Floating to survive climate change
in ARCHITETTURA | architecture
@ Le Minh Hoang I “FB House” on the water and on the land.
Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by climate change in the world. Sea level rise is threatening coastal communities in the south of the country to the detriment of reducing productivity and the ability to provide livelihoods to populations living along river routes. When sea level rise reaches 1 meter high, it will cause the submergence of 47% of the Mekong Delta area and 13% of the Red River Delta area in the north of the country, directly affecting 20- 30 million people. In this context, the floating bamboo house – designed by H&P Architects – could be a vital solution to help those communities settled along the waterways to remain in their territories of origin. The artefact is conceived as a square-shaped raft (6m x 6m) which floats thanks to a system of plastic drums tied to the floor, where in the center there are freshwater storage bins and septic tank barrels.
@ Le Minh Hoang I “FB House 1”.
@ hp_architects I “Floating Bamboo House” prototype. 1. Plastic drum (re-use), 2. Steel rectangular tube (4cmx8cm), 3. Septic tank, 4. Filter tank, 5. Water tank, 6. Solid core bamboo. (dimeter d=3-4,5 cm, 3m and 6m long).
The “Floating Bamboo House” prototype includes two versions, both built and tested in the second half of last year in Hanoi and precisely in the districts of Quốc Oai and Phú Xuyên, near the Red River delta. The “FB House 1” and ‘ built on a 36 m2 platform, while the “FB House 2” rests on a 48 m2 base. The two works were substantially conceived with the same construction technique and made with the same materials: bamboo canes, pressed bamboo sheets, leaves, ripples and recycled plastic bottles Structurally the artefact is made up of large bamboo canes (diameter d = 3-4.5 cm, length 3 m and 6 m) simply connected to each other by pegs and ties. The construction is covered by a large roof reminiscent of the traditional Rong House in use by the populations of the central highlands of Vietnam. This roof is also designed to collect rainwater and house panels for the exploitation of solar energy.
@ hp_architects I “FB House 1” and “FB House 2”.
Originally the model was designed for two floors of use, but if the floor panels on the second floor are removed the construction becomes an “atrium house” within whose volume public activities could be hosted such as: community house, school, kindergarten and library. The flexible opening system helps to make the building ventilated and comfortable. With the use of this housing prototype, in the future, real floating inhabited centers could be developed as solutions to the effects of climate change with homes connected to playgrounds, raft gardens and vegetable gardens and fish farming facilities. Both works were sponsored by private foundations, respectively the Samsung Foundation of Culture for the “FB House 1” and the ASR Foundation (Architecture and Social Responsibility) for the “FB House 2”.
@ hp_architects I “Floating River Village”.