Water Institute member Elizabeth English, a professor in the Faculty of Engineering, School of Architecture, was featured in the December 16th issue of CBC's What on Earth newsletter, which highlights trends and solutions that are moving us to a more sustainable world.
In the issue “How homes could be retrofitted to float during floods” English explained the aim of the Buoyant Foundation Project, which researches how to make low-income housing "amphibious" with retrofits, reducing the risk posed by flooding.
"The technology itself is actually very simple," said English.
Buoyant floats are installed underneath the main floor of the house. Then, vertical guideposts are added next to the house and attached to it. That way, it will only move up and down and not side to side. During a flood, the house rises with the floodwaters. When the floodwaters recede, it sits back down on the foundation.
Read CBC's What on Earth newsletter here.
