Integrating disaster resistance along with local building traditions, Vietnamese H&P Architects’ have designed an affordable bamboo house that floats when it floods.
A real-life prototype of the modular design has since been constructed, using locally abundant materials like bamboo and coconut leaf, along with more engineered stuff like fiberboard. Intended to withstand floods of up to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet), the 3.3 by 6.6 meter (10.8 by 21.6 feet) module can be put together within 25 days and little technical know-how, using a variety of simple fastening techniques like bolting and binding. The cladding can be specified and varied according to local conditions and requirements, while the interior is designed as a multifunctional space, depending on the users’ needs.
Motivated to act by the severe floods that recently affected Vietnam, the designers are hoping to see whole communities built in such a way that allows them to survive natural disasters, while also empowering the populace and strengthening collective building traditions.
What are your thoughts on this neat little dwelling?