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Forget the little Dutch boy who held back the deluge by putting his finger in the dike: architects in the Netherlands are busy designing new houses that float serenely on the flood... You can hear the jokes already: too much hydroponic skunk, a crate or three of Grolsch, and then a sudden architectural epiphany: "Shtop! What are we doing? Let's build the chilled out houses that can go with the flow instead up uptight dikes and defences!" Inevitable, no doubt. But the Dutch architects who have invented new buildings designed to accept rather than resist the rising torrent may well have come up with the perfect housing solution for a globally-warmed world.

Water houses, Amsterdam, IJburg

Water houses, Amsterdam, IJburg

To add to the problem, Holland is one of the most densely populated places in the world, which is why for centuries the Dutch have built on polders - reclaimed land protected by a complex network of dikes, canals and windmill-driven pumps.  Despite all of these, the country has often been overwhelmed by catastrophic flooding. Back in 1953 more than 1,800 people died in a deluge and in 1993 and 1995 severe flooding caused billions worth of damage. These recent inundations could be the shape of things to come: according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change, rainfall in the Netherlands could increase in the coming century by up to 25% and the sea level rise by more than three feet.

Floating Suburbs  Houseboats, I hear you say. Not quite. The water houses designed by architect Art Zaaijer for the building company Ooms Bouwmaatschappij certainly float. But the six two-storey versions constructed as prototypes have staircases and pitched roofs and don't look remotely like a boat. Built on an floating platform made of styrofoam wrapped in a thin shell of concrete, the walls and floors are fashioned from light-weight prefabricated wooden panels and the facade is clad in coated aluminium, making the outer skin maintenance-free.

Canadian floating house

Aqua Villa, - Ooms Bouwmaatschappij

Ooms Bouwmaatschappij's six houses are now a sales centre for the new scheme and the company will eventually provide 500 of the new homes in the development. At €200-500,000 a pop, they don't come cheap. And it's difficult to see where the little Gullits and van Nistelrooys of the future will kick a ball around. But that hasn't stopped 5,000 people joining the waiting list. Maybe it's the fact that they can always move the house elsewhere if they don't like the neighbours. The homes are manoeuvred into place by a tug boat and can be transported in the same way - so a bit of site-swapping seems on the cards.

Art Zaaijer is not the only Dutch architectural practice dreaming up floating houses and cities. An alternative version, designed by Factor Architecten, has been constructed by the developers Dura Vermeeron on a small estate on the banks of the river Maas, south of Arnhem. 

When the river breaks its banks each of the the 37 houses will rise on a pair of 15-foot concrete piles to escape the torrent. As the waters recede the amphibious houses drop back down to earth again. 

The attractive split-level structures, with curved roofs, clapboard exteriors, and flexible open-plan interiors, certainly put a lot of British new-built houses to shame. 

Facing the river and enjoying marvellous views, they're surrounded by ample terraces and jetties where the residents can moor their boats. 

Dr Chris Zevenburgen, of Dura Vermeer, says floating houses are the future for Holland: "Forty per cent of new homes to be built in the next few years will be built in areas prone to flooding. So we have to do something or we will suffer."

He's not alone in thinking this: if you want to see just how seriously the Dutch are taking the idea, check out H2OLLAND, a Royal Institute of Dutch Architects' website showcasing many of the most innovative schemes. 
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Not Waving… Could similar development happen in Great Britain? There's certainly a case to be made. According to the Environment Agency, five million people and 1.9 million British homes are at risk from flooding. And global warming will make the problem worse.  A recent government-backed report looked 80 years into the future and concluded that river and coastal flood risk could increase between two and 20 times, while the risk of flooding from rainfall could increase between three and six times. Like Holland, Britain is densely populated and desperate to build more houses. The Government plans thousands in the Thames Gateway area, much of which is below sea-level. Plans are afoot to upgrade the Thames barrier but the jury is out on whether that will be enough.  In the meantime, John Prescott - and no jokes, please about the Deputy PM's exceptional buoyancy - has been extolling the virtues of Poundbury and the new town of Seaside in Florida. We might yet regret that he didn't take a trip to Amsterdam.

Flood homes, Factor Architecten

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