koen Olthuis as keynote speaker for Plan-B at Pakhuis de Zwijger
Koen Olthuis was one of the keynote speakers at the discussion at PlanB at Pakhuisdezwijger. He mentioned the Arkup as one of the answers on rising seas in this experst discussion “solutions for sealevelrise”.
The sea level is rising. Although the Dutch have been used to fighting water for centuries and are experts in raising dikes and constructing world-famous delta works, we must also discuss the other scenario. Given that international climate agreements are failing, can we still keep the water out in the future? And if not, are we prepared for that?
Koen Olthuis @ Pakhuis de Zwijger
Click here for the website and program of Pakhuis de Zwijger
Una casita que navega por el mar
By Ana Ramirez
Arquitecture Vivienda
Photo Credits: Craig Denis
Técnicamente ARKUP es un barco. En la práctica, una villa flotante de lujo impulsada por energía eléctrica para fondear y vivir donde le plazca. Con un coste de casi cinco millones de euros y un revolucionario sistema para hacerla estable, podría ser una alternativa en ciudades costeras y “resorts”.
Figura en los anales cinematográficos como uno de los mayores fiascos de taquilla. Waterworld, la película del mutante Kevin Costner cuyo presupuesto inicial casi se triplicó (cosas de rodar en el medio acuático), se basaba en un escenario donde el agua había conquistado este planeta llamado Tierra. Con los científicos alertando de la acelerada subida del nivel del mar (unos 7,5 centí- metros entre 1993 y 2017, con previsiones de que para 2100 ronde los 65 cm), quizá la próxima vez que se la encuentre en la cartelera televisiva la vea con otros ojos, y puede que también se acuerde de esta casa
flotante, que es muy real, nada de set de rodaje, por mucho que el decorado sea Miami. Allí, atracada podría decirse, está Arkup, ejemplo de la nueva generación de arquitectura acuática, una casa, o un barco, o las dos cosas. “Está clasificado como una embarcación de recreo, así que legalmente es un barco, pero es habitable como casa”, aclara Nicolas Derouin, creador junto a su socio Arnaud Luguet del proyecto como una alternativa ante el exigente sueño de vivir junto al mar (espacio menguante y precio creciente), el riesgo de subida del nivel de las aguas y la flexibilidad (valor en alza en las sociedades acomodadas) de cambiar de dirección en este caso. Con experiencia en logística y en energías renovables respectivamente, y compartida amistad y pasión por la vida marina, este dúo de ingenieros inició hace tres años una travesía para la que buscaron a un curtido capitán, el acuarquitecto Koen Olthuis, del estudio Waterstudio, especializado en hacer habitables las aguas, algo de lo que saben en Holanda. En esencia, Arkup es la versión premium de la vida a bordo: una villa de 405 metros cuadrados (195 de ellos exteriores) con interiores de diseño, que navega con un motor eléctrico alimentado por energía solar para desplazarse por la costa (o el lago, o el río, o el puerto) y la primera con un sistema de estabilización importado de las plataformas petrolíferas. “Nuestros clientes pueden vivir en lugares únicos por un precio asequible comparado con una casa en tierra. Ofrecemos un sueño, una vida al estilo James Bond”, defiende entusiasta Derouin quien perfila el comprador de Arkup, cuyo precio parte de 4.850.000 euros: “Alto poder adquisitivo, preocupado por cuestiones medioambientales y en busca de una forma diferente de vivir, en conexión con la naturaleza”.
A PRUEBA DE MAREO. Más allá del precio, cualquiera vería la seguridad y la estabilidad como pegas. Los creadores solventan ambas con un sistema único extraído de las plataformas petrolíferas. “La casa está construida sobre una barcaza plana de acero y cuatro zancos hidráulicos independientes que descienden y se anclan al fondo marino para elevar las 300 toneladas sobre el agua”. Esta solución de ingeniería, que requiere aguas poco profundas (máximo
de 7,62 metros de profundidad), es la que garantiza que se pueda hacer vida normal, sin movimiento ni riesgo de mareo, y ofrece seguridad en caso de oleaje, viento, mareas… Como es lógico en una embarcación construida en Miami (en concreto en el astillero RMK Merrill-Stevens) está diseñada para resistir a huracanes de hasta categoría 4. Los mencionados pilares “se retraen durante la navegación”, explica Derouin que, en función de las condiciones del mar y la climatología, estima en cuatro horas la autonomía de la embarcación. “Los paneles solares producen la energía que se almacena en baterías de ion litio. Un transformador la convierte y suministra potencia para la casa y para la propulsión. La solar es el futuro de las fuentes de energía y los transportes y un elemento clave para nosotros, ya que queríamos que la casa fuera autosuficiente, por eso tiene un sistema para recoger agua de lluvia. La propulsión eléctrica genera cero ruido, vibración, humo y fugas. Respeta la vida marina”, argumenta el CEO de Arkup. Teniendo en cuenta que no está pensada para navegar en mar abierto y con una velocidad máxima de siete nudos, hipotéticamente podría vivir desconectado de tierra. “Podrías navegar cada día a lo largo de la costa y alcanzar Cancún desde Miami”, ejemplifica como travesía. Por el momento hay una única unidad construida (se tarda un año en completar su fabricación),
la que se halla varada en Miami y que fue presentada en sociedad durante el Yacht Show celebrado allí en febrero, decorada por el estudio brasileño Artefacto. A la espera de comprador, en unas semanas estará disponible para alquilar, desde 5.300 euros por noche. “Es condición sine qua non para el cliente probar el producto antes de comprarlo, porque es algo nuevo y tiene que entender el estilo de la propuesta y cómo usarlo. Pero probarlo es quererlo”, avisa Derouin. Pese a que todo lo que rodea Arkup huele a Miami way of life, el proyecto tiene raíces europeas. Ambossocios, Derouin y Luguet son franceses (nacidos en 1976 y 1975 respectivamente). “Viendo el impacto de la subida de nivel del mar en Miami y con orígenes holandeses, a Arnaud se le ocurrió desarrollar una casa flotante y sostenible. Me contó su idea a mi regreso de un viaje alrededor del mundo y enseguida nos embarcamos en el proyecto”, cuenta Derouin. Para hacerlo realidad llamaron a la puerta de Waterstudio, la oficina de Koen Olthuis, referente en arquitectura sobre H2O. “Nueva York, Tokio, Shanghai…, son ciudades donde falta espacio y tienen problemas con el nivel del mar. Esta nueva generación de casas flotantes es la solución para expandir la ciudad abrazando el mar”, argumenta Olthuis, quien el único obstáculo que ve son las regulaciones. “Arkup es como un camaleón: puede ser una embarcación, puede ser una casa. Es muy cara, pero es la primera y hemos aprendido mucho. Lo próximo podrían ser bloques flotantes de apartamentos más pequeños y asequibles”. Con una segunda unidad en desarrollo, Derouin apunta a un potencial mercado inmobiliario: el de las comunidades flotantes y los eco-resort. “Todos sabemos que esas villas de cinco estrellas sobre el agua en Maldivas y Bora-Bora se hundirán algún día. Tienen que repensar el modelo, nuestro diseño puede navegar, ¡y sus villas no! Generamos nuestra propia electricidad y agua, compactamos la basura… Es eléctrico, no interfiere en la vida marina. Y si se acerca una tormenta, el dueño puede llevarlo hasta una zona protegida. Es una ventaja en términos de seguridad”, defiende. Como constructores, están
abiertos a satisfacer al propietario y navegante para construir la casa flotante de sus sueños. “El cielo es el límite, es una cuestión de tiempo y dinero. Por eso
vamos a hacer Arkup más asequible en el futuro. Uno de nuestros objetivos es construir una versión tiny como respuesta a la crisis de alojamiento en las ciudades costeras de todo el mundo”.
Concept de villa flottante parée contre les ouragans
By LB
Science&Vie volume june 2019 n1221
Watertsudio and its Arkup design are published in the june volume of the magazine Science&Vie.
Deze peperdure villa is ook veilig als de zeespiegel meters stijgt
By AD
Photocredits: AFP
May.31.2019
MOOIE HUIZEN
Regelmatig speuren we over de grens naar huizen die ons verbazen of inspireren. Waarschijnlijk te duur om zelf ooit in te kunnen wonen. Toch zullen veel Nederlanders op den duur moeten overstappen naar een drijvend huis, als de zeespiegel meters blijft stijgen door de opwarming van de aarde. Wat dacht je dan van deze drijvende villa in Miami.
De voorspelde stijging van het zeeniveau bracht het Nederlandse bedrijf Waterstudio op het idee om drijvende luxevilla’s voor de superrijken te bouwen. In Miami stelden ze hun eerste model voor: een woning met een bewoonbare oppervlakte van 404 m², bestand tegen windstoten tot 250 km/u.
De villa op het water beschikt over vier slaap- en badkamers en is CO2-neutraal. Het dak ligt vol met zonnepanelen. Met een prijskaartje van 6 miljoen dollar – inclusief de inrichting – is deze waterparel enkel voor de happy few, al wil Arkup in de toekomst ook ‘goedkopere’ drijvende huizen bouwen. Tot dat moment houden wij onze voetjes op het droge.
Dit is de villa van de superrijken als straks het zeeniveau stijgt
By Björn Cocquyt
HLN
May.29.2019
We zullen wellicht nooit het geld hebben om er zelf in te wonen, maar kijken naar en dromen van een geweldig huis doen we allemaal graag. Daarom tonen we elke woensdag een waanzinnige woning. Deze week is dat een drijvend huis in Miami.
De voorspelde stijging van het zeeniveau door de klimaatopwarming bracht Arkup op het idee om drijvende luxevilla’s voor de superrijken te bouwen. In Miami stelden ze hun eerste model voor: een woning met een bewoonbare oppervlakte van 404 m², bestand tegen windstoten tot 250 km/u.
Voor het ontwerp klopten de Amerikanen aan bij onze noorderburen van Waterstudio. De villa op het water beschikt over vier slaap- en badkamers en is CO2-neutraal. Het dak ligt vol met zonnepanelen. Met een prijskaartje van 6 miljoen dollar – inclusief de inrichting – is dit huistype enkel voor de happy few, al wil Arkup in de toekomst ook ‘goedkopere’ drijvende huizen bouwen. Tot dan houden wij onze voetjes op het droge.
3rd International Conference on Amphibious Architecture, Design and Engineering
By ICAADE
May.21.2019
Koen Olthuis will be a keynote speaker at the ICAADE Conference on Amphibious Architecture, Design and Engineering.
The International Conference on Amphibious Architecture, Design and Engineering (ICAADE) 2019 will bring together researchers, practitioners, authorities, students, NGOs, communities, and investors to discuss amphibious construction. Amphibious construction allows otherwise-ordinary structures to temporarily float in-place when flooding occurs.
ICAADE is an international conference held every two years, with the 2015 edition in Bangkok, Thailand followed by 2017 in Waterloo, Canada.
This year’s conference will focus on the land-water dichotomy. In amphibious design and resilience practices, it is critical to consider the interplay of natural, technological, and human interactions. With shifting perspectives, this conference reflects on shifting boundaries and water levels.
With the keynote speeches, plenary sessions, poster presentations, and workshops, ICAADE aims to create effective discussion, promote the sharing of ideas, and foster future collaborations.
Keynote speakers include:
Koen Olthuis / Waterstudio.NL
Richard Coutts / Baca Architects, UK
Abstracts for papers and oral presentations are currently being accepted.
Early bird registration is available through July 15.
For more information, please visit the ICAADE website.
-
Title
3rd International Conference on Amphibious Architecture, Design and Engineering -
Type
Conference -
Organizers
ICAADE -
From
October 13, 2019 09:00 AM -
Until
October 16, 2019 05:00 PM -
Venue
Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture -
Address
ul. Koszykowa 55, Warsaw, Poland
Click here for the source website
OceanBuilder Home for sale
In colaboration with OceanBuilders, Waterstudio designed the OceanBuilder home.
The new OceanBuilder home will be taller, wider and have much more living space than the prototype version with living space above and below the waves.
Rooms below the water will allow for underwater views from your plexiglass windows. With coralcrete growth along the exterior of the spar you will be able to enjoy the many fish and other wildlife thrive below the water from the comfort of your own home.
Either a spiral staircase or elevator will take you from the top floor to the floors down below.
The interior will be made up of three floors with a simple transition from one to the other. The bottom floor being a livingroom area with a perfect view of the sea.
The middle floor provides the entrance to your home with a walk out deck area with either a kitchen for the owner’s model or bar for short stay models.
The top floor combines the bedroom and bathroom area with a spectacular view to wake up to every morning.
Your OceanBuilder home is the ultimate in tranquility and connection with nature in this sea based habitat of your dreams.
Built on water: Floating Houses
By Ambista
May.17.2019
Architects from New York to Shanghai are increasingly being confronted with the same problem: Too little space for too many people. The challenge of developing new habitable spaces within the city is not easy. Many architects, contractors and urban planners are tackling this situation with floating architecture.
The architects of Waterstudio.NL not only design floating houses in the luxury segment in the IJburg district of Amsterdam but also in the rest of the world. © Koen Olthuis – Waterstudio.NL
New living space on the water
Whether it’s Asia, the US or Europe, living space is becoming an important resource in the major cities of the world. Most cities have little room to grow in the central urban area and increasing rents are symptomatic of this crisis. Metropolitan regions in the immediate vicinity of water are trying to develop new living spaces with floating houses in response to the housing shortage.
Floating houses take care of two problems at once: They meet the demand for living space in large cities and also serve as flood protection. Coastal cities in particular are extremely affected by climate change and the resulting rise in sea level. They are therefore looking for new strategies to cope with the water and turn the disadvantage into an advantage.
Floating houses in Amsterdam
It is no wonder that the Netherlands is considered a pioneer when it comes to floating houses. Around a quarter of the country lies below sea level. For the Dutch, water has long been an important element of urban planning. Amsterdam is a major European city known worldwide for the many houseboats that create additional living space in the canals.
However, not only do the residents of Amsterdam live on the water in the city centre but also in the eastern part of the city. The new IJburg district was created here on artificially raised sand islands. In the first construction phase, a total of 18,000 apartments with living space for 45,000 people were created. The Waterbuurt district in the western section of IJburg was also planned at the same time – the Floating Houses IJburg project by Amsterdam-based Marlies Rohmer Architects & Urbanists.
Lacking a firm subsoil, the neighbourhood functions primarily with bridges and jetties, which provide access to the residences. Gardens are not allowed, but living close to the water makes up for it. A lock ensures that the inland sea on which the houses float is separated from the IJMeer. This prevents the apartments from drifting out to sea. The project was completed in 2011 and included both social housing and condos.
Architecturally, however, IJburg is still a long way from being fully developed. To the east, the “Water District” continues to grow. By 2020, the Dutch architectural firm Waterstudio.NL wants to complete around 380 additional apartments, offices, floating gardens and a restaurant. Everything is possible for the architects – from a bungalow to a three-storey residential building.
Amphibious houses on the Thames
Other countries, such as Great Britain, are also discovering water as additional living space. This is how the amphibious houses near Marlow on the Thames in Buckinghamshire came to be. The homes were designed by Baca Architects in London. When the tide is low, the house rests on the ground like a conventional building and can also float in the event of flooding.
This is made possible by a kind of dry dock made of reinforced concrete, which serves as the base of the house. As the floodwaters fill the trough, the house is buoyed up to the surface of the water. An anchoring system keeps it in position and buoyancy is ensured by air chambers under the floor.
Living on the water: The future is now
In Hong Kong and Macau, people have been living on the water for a long time – in jungle settlements consisting of old sailboats that have fallen into disuse. In the US, water communities also have a long tradition. Seattle has one of the largest collections of floating houses in Portage Bay and Lake Union. And Germans are also finding life on the water more and more attractive.
In Hamburg, for example, additional moorings for houseboats and floating houses are being built. The idea of floating architecture is no longer a vision of the future, it is a reality. People learn to live with water and use it for urban development. And not only in Europe or Asia, but throughout the entire world.