Imagine looking out of your window onto the blue sea, living in a building in the midst of water! Koen Olthius, a Dutch architect’s passion for water has transformed this magical image into reality.
Water is the latest frontier to act as a habitable space. Koen Olthius, an architect, creates floating buildings in water that are both flexible , sustainable and practical. He has found a solution that helps cities to respond flexibly to climate change and urbanisation.
Floating apartment complex, Amsterdam ( Image courtesy: www.waterstudio)
His water based structures float on concrete and foam foundations that are stable and heavy. These bodies are then connected to the sea bed with cables, so that they are anchored and don’t drift away.
Floating golf course in Maldives ( Image courtesy: www.fluxmag.com)
His vision of such large scale floating projects in an urban environment opens up the door for endless possibilities. With 90 % of the worlds cities located on the waterfront, this innovative strategy will help people to respond positively to scarcity of urban land and space.
Sea Tree: A floating park ( Image courtesy: www.waterstudio)
His firm ‘Water Studio’ specialises in architecture, urban planning and research related to living, working and recreation on water. Some of the projects already commissioned and developed include: Sea Tree: a floating park, a haven for wildlife and marine life; White Lagoon: A watervilla with beaches, roof terrace and swimming pools, the future of tourism.
Glass tunnel golf course ( Image courtesy: www.waterstudio)
Korail in Bangladesh, houses the largest wetslum in Dhaka, where a population of 40,000 inhabitants jostle for space. Streets are used for public functions, as playgrounds and even restaurants. The needs of sanitation, toilets and garbage disposal will be met by installing containers on floating foundations in this project, which aims at upgrading this wetland as shown in the video below.
Source of video: waterstudionl
Upgradation of wetslum in Korail, Bangladesh, by using floating foundations ( Courtesy : waterstudionl)
With expected rising sea levels, these projects promise to keep buildings and hopes, both afloat !
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