Update (11/1/2012): In response to questions surrounding Hurricane Sandy, we are featuring "Amphibious House (Your Loss, Hurricane Irene)." We hope this idea will provide insight into dramatic weather events and the measures that communities must take to adapt to their risks, such as water contamination, flooding, and sea-level rise.
As the east coast picks up after Hurricane Irene, ask yourself this: would you invest in a house that can float only when it needs to? Planet Forward members Jaray Yookong and Chutayaves Sinthuphan, architects at Prefab Laboratory, designed a floating house and Planet Forward's Producer Victoria Riess went to Thailand to get the details. Planet Forward host Frank Sesno, brings you the story for this month's Nightly Business Report segment.
Chuta and Jaray are not alone in their innovation. Brad Pitt's Make it Right Foundation worked with architects to build a similar prototype in New Orleans.
In a Planet Forward interview, Bill Worthen of the American Institute of Architects, predicted that the floating foundation would cost anywhere between 5 and 15 percent of the house. So depending on the cost of the house, an additional several thousand dollars. Do you think it's worth it considering the alternative?