The FLOAT House: New Orleans' low-cost, green solution to flooding

Photographer: Iwan BaanIn a world where nearly 200 million people worldwide live in high risk coastal flooding zones, new design solutions are needed for homes that adapt to this reality. The FLOAT House, created by the Morphosis Team in collaboration with the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, is precisely this kind of design. This residential home in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward can withstand a storm the size of Hurricane Katrina; it sustains its own water and power needs; and it is manufactured cheaply enough to function as low-income housing.

What is innovative about this house's design is the raised base that it sits on top of. This base integrates all the residence's mechanical, electrical, plumbing and sustainable systems. It also acts as a raft that allows the entire home to securely float up to 12 feet above ground in case of of flooding. On track for a LEED Platinum Rating, the FLOAT House also features solar power generation, rainwater collection, as well as geothermal cooling and heating systems.

The FLOAT House marks a new, innovative approach to mass-producing low-cost homes that respond to natural disasters.