The Float House designed by Morphosis

A houseboat that in case of flooding, is able to navigate safely bringing the population. This is the Float House, a prototype of a prefabricated house built last year in New Orleans for the foundation Make It Right established and financed by Brad Pitt. The project is a collaboration between the studio Morphosis led by Thom Mayne and the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA.

Features of the Float House is its ability to respond to the environment, to prevent disasters like New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina.
The house rests on a base 1.2 meters high, and rises only in the event of a serious flood.
The foundations were designed as a sort of frame separated from the shell, the same world in which the chassis of a car is separate from the body. In cases of flood as the water level increases, the base housing moves vertically on the pillars leading up to a height of 3.6 meters, allowing the house to act like a raft.

“The chassis – explains architect Mayne – is a foundation of a float made of polystyrene foam covered with fiberglass reinforced concrete, which contains all the cables, electrical systems and pipes. The frame is delivered pre-installed with these systems and permits a flexible residence above.

The shell allows residents who want to build a house on top of the frame that encloses the mechanical systems and electrical installations.

Built with systems of prefabrication, the Float House can be produced in series with the minimization of work on site, and consequential cost reductions.
The houseboat of Morphosis is also self-sufficient in energy. In emergency situations, is able to generate power and collect water for at least three consecutive days.

“Students at UCLA – Morphosis tell from the study – presented research on various types of housing over the world and study the different strategies adopted constructive, focusing on one single family. This research, combined with our initial studies, have led the Technology and design, and led us to what we believe to be the most appropriate solutions. “