Climate change is redefining the rules by which we live and at a pace we never expected. Because of rising sea level, several areas of the globe are in danger of vanishing from the map, disappearing under water. Society must adapt and maybe, one day, live in floating houses.
Depending on their geographical situation, some countries are more advanced than others in their adjustment to the effects of global warming, and particularly the rising level of the seas. In 1953, the Netherlands and large parts of Belgium and England were struck by what is known as the Watersnoodramp, literally "flood disaster", destroying 10.000 buildings and killing over 2.500 people. Since then, the "low countries" have developed a culture of flood engineering that has sealed the reputation of its builders and might help to fight the consequences of rising sea levels due to climate change.
A Dutch speciality
The results of FLOATEC, a European R&D project underwritten by EUREKA, can be found all over Europe, but the Netherlands is the primary market for the solution developed within the project. 'It had the full backing of the Dutch government' says Edwin Blom, project leader at Dura Vermeer. 'The authorities designated some areas of the country as preferred grounds for experimentation on amphibian houses'. The project also benefited of a unique legal obligation existing in Netherlands: 7% to 12% of every construction site is to be dedicated to water storage, which makes floating houses also very convenient.
The leading partner in the EUREKA FLOATEC project, Dura Vermeer, is a Dutch company specialising in building homes in a country where many would consider buying a houseboat. It is currently employing some 3000 people in The Netherlands. Over the last 12 years, this company has become an outright leader in a market that barely existed before - that of floating buildings. With some revolutionary achievements under its belt, such as the R
|Contact: Piotr Pogorzelski|