Gallery: INHABITAT INTERVIEW: Water Ar...
Inhabitat: A lot of your projects have amazing, provocative renderings. How have digital 3D modeling tools helped you explore and shape your ideas, especially as it comes to building on water?
Architect Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio.nl has been fascinating the Inhabitat editors for years with his innovative floating buildings and aqua-tecture. Far from being confined by convention — or by the boundaries of dry land — Olthuis has made a name for himself as an architect who pushes the boundaries of possibility when it comes to the built environment. With a studio focused on designing floating buildings for a future water world, Waterstudio.nl has designed everything from floating apartment complexes in the Netherlands to a floating mosque in the UAE to even an entire floating community of islands for the Maldives. While we’ve spoken in depth with Koen before about flood-resistant architecture, floating buildings and what he calls ‘sustainaquality’ — in the light of the latest tragedies that have hit Japan, we have to ask: how and relevant and sound is water architecture for today’s concerns? Read our exclusive interview where Olthuis explains the sustainability of building on water, as well as how he uses 3D modeling technology to help both clients and skeptics visualize how building on water could change the world.
Aerial view of the Netherlands by Jill Fehrenbacher for Inhabitat
Inhabitat: You’ve made quite a name for yourself as a designer of floating buildings. What attracts you to floating architecture? What got you started in this space?
Koen: I grew up in the Netherlands, half of which is situated below sea level. Thirty percent of its surface is covered with lakes, rivers and canals. What got me started was my refusal to believe that water is a border for urban components – I wanted to go beyond the waterfront. But what attracts me the most about floating architecture is the enormous flexibility water offers us, and the virtually unexplored limitless possibilities water brings to metropolises worldwide. Planning for urban change using water will help us cope with the yet unforeseen effects of climate change and urbanization.
Inhabitat: What is your favorite floating building project that you’ve worked on and why?
Koen:I would say the floating harbor for Dubai. This project ticks all the boxes in terms of what’s important in communicating the potential of floating developments, helping to make them a reality worldwide:
- The size. Shaped as a triangle with three sides of some 700 meters each, the buildings dimensions are huge.
- Change of perception. It’s one of those buildings that makes you realize how solutions can sometimes be found by thinking differently. A harbor itself can be floating too.
- A different kind of architecture. On the water there is more space, so we can project buildings that do not have to fit within the urban limitations of size and structure.
- The sustainable possibilities. The building shows how building on the water can take advantage of new technologies in creating sustainable projects. This building for example will use water cooling and generate its own energy by means of solar cells.
- Technical innovation. The building will also function as a breakwater for the inner harbor which is used for the smaller transit boats. The structure itself thus provides protection for wind and waves.
- Showcase of proven technology. The building uses a combination of existing offshore technologies like huge oil tankers, oil rigs, ocean liners, and so on; each of these elements show us how solutions can be found if we look beyond the confines of our own architectural profession.
15 Responses to “INHABITAT INTERVIEW: Water Architect Koen Olthuis on Floating Buildings & Hydro-Cities”
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Venice could probably use some of these!
absolutely gorgeous!!!
I want live on a floating city!
I’m excited to see more floating projects come to fruition.
Really great interview. I was especially interested in what he had to say regarding tsunamis and building on the water.
Very interesting. I’m glad that people aren’t just building floating cities without considering the safety issues.
How do the fish feel about this?
As a Piscean, this is a dream come true.
Its very interesting how floating infrastructure can be protected from natural disasters- earthquakes and floods are pretty tough to design for when they are as large as what we have seen in the last couple years.
Absolutely fabulous ideas, some of the buildings are spectacular, with such a peaceful surroundings and energy.
Great concepts considering the speed at which our earth is changing, these ideas could save lives one day. Magnificent work, don’t stop!
Great work of this Dutch Water Architect. Here’s another great Dutch concept: Video Floating City in Rotterdam, The Netherlands http://bit.ly/ihM2fS
How is waste disposal handled?
I can appreciate your great work waterstudio since we are involved in visualizing and bringing floating city concepts like NOAH ( New Orleans Arcology Habitat) and Harvest City to virtual live. Nice job waterstudio, would love to visualize one of your projects as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srwFzw82o6w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Flnbn53dY
i am quite young, it may happen in my lifetime. Then we will be more near to nature.