Tiny Watersuites presented on BootHolland

By Waterstudio
Photo credits: Waterstudio

The Tiny Watersuites, our new product, are presented at the Boot Holland Conference. These movable suites are unique and provide an amazing experience.

More information about the suites can be found at the website tinywatersuites.nl

Waterstudio: Le costruzioni sostenibili dell’architetto Koen Olthuis

By Spazi
2019.Feb.11

Koen Olthuis, architetto olandese considerato pioniere di quella che viene chiamata Aqua Architecture: “Costruisco esclusivamente sull’acqua”. I suoi edifici sono fatti per resistere a inondazioni e cambiamenti climatici, perché tutto ciò che Olthuis progetta può adattarsi al livello del mare. Non è un caso che il suo ufficio a Rijswijk vicino a L’Aia rechi il nome di waterstudio.nl.

Un tempo habitat naturale degli hippy in Olanda sulle loro Woonbooten o House boat, simbolo di libertà, le case galleggianti sono oggi un must riservato ai benestanti, sui canali d’Amsterdam e di Berlino come sulla Senna a Parigi o Little Venice a Londra, dove un tempo abitavano sull’acqua grandi star come Richard Branson, fondatore della Virgin.

L’idea di vivere sull’acqua non è nuova né recente, risale persino ai nostri antenati della preistoria, che si mettevano così al riparo dai predatori sulle loro zattere. Con il mare che ricopre il 75% della superficie del pianeta, non c’è da meravigliarsi del fascino che l’elemento liquido ha sempre esercitato sull’essere umano, nel corso della storia. Ma il sogno d’avventura di tanti, diventa realtà per pochi fortunati. Abitare sull’acqua costa, soprattutto su fiumi e canali delle grandi città europee.

La casa galleggiante, la cosiddetta floating home, può essere trasferita in un altro quartiere acquatico, con l’aiuto di un rimorchiatore, e quindi non può essere paragonata con le house boat motorizzate, in grado di spostarsi autonomamente. La floating home potrebbe in ogni caso essere la risposta ai cambiamenti climatici e al probabile innalzamento degli oceani. Quindi l’acqua per ripensare un territorio, un nuovo habitat? “È molto più facile costruire una casa galleggiante che una casa tradizionale bisognosa di scavi per le fondamenta” – sostiene Koen Olthuis, il giovane architetto olandese fondatore di Waterstudio, inserito da Time Magazine nell’elenco degli uomini più influenti del mondo, per il suo lavoro sull’acqua come nuovo spazio abitabile. Per la maggior parte, le case galleggianti sono, infatti, edificate su una zattera.

Olthuis è inoltre l’ideatore di The Citadel, il primo complesso residenziale d’appartamenti galleggiante in Europa, la cui costruzione è già realtà. The Citadel è il primo complesso residenziale europeo galleggiante, che sicuramente diventerà piattaforma di un nuovo stile di vita. The Citadel è un progetto che rientra nell’ambito del piano urbanistico denominato New Water, nella città di Naaldwijk.
Si tratta di un complesso residenziale di 60 lussuose unità abitative costruite su un polder, uno dei 3500 tratti olandesi di mare asciugati artificialmente attraverso dighe o sistemi di drenaggio dell’acqua. Costruiti con moduli prefabbricati all’insegna della sostenibilità, gli appartamenti galleggianti di Naaldwijk consumano il 25% in meno di energia rispetto a normali edifici.

Per limitare la manutenzione e ridurre i danni da corrosione dovuti all’acqua, le facciate sono in alluminio. L’architettura di domani sarà acquatica? Isole artificiali? Case, e città galleggianti futuriste come quelle dell’architetto belga Vincent Calleaut?

L’architettura galleggiante è una chance per riconciliare l’uomo con la natura, lasciando intatto il territorio, ed è una soluzione per il rispetto dell’ambiente, dai pannelli solari, ai sistemi di depurazione delle acque e ai trattamenti dei rifiuti. Gli architetti fanno a gara per sviluppare i loro concept, nelle forme più inaspettate e originali. Fioriscono progetti minimalisti o faraonici, sopra e sotto l’acqua.

Click here for the pdf

Click here for the source website

Koen Olthuis at 1Vandaag about sustainable floating neighborhood Schoonschip

Amsterdam pioniert met duurzaam drijvende woonwijk

Dit jaar krijgt Amsterdam de meest duurzame drijvende woonwijk van Europa met de naam ‘Schoonschip’. Bouwen op het water is volgens deskundige Koen Olthuis een uitkomst.

Koen Olthuis is architect en eigenaar van Waterstudio.nl. Voor hem is bouwen op water bijna een religie. Hij gelooft in ‘the rise of the blue city’. Tokyo, Miami, Jakarta, Olthuis reist de wereld rond om steden te voorzien van advies over bouwen op water. Zijn motto: ‘Green is good, blue is better’.

Niet vechten tegen water

Olthuis: “Met de stijgende zeespiegel is het voor sommige steden veel veiliger om te bouwen op water. Daarnaast kan het water gebruikt worden voor duurzame verkoeling en verwarming.” Olthuis wijst ook op het gebrek aan bouwgrond in Nederland. “Er moeten jaarlijks honderdduizenden woningen bijkomen om de krapte op de woningmarkt op te vangen. In de stad is op land geen ruimte meer, dan moeten we toch gebruik maken van water?”

Olthuis verbaast zich erover dat we in Nederland zoveel energie steken in het wegpompen van water, terwijl we er ook óp kunnen wonen. “Bouwen op water heeft enorm veel voordelen. Huizen op water zijn verplaatsbaar, mee te draaien met de zon, aanpasbaar aan het seizoen. We vechten in Nederland tégen het water, maar waarom maken we er niet meer gebruik van?”

We zijn een rijk land en kunnen ons wapenen, bijvoorbeeld door de bouw van nieuwe Deltawerken.

Remco de Boer – expert op het gebied van energietransitie

Milieubewuste verwarming

Remco de Boer is expert op het gebied van energietransitie. Hij zegt dat we ons in Nederland niet meteen zorgen hoeven te maken over overstroming door een stijgende zeespiegel. “We zijn een rijk land en kunnen ons wapenen, bijvoorbeeld door de bouw van nieuwe Deltawerken.”

Voor de veiligheid hoeven we wat De Boer betreft in Nederland niet uit te wijken naar bouwen op water. “Dat is natuurlijk anders in landen als Bangladesh.” De Boer ziet net zoals Olthuis wel dat water gebruikt kan worden voor een milieubewuste verwarming. Al hoeft het huis daarbij niet per se óp het water te staan.

Makkelijker vergunning krijgen

Aan enkele gezinnen die komen te wonen in de drijvende woonwijk ‘Schoonschip‘ in Amsterdam gaf Olthuis advies. Hij vindt het een prachtig project, maar heeft meteen ook wat geleerd over hoe bouwen op water beter kan in Nederland.

De locatie van de drijvende woonwijk ‘Schoonschip’

“Bouwen op water heeft drie voorwaarden. Je moet een plek hebben, de techniek in huis hebben – dat hebben we in Nederland zeker – en ook vergunningen kunnen krijgen. Wat dat laatste betreft is het in Nederland ontzettend lastig. Ik kan wel zeggen dat we daarin in Nederland zelfs achterlopen. Als we de trend van bouwen op water in Nederland een impuls willen geven moet dat echt makkelijker worden.”

Qheli: James Bond-huis tussen de kassen van het Westland

By Martijn de Meulder
Q500
March.31.2019

Photo credit: Izak van Maldegem/Skypictures, for Quote

Wekelijks vliegen we met onze Qheli boven de huizen van ‘s lands rijken. Wat komen we allemaal tegen? Vandaag een bijzonder fraaie/interessante villa waar we toevallig overheen vlogen. Verscholen tussen de eindeloze kassencomplexen van het Westland staat dit James Bond-huis.

Eigenlijk waren we met onze Qheli op weg naar het Noorden, toen we plots dit supermodernistische juweeltje onder ons zagen liggen. Even een extra rondje dus.

Want dit is op misschien wel de vreemdste plek die je je voor een villa kunt voorstellen: midden in het Westland, in Naaldwijk. Ingeklemd tussen enorme kassencomplexen heeft René van der Arend (51) daar zijn ruimtevaartschip aan de grond gezet. Of eigenlijk laten zetten, want het ontwerp van architectenbureau Waterstudio wijkt nogal af van het ‘herenhuis’ dat Van der Arend en zijn gezin aanvankelijk voor zich zagen.

De futuristische villa – New Water gedoopt – is opgetrokken uit het nieuwe bouwmateriaal Corian. Een keiharde kunststof waarmee het mogelijk is een James Bond-huis met dergelijke vloeiende lijnen neer te zetten – van nabij ziet het er net zo glad uit als hier vanuit de lucht. Van der Arend is overigens een bekende naam in het Westland, de man runt er zijn Tropical Plant Center en zou met 57 hectare de grootste Nederlandse kweker van winterharde palmen zijn.

Dat loopt blijkbaar heel lekker, want in zijn diverse ondernemingen struikelen we zonder veel moeite over krap 20 miljoen euro eigen vermogen. Dan kan zo’n villa uit Corian er natuurlijk ook wel vanaf. Het huis is in eigendom bij een van zijn vastgoed-bv’s en met een luttele 1 miljoen euro aan hypotheek opgetrokken.

Dat zit wel zo lekker, als je op zomeravonden vanuit je terrascompartiment naar de zonsondergang tuurt. Wodka Martini erbij? Shaken, not stirred. Maar dat laatste spreekt natuurlijk voor zich.

Villa New Water van René van der Arend in het Westland (foto: Izak van Maldegem/Skypictures, voor Quote)

Click here for the source website

Click here for the article in pdf

Schoonschip Amsterdam

At the official website of Schoonschip project in Amsterdam, you can find some interviews of the owners of the floating houses. With them Is Bart Mol, for whom Waterstudio designed a floating duplex building. The interview you can read below.

Name:
Bart Mol

Member of Schoonschip since:

January 2014

Current living situation:
In 2016 both our families sold their houses and in the meanwhile we both rent temporary appartments in the east of Amsterdam

Occupation:
Scrum master. Involved in the food platform I’m a Foodie

How would you describe a Schoonschipper?
A combination of special traits: idealistic, realistic, ambitious, willing to take risks, trying to improve the world in small steps and bizarrely persistent!

You share your plot with two households. How is your cooperation?
We went through the whole process in good harmony, visiting many suppliers of doors, stairs. And nice eateries.

We have been very lucky with our architect, Waterstudio. A sympathetic and creative group that has a lot of experience creating floating houses. They came up with six variations and then we started puzzling. We chose a relatively simple design, in order to be efficient and flexible.

How do people around you react on the project?
Through the years it changes, from ‘totally awesome’ to ‘how are you proceeding with your air castle?’ We can imagine those reactions. At some point we stopped giving indications on our planning.

What do you hope that Schoonschip will offer to Amsterdam?
A succesfull showcase of a group of normal citizens who share a common vision, plus the motivation to make it work!

I am happy with every person that we inspire to live more consciously regarding our environment and the world we live in.

Click here for the website

Click here for the pdf

Face à la montée des eaux, les maisons flottantes néerlandaises s’exportent

By Annick Capelle
RTBFR.be
December.12.2018
Photo credit: Radouane El Baroudi

Dans un quartier calme de Delft, cinq maisons modernes se reflètent dans un bassin d’eau, créant un effet miroir. Reliées à la terre, par un simple ponton, ces maisons flottent. Olaf Janssen vit dans l’une d’elles avec sa famille depuis 2013. “Nous avons conçu cette maison de façon telle qu’il n’y ait plus de frontière entre la maison et la nature“, explique-t-il en ouvrant les deux immenses baies vitrées du sol au plafond.

La maison est construite sur trois niveaux. À l’étage inférieur, les chambres sont littéralement immergées. À travers leurs fenêtres situées en hauteur, le regard frôle le niveau de l’eau. “C’est ce qui rend cet endroit si particulier. De temps en temps, on voit passer un canard ou une oie“, raconte Olaf en souriant.

Au niveau supérieur, une autre chambre, et même une terrasse sur le toit surplombant le quartier et le parc adjacent. Sous le ponton, des tuyaux flexibles amènent l’eau et l’électricité, et permettent l’évacuation des eaux usées.

Olaf Janssen a construit lui-même sa maison. Son entreprise, “Balance d’eau”, s’est spécialisée dans le créneau des maisons flottantes. Selon lui, le prix de vente de sa propre maison s’élève à 750.000 euros. Un prix normal pour les grandes villes néerlandaises. D’autant que la surface totale de l’habitation est de 220 mètres carrés : “La construction d’une maison flottante coûte 10 à 20% de plus qu’une maison classique. Mais le prix du lotissement sous l’eau, est moins élevé. Donc ça compense le surcoût“.

Le principe d’Archimède

200.000 kilos, c’est le poids de l’habitation d’Olaf Janssen. Et pourtant, elle flotte, comme un bateau. Le secret ? Un immense caisson moulé de béton sous le bâtiment qui permet la flottaison, selon le principe d’Archimède. La structure de l’habitation est légère, ce qui assure une grande stabilité. “Quand il y a beaucoup de vent, ça bouge légèrement. Mais il ne faut pas s’accrocher pour autant.”

Pour éviter qu’elle ne parte à la dérive, la maison est arrimée à des piliers immergés. En fonction du niveau de l’eau, elle monte ou descend le long des piliers. “S’il pleut très fort, la maison s’élève. Et donc, on a une vue différente, puisqu’on est plus haut…“ Une différence de niveau qui, en période de fortes pluies, peut aller jusqu’à 25 centimètres, selon Olaf.

L’eau : la recette de la ville du futur

Depuis plusieurs années, les maisons flottantes se multiplient aux Pays-Bas. On en dénombre près de 2000 aujourd’hui. À lui seul, le quartier d’Ijburg à Amsterdam accueille pas moins de 90 habitations flottantes. Dans ce pays dont un quart de la surface se trouve sous le niveau de la mer, le changement climatique oblige, en effet, les ingénieurs et architectes à réfléchir à de nouvelles solutions face à une possible montée des eaux.

Dans le cabinet d’architectes Waterstudio, à Rijswijk, près de La Haye, le carnet de commandes ne désemplit pas. Sur les étagères, une enfilade de maquettes de maison flottantes. “Depuis des centaines d’années, les Pays-Bas ont été menacés par l’eau. Et puis, ça a basculé. Aujourd’hui, nous ne voyons plus l’eau comme une menace, mais comme une opportunité“, commente Koen Olthuis, le directeur de Waterstudio.

Son crédo : faire de l’eau un atout, pour construire des villes plus sûres et efficaces : “Les villes d’aujourd’hui sont très statiques. Avec des bâtiments arrimés au sol que l’on peut difficilement déplacer. En construisant sur l’eau, on fait des immeubles que l’on vient glisser sur l’eau, et que l’on peut changer de place à souhait“.

Des villes entièrement modulables vouées à se multiplier partout sur la planète. “Nous pensons vraiment que l’eau est un ingrédient de la recette de la ville du futur. Dans 10-15 ans, dans des villes comme New York, Miami, Singapour, on utilisera l’eau pour construire des immeubles plus en phase avec le climat.”

Koen Olthuis nous montre les maquettes de maisons, voire même de complexes d’habitations, destinés au Canada, à Dubaï, ou encore aux États-Unis. “L’habitation flottante ne cesse d’évoluer, mais pour nous, elle est d’ores et déjà devenue un vrai produit d’exportation.”

Click here for the website and video

Click here for the pdf

First floating duplex-house Schoonschip arrived at its location in Amsterdam

Schoonschip, the new and sustainable floating neighborhood in Amsterdam is now filling up with the waterhomes. A lot of different designers and architects brought here their concepts to live. Waterstudio was happy to help 4 families with realizing their dreams of living beyond the waterfront. A fantastic time lapse video was shot by Isabel Nabuurs Productie. This show the arrival and mooring of the first structures.

Click here for the video

Architects Worldwide Invent Groundbreaking Waterborne Solutions To Climate Change, Part 3

By Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle
Forbes
December.12.2018
Photo credits: Waterstudio

There are two groups of people in the world who live by the water’s edge: the extremely rich and the extremely poor. For one, it’s a lifestyle choice; for the other, they rely on the water for their livelihoods. They can’t relocate away from the waterline, as land is often expensive and reserved for those who can afford it. Floating structures would give them the chance to continue living on the water rather than being displaced. In the vision of Dutch architect Koen Olthuis, founder of Waterstudio, large-scale floating developments could be invested in by wealthy nations like Qatar or Saudi Arabia not only for their own countries, but as global, mobile and flexible real estate, which may be leased to coastal cities. They could be floating hotels and stadiums for cities that wish to organize the Olympic Games but cannot afford it, or cities that have been hit by climate change-related disasters that can lease an entire set of floating functions like energy plants, hospitals, schools, sanitation systems, harbors and airports that may be towed from a safe floating location to devastated areas for rescue and relief. These are large-scale solutions to instantly upgrade cities and help communities recover with basic necessities within a couple of weeks, since they generally only invest money following a disaster.

Amillarah Private Islands at The World in DubaiCOURTESY OF ARCHITECT KOEN OLTHUIS – WATERSTUDIO.NL

Olthuis believes that the technology and money are already available, but it’s a matter of changing mindsets before waterborne developments become a part of daily reality. He discloses, “Before a disaster, nobody wants to change. After a disaster, everybody wants to change. Either you wait for a disaster or you do something with floating structures where people see that they can already make money before a disaster. The role we have as architects is not just to design and engineer, but also to guide governments, municipalities and developers to show them how to finance, insure, change legal aspects and start to use floating structures in cities.”

From multimillion-dollar floating islands for rich clients that will allow Olthuis to gain knowledge, he hopes to spread water architecture to entire middle-class communities worldwide using the same technology, as well as to developing countries that are at even greater risk of flooding, which may apply simple urban plug-ins of basic functions to slums to improve lives immediately. For example, Dubai is investing heavily in designing and building on water. Waterstudio collaborated with oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau to conceive Amillarah Private Islands by developer Dutch Docklands in The World – Dubai’s artificial archipelago of over 300 islands in the shape of the world map, measuring nine kilometers by seven kilometers, that will include residences, commercial areas with resorts, transit hubs for ferries and a tourism zone – which will consist of 33 eco-friendly, luxury floating homes on concrete and polystyrene foundations, each with its own garden, pool, beach and underwater habitat for sea life to enhance livability above and below the surface.

Amillarah Private Islands in MiamiCOURTESY OF ARCHITECT KOEN OLTHUIS – WATERSTUDIO.NL

Completely stable on the water and built to last over a century, the man-made floating islands will be customizable to clients’ specifications. In the Maldives, Waterstudio has designed floating island resorts and a golf course for Dutch Docklands, which is working with the Maldivian government to reinforce society with long-term waterborne developments. Olthuis believes that floating islands with high-density affordable housing could be added to the existing islands to provide space and safety without any negative impact on the marine environment during or after their lifespans. Over the years, his work has evolved from designing for the superrich to designing for the poor in areas that have to adjust their planning approach because of climate change, as he hopes to improve the lives of millions instead of only the happy few.

Click here for the pdf

Click here for the website

Schwimmstädte und Hochhauswälder

By Nadine Oberhauber
Frankfurther Allgemeine
October.31.2018
Photo Credit: Mauritius images

Der steigende Meeresspiegel, Starkregen und Stürme setzen den Städten zu. Deshalb türfteln Planer Planer rund um die Welt daran, sie für den Klimawandel zu wappnen.

Das Wasser kommt. Das ist mehr als eine Prognose, es ist Gewissheit. Vielen Stadtplanern bereitet das Sorgen. Denn Wasser ist anders als Hitze. Es breitet sich in den Städten nicht langsam über Tage und Wochen aus, sondern bricht als Urgewalt über sie herein. Künftig wird die Häufigkeit und Heftigkeit zunehmen, mit der Unwetter, Starkregen oder Sturmfluten sich über Städte ergießen. Dann könnte es in drei Vierteln aller wachsenden Megametropolen für kurze Zeit „Land unter“ heißen, denn sie liegen in Deltagebieten großer Flüsse. Doch auch Städte, die von viel Land umgeben sind wie viele deutsche, sollten sich nicht auf der trockenen Seite fühlen: Die jährlichen Schäden durch Starkregen und Überflutung sind hierzulande durchschnittlich doppelt so hoch wie jene durch Flusshochwasser oder Sturmfluten, heißt es beim Bundesverband der Versicherungswirtschaft. Berlin kann das bezeugen, nachdem es 2017 mehrmals nach Gewitterregengüssen baden ging. Wenn sich nun das Extremwetter nicht aufhalten lässt, wie macht man Städte dann hitzefest und regenresistent? Das ist die spannendste Frage, an der Architekten und Stadtplaner arbeiten.

Bevor das Wasser kommt, gehen wir zu ihm – lautet der bisher revolutionärste Ansatz, der von holländischen Planern stammt. Sie bauen aufs Wasser und tüfteln daran, wie man ganze Städte schwimmen lassen kann. Das klingt visionär, aber um ehrlich zu sein: Das ist in den Niederlanden nichts Neues. Gott erschuf zwar die Welt, sagt man dort, aber die Niederlande seien von den Holländern selbst erschaffen worden. Schon vor Jahrhunderten bauten sie riesige Kanalnetze und Pumpensysteme, angetrieben von Windmühlen. Damit legten sie Landmassen und Überschwemmungsgebiete trocken, die Polderflächen. Rund ein Viertel des Landes liegt unterhalb des Meeresspiegels. Genau das könnte zum Verhängnis werden, wenn der Meeresspiegel steigt. Dann staut sich dort nicht mal für ein paar Stunden oder Tage das Wasser, sondern ganze Landstriche drohen dauerhaft zu verschwinden. Deshalb bereiteten sich die Niederlande schon seit Jahren darauf vor, dass das Wasser kommt.

Bisher baute man Dämme und Abschlussdeiche, viel cleverer aber sei es, findet Architekt Koen Olthuis, einfach schwimmende Häuser zu bauen. Wenn Gebäude auf dem Wasser treiben, kann ihnen auch ein schwankender Wasserstand nichts anhaben. Zudem gewinnen wachsende Metropolen wie Amsterdam und Rotterdam neue Wohnflächen. Auch Paris will jetzt einzelne Gebäude auf die Seine setzen, und London überlegt, seine Regierung während des Umbaus der Houses of Parliament in einem schwimmenden Saal auf der Themse unterzubringen.

Inzwischen setzen Architekturbüros nicht nur einzelne Häuser auf Seenplatten und Flüsse, sondern ganze Stadtviertel mitten ins Meer. Ins IJmeer zum Beispiel, über das Amsterdam indirekt mit der Nordsee verbunden ist. Dort treiben die „floating houses“ von IJburg vom Büro Marlies Rohmer seit 2011 vor sich hin: sechzig Häuser je Hektar, die auf Pontons stehen und sich mit den Gezeiten heben und senken. Koen Olthuis entwickelt mit seiner Firma Waterstudio schwimmende Villen, Ferienanlagen und Quartiere rund um den Globus. So ließen sich auch Überflutungsregionen wie Bangladesch mit Klassenzimmern oder Krankenstationen ausstatten, die dem Wasser standhalten.

Click here for the source website

Click here to view the article pdf

Architects Worldwide Invent Groundbreaking Floating And Flood-Resistant Solutions To Climate Change

By Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle
Forbes
November.25.2018
Photo Credits: Waterstudio

Sea levels are rising to new highs, temperatures are increasing, floods and storms are getting fiercer and more widespread, Hurricane Harvey battered Texas and Hurricane Irma devastated Florida and the Caribbean, and hundreds of millions of people along floodplains worldwide live under threat due to climate change. Nations like the Maldives have to build on water or move to flee rising sea levels, New Orleans has to battle storm surges and Jakarta has to cope with massive flooding. Inaction doesn’t always benefit cities, as innovations driven by changing realities can introduce new prosperity. Mitigating the effects of climate change is usually seen as a cost, but the resulting modifications made in cities can lead to long-term economic and social benefits. Climate change is not just about the risk of floods and drowning, but also the financial cost of damaged property and businesses and how it will redefine which parts of a city are sought after and which are unsafe. A one meter sea level rise would reorganize maps and affect financial stability in many of the world’s biggest waterfronts, and precious real estate in places like New York and Miami would be lost. Lots of land in Bangladesh, India and the Philippines would also vanish. Many of the water defense systems in the Netherlands safeguarding the country would become ineffective. World leaders may be delaying addressing the issue as they favor short-term strategies with immediate benefits, but in the meantime, certain architects are working on solutions to build more resilient structures on the water or to address flood protection on land and changing the rules that traditional urban planning has imposed upon us. By resolving the issues stemming from climate change and urbanization, water-based architecture is redefining urbanism. Offering a minimally-invasive method of construction, modern floating developments take advantage of coastal zones, rivers, lakes and canals in space-starved cities and provide flexibility as they may be modified, moved and reused until the end of their lifecycles when they are recycled. The technologies and innovations required for water-based constructions already exist, but now changing the perception towards floating schemes is key to a more sustainable and safer future able to meet modern-day challenges.

Waterstudio’s Citadel floating apartment complex composed of 60 units in The New Water, city of Westland, The NetherlandsCOURTESY OF ARCHITECT KOEN OLTHUIS – WATERSTUDIO.NL

What if instead of fighting rising sea levels, we embrace the water by integrating it into our cities, creating resilient buildings and infrastructure that can deal with extreme flooding and heavy rains? As many metropolises are situated near the water, it is logical that cities will find a way to live with the water instead of relocating inland. A leader in floating architecture who sees the potential that water can bring in making cities more resilient and safer, Koen Olthuis and his Amsterdam-based firm Waterstudio founded in 2003 – among the first to focus exclusively on waterborne architecture – have been showing the benefits of building on the water and how befriending water is a means for survival. This is an architect who was raised in an artificial landscape engineered for water, as about one-third of the Netherlands with over 60 % of the country’s population lies below sea level, and the Dutch have spent the last thousand years constructing storm surge barriers, dikes, pumps and drainage systems to keep the North Sea out. Experts in high-tech engineering, water management and resilience planning, they have installed lakes, parks, plazas and carparks that serve social needs, but also double as giant emergency reservoirs for when floods occur from storms now predicted to happen every five to 10 years. Water has been a way of life in the Netherlands and foreign delegations from Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, New York and New Orleans often visit to learn from them. Climate change adaptation is high on the public agenda although the country hasn’t met with a disaster in years because the population has seen the benefits of improving public space, which is the additional economic value of investing in resilience.

Click here for the pdf

Click here for the website