It's becoming increasingly apparent that we're not going
to be able to avoid climate change and its potentially catastrophic
effects, such as rising sea levels, more violent storms and droughts. So
across the world, people are trying to rebuild to be more resilient in
the face of what's to come. Here are some of the most ingenious designs
for climate-proofing.
After Hurricane Sandy battered New York City and surrounding communities in 2012, the U.S. government launched the Rebuild By Design competition to help make the region more resilient. One winning proposal, the BIG U plan, would build an elevated berm around 10 miles of low-lying lower Manhattan that would not only block floodwaters, but serve as a green space recreation area.
After Hurricane Sandy battered New York City and surrounding communities in 2012, the U.S. government launched the Rebuild By Design competition to help make the region more resilient. One winning proposal, the BIG U plan, would build an elevated berm around 10 miles of low-lying lower Manhattan that would not only block floodwaters, but serve as a green space recreation area.
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Climate change could also alter precipitation patterns and
result in potentially ruinous droughts as well. One possible solution:
Condensation towers, such as this one envisioned by then-University of
Kansas architect and computer scientist Fritz Helbert in 2012, could
capture moisture from the atmosphere.
Fritz Helbert
In other places, climate change already is causing
increased rainfall. The Velopark, part of London's Olympic complex, has a
roof that's designed to harvest rainwater for purification and reuse as
drinking water.
EG Focus, via Wikimedia Commons CC by 2.0
The low-lying Netherlands already has a lot of experience
dealing with flooding. The city of Rotterdam is building floating,
bubble-domed structures that would be impervious to storms and rise with
the floodwaters.
William Veerbeek via Flickr, CC-by-NC SA 2.0
Singapore's Garden by the Bay has "super trees" --
vertical gardens that collect solar energy, harvest rainwater and work
as a natural cooling system as the planet's temperature rises.
Shiny Things via Wikimedia Commons CC by 2.0
In Thailand, architecture firm Site-Specific Co Ltd.
designed this "amphibious house" for Thailand's National Housing
Authority, which has steel steel pontoons filled with Styrofoam in the
foundation. The design would enable houses and apartment buildings to
rise up to 6 feet off the ground during flooding.
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