Floating House Makes Debut in New Orleans

New Orleans Hurricane Built through Brad Pitt's Foundation House Capable of Floating atop Floodwaters.

by Associated Press

Published: Wed, October 07, 2009 - 1:17 pm CST Last Updated: Wed, October 07, 2009 - 1:22 pm CST

New Orleans, LA - A house capable of floating atop rising floodwaters made its debut Tuesday in New Orleans alongside more than a dozen other homes built through actor Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation.

Called the FLOAT House, the unique home aims to answer the challenge posed by the Big Easy's flood risk, starkly illustrated by the rising waters of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"I wanted to float it down the Mississippi River to New Orleans," architect Thom Mayne said with a chuckle while in New Orleans for Tuesday's event. Instead, the home was shipped in pieces from Los Angeles, where it had been constructed on UCLA's campus.

The dwelling was designed by Morphosis Architects under the direction of Mayne, a professor at UCLA. Mayne said it's the first of its kind to be permitted in the United States.

It is long and narrow like the traditional New Orleans shotgun home and sits on a raised 4-foot base. It also has a front porch. But the home is contemporary in design, with sharp angles and energy efficient features like solar panels and a roof designed to capture and recycle water.

"You have to build a house for the environment, for the reoccurrence of hurricanes, but it can also be energy efficient," Mayne said.

No one lives there yet, but a family could buy the home and move in as early as next month, said Tom Darden, executive director of Make It Right. The group says it went through the local zoning and permitting channels before erecting the 1,000 square-foot, two-bedroom house on the site.

Residents must qualify through the foundation to be eligible for the floating house or other homes being built by Pitt's group. They must have lived in the Lower 9th Ward before Hurricane Katrina struck the area in August 2005.

Mayne said the Morphosis floating house technology was developed and is in use in the Netherlands, where architects are working to address rising sea levels expected with climate change.

In case of a flood, the base of the house acts as a raft, allowing the home to rise on guide posts up to 12 feet as water levels rise. In the Lower 9th Ward, which saw some of the worst flooding in the city during Katrina, floodwater reached as high as 12 feet.

"It's amazing," Darden said. "Our goal is to be as innovative and eco-friendly as we can be, and the FLOAT House is certainly technology designed for this climate."

The home's base is a high-performance chassis made from polystyrene foam coated in glass fiber-reinforced concrete. It houses the essential equipment to supply power, water and fresh air.

While not intended for occupants to remain inside during a hurricane, the structure is designed to minimize catastrophic damage and preserve the homeowner's investment, Mayne said.

The floating home should also allow residents to return within days of a hurricane or flood, Mayne said.

Mayne's team, which included architects and UCLA graduate students, took about two years to design and build the house. He said he is now shopping for a production company to help mass produce it. Miller said the houses could sell for around $150,000.

Shannon Sharpe Briand, a New Orleans real estate agent with ReMax for more than seven years, said she thinks some buyers would be interested in the floating homes, especially if the going price is $150,000.

"That price is affordable, especially if the homes are move-in ready," she said.

Mayne said he admires Pitt's effort to build stronger, safer and more energy efficient housing in New Orleans. Pitt founded Make It Right in 2007 to help Lower 9th Ward residents who lost their homes during Katrina.

More than a dozen homes have been completed - with families moved in - on the Make It Right site, and another 20 are under construction. Plans call for 50 homes on the site by December and 150 by the end of next year, Darden said.

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carl Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 10:53 am

With the ground sinking pretty rapidly in New Orleans and surrounding area and a lot of the wet lands gone,I don’t see any permanant solution for them unless they start a city like in Water World.
Claycity I went down into one of those Casino Barges a good while back and was astonished at their size.You fill one of those with foam and you’d have an Island that could be moved if necessary.I bet it would take a 12 foot surge to even float it a little.

bayside Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 10:37 am

Well personally I think they should just let 9th ward be reclaimed by nature, it never was a good place to build in the first place. However, if they are bound and determined to have people live there, then floating or raised houses will have to be used. Raised seems like a better option to me, I am curious why they chose floating but maybe there are some benefits I’m unaware of.

rolltide33 Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 8:54 am

The elevation requirements for new construction are based on highest level of water on record. It varies by location. Fish River is, I believe, 12 ft. while HW 1 is 15 ft. The requirement is specific to the location. Sounds to me that Brad Pitt made the choice he did based on what would give his efforts the most exposure.

Jlynnsmom Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 8:44 am

May be a good concept but all of the Ninth Ward occupants were poor so don’t see many being sold as they stated a requirement of purchase is to have been an occupant when Katrina came through…also rising flood waters have very different force if any as compared to levees breaking with immediate saturation and great speed or the actual effects of a dead on hit from a hurricane as they did not see…only flooding that they knew would happen and warned all of them to get out.

BamaBob Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 8:41 am

What would be the elevation, if you are in the bottom of a bowl looking up several feet toward sea level?

In Mobile any new construction has to be about 12-13 feet above sea level. Not sure how they calculate that in a place like New Orleans.

rolltide33 Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 8:36 am

Take the rest of the features and put them in a house that is permanently elevated and then you have a win. The floating idea is a waste of time and resources. Houses don’t need to float if they are permanently elevated.

BamaBob Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 8:30 am

I’m not sure why he went for the float house idea either. Here are some of the other designs they looked at.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/arts/design/03pitt.html

BamaBob Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 8:28 am

There are those that think nature should reclaim the 9th ward as wetlands, so when we mess with nature we never win.

Know nothing about the following web site, but it looks like they have a couple of concept renderings of the float house.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6715457

rolltide33 Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 8:20 am

While this is amazing from a technological standpoint, it seems like a waste of time and energy. Seems like it would be much more cost effective to the consumer to just raise the house on fixed piers. I’m not sure what the advantage is to having a house that can rise with water vs. having a house that is permanently elevated. Personally I would feel much safer in a home that is permanently elevated on fixed peirs because water can rise very fast. Also, will this house handle MOVING water as it rises? What if the rising water is moving at 10 knots? What effect would that have? Even if the house can rise quickly at the same rate as the water, I’m not convinced that it could float on top of a swift moving current.

bayside Says:

Thu, Oct 08, 2009 at 8:04 am

By the way, in reply to comments about the price. Remember, this house has numerous energy efficient features and solar panals. Not to mention no doubt it has special features built in making it possible to float. That’s probably why it’s higher in price. But in the long run, it may end up cheaper because it won’t be flooded out, it will save on energy and if they start to mass produce it costs are likely to go down.

I’d like to see some pictures of the interior.

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