Architecture, urban planning and research in, on and next to water
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Sea Trees: Architects Present Innovative Ways To Create New Ecosystems, HUFFPOST

HUFFPOST, Kia Makarechi, Jan 2012

Dutch architectural firm Waterstudio aims to create habitats that can’t be disturbed by human populations, and they’ve captured the world’s attention — and imagination — with their “sea trees.”

The concept is at once simple and revolutionary: a floating, stratified park that provides a home for both above-ground and underwater creatures.

The Huffington Post interviewed a representative of the firm about the project. In the below email exchange, Waterstudio reveals how they were inspired by offshore drilling platforms used by oil companies, the cost for a sea tree and whether or not the plans can actually be realized.

HuffPost Arts: While the Sea Trees are certainly valuable concepts, does the necessary
technology exist to make them a reality?

Waterstudio: Yes it is all existing and proven technology. Our Dutch heritage with hundreds of years fighting against the water has provided us with a lot of innovative floating solutions. The oil companies use these floating storage towers already for years, we only gave them a new shape and function. For the green and fauna solutions, we have the best institutes and university here in Holland which have provided us with the concepts to use these structures as a catalyst for the growth of habitats.

HuffPost Arts: Your firm hopes offshore oil companies could “donate” a Sea Tree to
communities they affect — did offshore oil rigs provide any inspiration in
terms of design? What else inspired you?

Waterstudio: It is not about donating but about another way of executing their positive attitude against the environment. The Sea Tree is a “City App,” a floating product that can be added to a city in a manner similar to adding an app on your smart phone. The oil company still holds ownership, and the city provides a location. Inspiration came from a project in Holland where ecologists forced us to provide habitats for animals which couldn’t be disturbed by people. Water is of course a perfect way to keep people away. The shape of a floating oil storage structures in Norway brought another inspiration combined with regular shapes of tree with a big crown on top. The concept idea is that we took park zones in urban areas, we divided them in pieces and put them vertically on top of each other, at the end it became a vertical hangout for wild life!

HuffPost Arts: Is there any estimate as to the cost?

Waterstudio: The cost is estimated at $4.5 million for the shown design. Depending on water depth, mooring facilities and transport from construction site to the chosen city. Further cost differences depend on the preferred flora and fauna.

HuffPost Arts: I read that your firm imagines the Sea Trees would be at home in any body
of water, but where would you most like to see the first one?

Waterstudio: These Sea Trees make sense in a highly dense urban area where water is available. This covers almost 90 percent of the world’s largest cities. Our favorite locations would be either Mumbai or New York. Both have such a high m2 price on land that it makes the construction of a parkzone on land not feasible. A Sea Tree on water would be a solution as well a perfect show case for the oil company to attract attention for their environmental program. Imagine this Sea Tree floating in Upper Bay, New York — it would become an eco-hub between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

HuffPost Arts: The project has clearly caused a stir in the arts and architecture worlds
— have you had any interest from investors or possible partners?

Waterstudio: Yes we have. It is indeed amazing how this concept has gone viral. We get a lot of media requests on a daily basis. It shows the general global interest of people in these kinds of green floating solutions. But media doesn’t build, so we are very happy that we have had both ecological institutes as well as representatives of cities who have started conversation with us. At the same time, we see a growing environmental and sustainable focus by most of the major oil companies.

HuffPost Arts: How long did the project take to draft?

Waterstudio: A few months, and the process involved ecologists, architects, engineers and urban planners.

Click here for the website

Sea Tree / Waterstudio.NL

ArchDaily, Karen Cilento, Jan 2012

As a response to urban density, Waterstudio.NL has created a floating Sea Tree that would restore environmental value in crowded metropolises.  The Sea Tree, a multilayered tower-esque structure, would inhabit the harbors and rivers surrounding major cities, such as New York, as a way to provide an opportunity for flora and fauna even when land is sparse.

More about the Sea Tree after the break.

Prefabricated offshore, the structure would be built and designed to only support plant and animal life above and below the water.  A system of cables allows the tree to sway a bit in the wind while securing it to the sea bed; and the height of the structure can be adjusted to suit the selected location.

The idea is that large oil companies would donate a Sea Tree to a city showing their concern for a better city environment by using their own intellectual property.

The Sea Tree can be envisioned as part of a larger network where several trees are placed at particular spots along the edges of cities to truly enhance the environmental quality of the selected sites. “The beauty of the design is that it provides a solution and at the same time does not cost expensive space on land while the effect of the species living in the Sea Tree will effect a zone of several miles around the moored location,” explained the designer.

Click here for the website 

Waterstudio.NL ontwerpt drijvende toren

architectenweb.nl, Jan 2012

Waterstudio.NL heeft een nieuw concept ontworpen voor groene ruimtes in de stad: de Sea Tree. De ‘boom’-toren is een drijvend bouwwerk dat begroeid wordt door planten en enkel toegankelijk is voor dieren.

De Sea Tree wordt met dezelfde technologieën gebouwd als een olieplatform. De ‘boom’ wordt met een kabel vastgemaakt aan de bodem van het water waar het zich in bevindt. De hoogte en breedte van de toren kan worden aangepast aan zijn omgeving. Zo kan het bouwwerk in een zee, rivier, meer of haven worden geplaatst. Ook beweegt de boom mee met de wind.

Het bouwwerk is bedoeld als huis voor verschillende kleine dieren die zowel boven als onder water leven. De boom kan volgens het bureau onder water eventueel ook dienen als plek voor een kunstmatig koraalrif.

Het idee van Waterstudio.NL is om oliebedrijven de boom te laten schenken aan een stad of gemeente. Zo kan het bedrijf laten zien een betere leefomgeving voor de stad te willen creëren.

Click here for the website

Click here to read the article

1000 X European Architecture

1000 X European Architecture

Since the release of 1000 x European Architecture in 2006, the world of architecture has gone through some major changes: in the midst of a seemingly unstoppable building boom the banking crisis descended on the world economy in 2008, but since 2010 a spirit of optimism has taken hold again. A completely new impact for the world of architecture, which is gaining in significance, is the Web 2.0 and the rapidly increasing influence of social media. The vehement debates about style at the end of the 20th century have faded away, instead the questions of quality in execution, valence of the material and especially ecological sustainability have moved to the foreground of the discussions. The new edition of the bestseller 1000 x European Architecture presents the European building culture during this tumultuous time with 1000 new projects from the last five years.

Click here to read the article

Waterstudio.nl’s Sea Tree is a Protected Floating Habitat for Flora and Fauna

Inhabitat, Bridgette Meinhold Dec 2011

The Sea Tree, designed by Amsterdam-based Waterstudio.nl led by Koen Olthuis, is a floating habitat that creates a safe haven for flora and fauna both underwater and above it. As urbanization and climate change advance, the respective habitats for animals and plants are at a greater risk, especially in urban centers. To counteract some of those factors, Waterstudio.nl came up with these protected reserves to help bring positive environmental benefits to the city.

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Met het oog op morgen

Eva Jinek, Radio 1, Nov 2011

Maandag: Drijvende Malediven
Redactie Oog
28-11-2011 23:26

In het Zuid-Afrikaanse Durban wordt de komende dagen weer geconfereerd over het klimaat. Of de zoveelste top iets gaat opleveren, is nog maar de vraag. De president van de Malediven, ziet het in ieder geval somber in. Zijn land -met 300 duizend inwoners- dreigt het eerste slachtoffer te worden van de zeespiegelstijging. Er zou echter zomaar een oplossing kunnen zijn, en die komt uit Nederland: drijvende eilanden. Hoe dat in zijn werk gaat, hoort u van Koen Olthuis, architect van Waterstudio en Paul van de Camp, directeur van Dutch Docklands.

click here for the video min. 43:20 – 51:50

Eva Jinek presenteert.

Floating Sea Tree is a vertical hangout for wild life

OKEANOS, Dec 2011

Including environmentally conscious features as part of an architectural design is both popular and responsible. Central Park is a great example of the potential benefits. The city of New York could make billions of dollars by selling the real estate to corporations looking to build skyscrapers. But if Central Park was destroyed, then New Yorkers would lose the one place in the city where they can escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The more we build, the more we displace the local flora and fauna. Including considerations for nature can lead to a more environmentally friendly design, as well as improving the morale of nearby people. While ignoring plant life might be more cost effective, improving the happiness of citizens is always a worthwhile goal.

Waterstudio.nl, a popular aquatic architecture firm, has designed the Sea Tree, a floating safe haven intended specifically for plants and animals. The design features dozens of layers, both above and below water, which create nesting grounds for birds and anchoring points for plants. Given enough time to grow, the Sea Tree will eventually resemble a sort of hanging garden, with branches and vines hanging from the different levels.

Beneath the surface of the water, the view is equally as lush and verdant. Underwater layers create homes for fish and aquatic plant life. From its lowest to its highest point, the Sea Tree is devoted entirely to promoting wildlife. And with its unique aquatic design, it accommodates the local wildlife of any location. It would be just as useful off the coast of New York as it would be in Tokyo harbor or the Thames River.

The Sea Tree represents a new and unique trend in architecture, not because it is environmentally conscious, but because it defies the traditional purpose of architecture. Most buildings exist for human inhabitants. Designing buildings for birds, plants, and fish opens up a new realm of architecture.

Click here for the website

Dutch Docklands to the rescue for Dubai’s World project?

Gizmag, Bridget Borgobello, Nov 2011

The troubled World Project in Dubai, which has been riddled with problems since the global financial crisis in 2009 including rumors that the islands are sinking, may have found salvation. Architectural firm Dutch Docklands has developed, designed and engineered a master plan for 89 floating islands, giving current World investors the opportunity to purchase a floating paradise. The solution would provide investors with an option that’s more feasible and cost-effective than building on the existing land masses, whilst also incorporating several environmental benefits.

“Floating islands are environmentally friendly and leave a zero footprint after its lifespan, and opens opportunities where there is a scarcity of land,” Jasper Mulder, General Manager of Dutch Docklands Maldives told Gizmag. “They are the answer to urban limitations and climate change. It secures a safe and sustainable future where conventional building methods fail.”

The 89 floating islands proposed for the Middle East includes residential and commercial floating developments with a total surface area of 220,000 square meters (almost 2.4 million sq.ft). Dutch Docklands founders Paul Van de Camp and Koen Olthuis have developed technologies for developing floating constructions beyond the waterfront. “In Holland we have hundreds of years of experience of water management, many centuries of innovation to protect us from the water,” explained Mulder. “The vision of Dutch Docklands is to use this know-how in an offensive way by living with the water by way of floating developments. This new approach has automatically led to the first floating developments mainly built in the Netherlands.”

Dutch Docklands’ floating islands may be the preference for many World investors, as “serious talks are being held as we speak” said Mulder. However, the forward-thinking Dutch architects also have plans for the Maldives. A joint venture with the government of the Maldives has led to an ambitious master plan for more than 800 hectares (80 million sq.ft) of water, with floating construction currently in development.

The project hopes to see the completion of four individual ring-shaped floating islands, each with 72 water-villas; 43 floating private islands in an archipelago configuration; the world’s first floating 18-hole golf course; and, an 800-room floating hotel. Furthermore, the floating islands will be interconnected by underwater tunnels, and the golf course will feature an underwater clubhouse adjoining two luxury hotels.

The reality of floating islands could start to shape future urban landscapes, with further scope for agriculture, offices, housing and leisure. “This will lead to new economic opportunities where governments can cost-effectively lease islands with flexible solutions instead of investing in static developments,” concludes Mulder. It would also seem that Dutch Docklands could be the perfect candidates for Paypal founder Peter Thiel’s floating city challenge we covered a few months back!

Click here for the website

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