Veolia Water Technologies by GineersNow Engineering Magazine GineersNow Engineering Magazine September 2016 | Page 18

THE AMSTERDAM
NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS
DIRECTLY OVER WATER
Would you live in a house
over a body of water?
For some people in
Netherlands, that’s not a
problem anymore because
they are already living that
kind of life. And they love it.
The diminishing area of
land for residences, as a
consequence of rising
water levels due to climate
change, has made a certain
neighborhood in IJburg,
Netherlands to live and
love the life above water.
Built by Architectenbureau
Marlies
Rohmer,
the
homes in this Amsterdam
community feature a
modern design of colored
plastic or glass panels,
also spaced and faced to
optimize interaction with
the neighbors. The houses
are designed to have almost
uniform height and aesthetic.
The water just right outside
of the houses serves as an
instant swimming pool for the
family during the summer,
and an instant ice skating
field during the winter.
Photo by Inhabitat
To make this virtually
unsinkable, this floating
neighborhood is made with
concrete foundation then
filled with styrofoam. This
urban planning experiment
might be the first floating
neighborhood there is, with
97 houses.
Photo by AmusingPlanet
Photo by AlJazeera
18
SEPTEMBER 2016
Clean Water Technologies