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3.5.3.FLOATING BUILDING INTERVENTION, THAILAND
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3.5.3. FLOATING BUILDING INTERVENTION, SITE SPECIFIC & PREFAB LABROTORY, THAILAND, 2010
Figure 63: Floating building intervention, Thailand, by architects Site-specifi c and Prefab Laboratory (Meinhold, 2011). 86
FLOATING BUILDING TYPOLOGY _
Thailand has an increasing fl ooding problem; as a result, two architecture fi rms, Site-Specifi c and Prefab Laboratory, worked together to create a solution that could permanently solve the property damaging and lifethreatening issues. They proposed a fl oating building typology that can rise and fall with water (Meinhold, 2011).
Figure 65: Floating building intervention, 3D perspectives of diff erent design options based on the same typology (Meinhold, 2011). 88
SUSTAINABLE MODULAR SYSTEM _
Diff erent building prototypes were investigated to accommodate the communities’ needs; using aff ordable and resilient housing typologies. The building structure is constructed on top of a prefabricated steel fl oating system places on top of a concrete trench. The dwelling is fi xed to the trench with a slip-column system that lets the house move up and down as the water tide rises and lowers. As fl ooding occurs, water fi rst pools in the trench and when the trench reaches its total capacity, the home will start to fl oat before signifi cant damages occur. Aspects like rainwater collection, solar and wind power systems, and protected food storage areas allow residents to feed the community when city utilities fail. As the building fl oats, no property is damaged or lost, and people can continue to live as usual, through traveling by boat from dwelling to dwelling (Meinhold, 2011).
Aspects taken and used from the precedent include:
• Use materials and methods like a steel frame and sheet metal roofs strategically designed to catch rainwater that is strong enough to withstand exterior forces. • A modular system with load-bearing exterior walls allows individual interior infi ll development (Meinhold, 2011). This relates to the proposed project’s aim to provide for individual infi ll specifi c to their needs. • Designing a trench-like element, either in front or underneath the fl oating typology, to absorb most of the impact forces of a fl ash fl ood to minimize damages to the buildings. Implementing this strategy will also extend the reaction time; the trenches will indicate a fl ood that will allow residents to evacuate to a safe area before damages occur.
