“Floating Village” Eyed in San Jose’s Alviso Area Could Ward off Floods, Quakes, Rising Seas – The Mercury News
Cross-section of a building showing pontoons, represented by grey squares, beneath the structure in a depiction of the Arx Pax SAFE Foundation System.
Credit: Daniel Park Architects, Arx Pax.
Article Synopsis – City Planners in San Jose’s Alviso area are looking at constructing a “floating village” that could adapt to rising sea levels and better withstand earthquakes. Arx Pax, the creator of the SAFE Foundation, or Self-Adjusting Floating Environment, uses a system of concrete pontoons that can rise with increasing water levels and shake less during an earthquake as they don’t directly touch soil.
My Comment – While I highly encourage innovation and creative problem solving when thinking ahead as to how best to adapt to sea level rise, it is important to keep in mind that “floating cities” are not a realistic solution for most locations. They are cost prohibitive and cannot be made on a large enough scale to accommodate the large number of people that will be displaced by sea level rise. We must also take into account the logistics of getting utilities to these communities, not to mention all of the coastal infrastructure such as airports, water treatment plants, and military bases that would be difficult or impossible to replace with floating buildings. To read the actual article click here.