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Bad weather: architects take inspiration from the Netherlands
Recurring floods raise many questions, particularly for town planners and architects. They sometimes take inspiration from the Netherlands, which has long been accustomed to this bad weather.
(France 2)
Recurring floods raise many questions, particularly for town planners and architects. They sometimes take inspiration from the Netherlands, which has long been accustomed to this bad weather.
In Romorantin (Loir-et-Cher), almost all neighborhoods are subject to flooding. And for good reason, the city was built on islands, on the banks of a river. 15 years ago, a neighborhood was entirely designed to cope with flooding. The garden, for example, is an alert zone for residents because it is the lowest level. The buildings are all built on stilts, with gardens below to absorb water. Footbridges provide access to the parking lot and the elevated road.
Floating houses in the Netherlands
The architect’s design proved its worth in 2016, when the river largely overflowed. The homes in the neighborhood all remained dry. Although surrounded by water, residents feel safe. Houses on stilts, like in the Netherlands, where in 1995, 200,000 people had to be evacuated. So, architects built floating houses.
