why use buoyant how does it work? foundations? it...
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www.buoyantfoundation.org
Why use Buoyant
Foundations?
B uoyant foundations are a cost-
e f fec t iv e , r es ide nt - f r ie ndly
alternative to permanent static elevation
that is especially appropriate for New
Orleans’ traditional neighborhoods.
Homes with buoyant foundations will
remain close to the ground supported on
piers, but will float straight up as high as
necessary to stay above water when
flooding occurs. Buoyant foundations
eliminate the daily inconvenience of
climbing long flights of stairs and retain
the traditional proximity of the front
porch to the street. Successful
amphibious houses in the Netherlands,
in rural Louisiana (where they have
functioned reliably for more than 30
years) and now two new examples in
New Orleans demonstrate the
www.buoyantfoundation.org
Dry in September
Amphibious Fishing Camps in
Pointe Coupee Parish, La
How Does It Work?
Floating in February
It basically works like a floating dock. A
structural frame that holds the flotation
blocks is attached to the underside of an
existing shotgun house. There are four
“vertical guidance” posts not far from the
corners of the house. The tops of the posts
are attached to the structural frame. The
posts telescope out of the ground,
allowing the house to move straight up
and down. Utility lines have either self-
sealing “breakaway” connections or long,
coiled “umbilical” lines. When flooding
occurs, the flotation blocks lift the house,
with the frame transferring the forces
between the house and the blocks. The
vertical guidance posts keep the house
from going anywhere except straight up
and down with the rising and falling of the
This section drawing of a
shotgun house with a
buoyant foundation
installed shows the
buoyancy blocks under
the house and vertical
guidance posts that
telescope out of the
Float When It Floods!
Testing the Buoyant Foundation
prototype at LSU
Amphibious Housing in
the Netherlands
A steel frame attaches
to the underside of the
house and holds the
buoyancy blocks off
the ground. The house
remains supported on
its original piers in non
-flood conditions.
Project Partners
FutureProof, LLC
Innovative Green Solutions
Our School at Blair Grocery
Project Director
Elizabeth C English , PhD
University of Waterloo
create homes that
float in a flood
Advantages:
Elevates house to exactly what is required to stay above water, even if flood surpasses BFE
Less expensive than permanent static elevation
House remains low to the ground, so there are no long flights of stairs
Structure is less susceptible to hurricane wind damage
Alleviates long-term problems of soil subsidence and rising sea level
Retrofitted house looks essentially the same as before
Original traditional architecture is preserved
Neighborhood retains original character
www.buoyantfoundation.org
An alternative approach
to flood protection for
existing homes in
New Orleans &
South Louisiana
Existing Amphibious
Homes in Louisiana
And now in New Orleans too
www.buoyantfoundation.org
The Buoyant
Foundation
Project
Amphibious house in the Lower 9th Ward
Amphibious house in Lakeview
In Pointe Coupee Parish, La
Amphibious fishing camp at Raccourci Old River