It seems that New Orleans has begun to embrace its past flood-like history through a little help from a few innovative minds and some hard-working hands. The FLOAT house is being unveiled this month, which was developed by Morphosis architects and graduate students from UCLA’s School of Architecture and Urban Design. The FLOAT house is expected to be the first floating home permitted in the United States and an ideal example of the kind of green solutions that are constantly being discovered at Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation.
When the foundation was launched, Pitt promised the residents of New Orleans that he would personally strive to build them stronger, safer and more progressive home that would be able to stand any storm or flood that may loom ahead.
The FLOAT house definitely delivers on that promise. The house is a prototype of affordable, green housing that can be mass produced for flood-prone areas such as New Orleans. The house is able to sustain its own water and power needs, can survive floodwaters over twelve feet, and can be fabricated cheaply enough to function as low-income housing.
So, how does this water and eco-friendly abode really work? The base of the house acts as a chassis and when it floods. The chassis then serves as a raft, permitting the home to rise vertically on two guide posts placed at the front and back of the FLOAT house.
With its creative function and green makeup, the FLOAT house hits the nail on the head! Will this concept work on a bigger, more international scale? It’s too early to tell, but it’s certainly starting a trend of thinking outside of the box. Have YOU helped save the world today?
For more information, visit: www.makeitrightnola.org, thedailygreen.com
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