Floating Homes
Introduction
Floating Homes
Floating Cities as an Innovative Response to Climate Change | DW Documentary
28:25 minute video about existing examples of modern floating communities.
"Architect Koen Olthuis is constructing a floating city in the Maldives, sustainably cooled with sea water. In the Netherlands, Sacha and Jan live in a waterborne section of the Steigereiland neighborhood. It's based on a complicated feat of engineering - but also depends on cooperation and solidarity. If one home is too heavy, it raises the one next door. Yet Sacha and Jan like its collaborative nature. The residents of the floating neighborhood all love living by the water, not far from the heart of Amsterdam."
Benefits
Sea Level Rise & Housing
Floating homes, businesses, and communities may be somewhat more robust against climate change, at least as far as flooding and sea level rise are concerned.
Problems
Light Pollution
Light pollution is a growing problem world wide, but can have a particularly large impact on wildlife in and around water. For example endangered baby turtles have been found to come towards land-based light pollution, resulting in many of them getting killed. Similarly insects and migratory birds are often lured by artificial lights causing problems for humans and often resulting in injuries or death for the animals.
Lights or on top of bodies of water can reflect far, further increasing the harm the cause, so floating communities should be careful to focus on wildlife-friendly lighting, which in turn can massively improve efficiency and reduce energy costs.
Changes to Aquatic Ecosystems
Floating buildings produce shade which can kill off plant and algae life underneath. This in turn may have some ecological impact.
Water Pollution
Globally, and even in countries with relatively decent sewage systems, sewage and similarly problematic water pollution issues continue to harm wildlife, even making swimming and certain seafoods quite dangerous to humans. Floating communities should focus on ensuring sewage and other pollutants don't end up in their waters.
Weather Extremes
Extreme weather can be particularly hard on floating homes, people and objects inside may be thrown around in rough enough water and high winds.