Ever see a house in a flood plain that rises on stilts as the water rises (staying up until things dry up)?

Question

Have heard of floating houses in Holland, and this is not a house-boat. This type of house would go up on the stilts and not come back to the ground until things dry up.

Any architecture students try this?

Answer 1

I've studied them, but I haven't seen a practical application of one outside of Holland. Looking at the cost of an amphibious house like this (as opposed to a floating house like a houseboat) -vs- a raised (I.E on stilts) home leads me to believe that they won't be used often.

Even in a 10yr floodplain, you can often avoid the flooding by building up the land 5-10' or by building a d**e.   Both options are cheaper, quicker, and have more use-cases to support their efficacy.

Anything else generally leads people to build on a less flood-prone piece of property. ;)

From what I am led to understand, even in places that are specifically flood-prone, specifically Holland, there are only 100-200 amphibious structures.  My feeling is that they will only be used in places of historic importance where people want to live in a flood zone.

p.s. I do believe that floating structures will increase in number, however.  Especially on large-scale structures like blocks of flats in places where coastal living is highly desirable or space is at a premium (e.g. Japan).

Answer 2

I've never seen it but I have heard of some