Professor's amphibious house research showcased at Expo 2020 Dubai
A 蓝莓视频 School of Architecture professor鈥檚 amphibious house research in Vietnam is highlighted听as a Global Best Practice project at 听opening today in the United Arab Emirates.
Elizabeth English鈥檚 will be prominently showcased for the month of October in the world exposition's Opportunity Pavilion focused on addressing听major global challenges.听
Two videos produced by the BBC 鈥� , narrated by English, and 鈥� accompany the 蓝莓视频 exhibit.
English, the founder and director of the , a not-for-profit organization based in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, and Cambridge, Ontario, designs buoyant houses for flood-prone areas throughout the world, including south Louisiana, the Canadian north, Jamaica and Vietnam.
Elizabeth English
The project鈥檚 retrofitted structures float on the surface of rising floodwaters and then come to rest on the ground as the waters dissipate.听The earth-friendly approach works in synchrony with natural flood cycles, rather than trying to control the forces of nature.
English鈥檚 work focuses on retrofitted houses rather than on new structures she feels听should not be built in wetlands or on flood plains.
鈥淲e need to be supporting the communities of people who have been living in the same place for generations and, in some cases, hundreds of years,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey deserve to be able to stay in the place they love if they are able to stay there safely.鈥�
Owned by a rice farmer in Vietnam, this听retrofitted house shown on dry land will float to the surface of rising floodwaters.听
The Buoyant Foundation Project has designed several amphibious houses, built two prototypes and retrofitted four houses owned by rice farmers in Vietnam.
The houses in Vietnam were retrofitted with floatation devices, including bundled gasoline jugs used to displace water.
English鈥檚 amphibious house research is becoming significantly more important with the increase in flooding due to climate change or exacerbated by climate change.听 Much of the flooding can also be attributed to human-made upriver development, she says. 听
The Buoyant Foundation Project has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the New Yorker, and recognized with honours, including first place .
Postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Expo 2020 Dubai runs until March 31, 2022.
More than 190 countries, including Canada, have pavilions at the听world exposition, which has three core themes 鈥� opportunity, sustainability and mobility.
Due to the University of 蓝莓视频鈥檚 current ban on international travel because of the coronavirus, English听is not in Dubai for the opening of her exhibit.听 She hopes to visit it in person whenever the University鈥檚 travel restrictions are lifted.听听听听听听
Elizabeth English explains how amphibious housing can save communities听in a 2019 TEDx Talk.听
