FEATURED
How Amphibious Housing can Save Communities in Flood Zones
In a TEDx Talk at Manhattan Beach, California, Dr. Elizabeth C. English shows how amphibious designs can allow communities to maintain their vibrancy, even in flood zones.
January 22, 2020 - (13:51)
How amphibious housing is transforming lives
According to the United Nations, around 74% of all natural disasters between 2001 and 2018 were water-related, and by 2050 some 2 billion people will be at risk of extreme flooding. So what can we do about it? Well, say hello to amphibious housing, courtesy of The Buoyant Foundation part of Expo 2020 Dubai Expo Live Programme.
BBC - May 13, 2021 – (4:31)
Flood Resilient Homes in Vietnam
This documentary follows the story of the University of Waterloo, a Global Resilience Partnership grantee, as they build floating homes to improve the resilience of flood-stricken communities in Vietnam.
(6:48)
When Houses Float Instead of Flood
In light of another record year of flooding in Ontario, Dr. Elizabeth English joins Nam Kiwanuka on The Agenda with Steve Palkin to discuss her work in Louisiana and beyond, providing homes that will float instead of flood.
TVO - May 27, 2019 - (19:59)
Buoyant Foundation Retrofit of the Farnsworth House
The following is the animation that shows a refined system that would be used to retrofit the Farnsworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
(1:33)
These houses used to flood. Now they float.
Mashable compiled a video explaining the Buoyant Foundation project and how amphibious retrofits can be used to mitigate the impact of flood events.
Mashable - December 2, 2021 - (1:32)
DOCUMENTARIES
How amphibious housing is transforming lives
According to the United Nations, around 74% of all natural disasters between 2001 and 2018 were water-related, and by 2050 some 2 billion people will be at risk of extreme flooding. So what can we do about it? Well, say hello to amphibious housing, courtesy of The Buoyant Foundation part of Expo 2020 Dubai Expo Live Programme.
BBC - May 13, 2021 – (4:31)
Flood Resilient Homes in Vietnam
This documentary follows the story of the University of Waterloo, a Global Resilience Partnership grantee, as they build floating homes to improve the resilience of flood-stricken communities in Vietnam.
(6:48)
Flood Risk Reduction for Marginalized Populations
This video summarizes the amphibious retrofit concept, the Buoyant Foundation Project’s current work, and the next steps in continuing to develop amphibious solutions. By working with natural flooding cycles instead of against them, we can eliminating flood damage in a way that is affordable for all.
(1:30)
Vulnerable in Vietnam
A short video detailing the Buoyant Foundation Project’s retrofit work in the Mekong River delta, Vietnam, as a supplementary system to the vernacular practice of elevating houses on stilts. The buoyant retrofits provide flood resilience to the physical architecture and the possessions of these individuals, and protection from possible catastrophic and traumatic disruptions to the localized culture and economy of these communities.
(3:00)
Amphibious Houses
Imagine affordable houses that sit on the ground when it’s dry, float in the event of a flood, and come right back down to where they were before when the water recedes. That’s Elizabeth English’s vision. The University of Waterloo architecture professor has designed an easy and cheap way to make the existing “shotgun” houses of Louisiana amphibious, so they will survive another Hurricane Katrina. She is now applying her research to homes in other flood-prone areas.
(3:29)
Louisiana Fishermen Pioneer Floating Architecture
The fishing community on Old River Landing in Louisiana is located in a flood-prone area of Louisiana. In order to maintain their homes, many of the residents have mobilized to devise an innovative solution: turning their homes into floating rafts. Also known as “amphibious,” the houses usually stay grounded, but float when the water rises.
(4:01)
The Buoyant Foundation Project Movie
Dr. Elizabeth English founded the Buoyant Foundation Project at Louisiana State University on a mission to help preserve and protect New Orleans vulnerable communities from recurrent flooding. After discovering amphibious architecture, Dr. English worked with her students to construct a prototype to retrofit the standard shotgun houses of the 9th ward.
June 1, 2010 - (4:22)
TELEVISION
These houses used to flood. Now they float.
Mashable compiled a video explaining the Buoyant Foundation project and how amphibious retrofits can be used to mitigate the impact of flood events.
Mashable - December 2, 2021 - (1:31)
Amphibious Retrofit featured on The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel interviewed Dr. Elizabeth English to talk about retrofitting homes with buoyant foundations and the work she has been developing with Buoyant Foundation Project.
The Weather Channel - October 11, 2021 - (5:15)
Buoyant Foundation Project Featured by Waste-Ed.
The sustainability group Waste-Ed put together a video explaining how amphibious Architecture can be made with recycled materials and improve climate change resilience for waterside communities. This video features the Buoyant Foundation Project retrofits in Vietnam.
Waste-Ed - May 9, 2021
How Amphibious Housing can Save Communities in Flood Zones
Dr. Elizabeth English shows how amphibious designs can allow flood-prone communities to maintain their vibrancy. Her current research focuses on developing amphibious foundation systems as a flood risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategy. This talk was given at a TEDx Manhattan Beach in November 2020.
TEDx - January 22, 2020 – (13:51)
When Houses Float Instead of Flood
In light of another record year of flooding in Ontario, Dr. Elizabeth English joins Nam Kiwanuka on The Agenda with Steve Palkin to discuss her work in Louisiana and beyond, providing homes that will float instead of flood.
The Agenda - May 27, 2019 - (19:59)
New technology could protect homes from flooding by making it float
In May of 2019, Your Morning CTV interviewed Dr. Elizabeth English to discuss her work designed amphibious retrofits and how this solution might be applied in Canada.
CTV News - May 3, 2019 - (2:43)
PROJECT ANIMATIONS
Keeping Our Heads Above Water
18% of the world’s population is exposed to the risk of intense flooding leaving many homes and families destroyed. Large scale ‘hard engineering’ has been used in the past in the world’s most popular flooding areas; however, what happens to the smaller communities that don’t have access to this infrastructure? Well, for modern engineers, working with rather than against these waters is the solution to helping these smaller communities stay safe.
BBC - May 13, 2021 - (2:30)
Buoyant Foundation Retrofit of the Farnsworth House
The following is the animation that shows a refined system that would be used to retrofit the Farnsworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
(1:33)
Buoyant Foundation Retrofit of Freedman Cottage in Charleston, SC
The following is an animation showing the assembly of a buoyant foundation retrofit for a typical Freedman’s Cottage.
(0:44)
Animation of an Amphibious Retrofitted House in An Giang, Vietnam
An animation showcasing the assembly of the various elements of a buoyant foundation projected for installation on a typical house in An Giang, Viet Nam.
(0:46)
Princeville Primitive Baptist Church Animation
An animation showcasing the assembly of the various elements of a buoyant foundation projected for installation on Princeville Primitive Baptist Church.
(1:07)
Buoyant Foundation Assembly Animation
An animation showcasing the assembly of the various elements of a buoyant foundation.
(1:00)
Three Houses Animation
The following is an animation of 3 typical ‘shotgun’ style houses in Louisiana. The first is a typical house without any flood protection, the second is a house that has been fixed at an elevated position of 12 feet and the last is a house where buoyant foundations have been implemented.
(0:56)
Lac’s House Time-lapse
A stop-motion animation, showing the full process of retrofitting Lac’s house in Vietnam.
(2:49)
SEMINARS
Climate Resilience - Amphibious Housing for Vulnerable Communities.
Dr. Elizabeth English shares her research in Vietnam as part of an online film screening and expert panel discussion on Climate Resilience and Amphibious Habitats. This video contains the parts of that seminar relevant to the work done by the Buoyant Foundation Project in Vietnam.
Rotary Peace Fellowship Alumni Association - April 2, 2021 – (55:29)
Buoyant Foundation Webinar (July 2016)
The following is a video describing amphibious architecture precedents and buoyant foundations and how they can be implemented. It provides a comprehensive overview of the concept, and discusses Elizabeth English’s work in Louisiana on amphibious retrofits.
(27:59)