Growing demand for floating housing estates in the Netherlands

The best way to protect against flooding might be to simply go with the flow. In the Netherlands, where about one third of the country lies below sea level, floating housing estates are becoming one of the key climate adaptation solutions. Will we soon see them in our part of Europe as well?

Amsterdam and Rotterdam as model water cities

The Netherlands’ flood risk stems not only from its geography and the rising sea levels, but also from shrinking floodplains and increasingly frequent heavy rains. For 20 years, the Dutch government has been implementing the Room for the River programme, which involves widening river channels by moving flood embankments further away and expanding floodplains. As a result, more areas are being intentionally flooded, while the amount of buildable land continues to decrease. Floating housing estates make it possible to develop water spaces and help reduce the severe housing shortage.

In Amsterdam, the Schoonschip complex was completed in 2020, consisting of 30 residential buildings built on a canal in the post-industrial Buiksloterham district. All the buildings are equipped with solar panels and heat pumps, featuring floating gardens and green roofs. Schoonschip, however, is more than just a neighbourhood – it is an ecological community that shares bicycles, cars, and even purchased food.

In Rotterdam, a city that has been testing water-based construction for years, more floating developments are underway. In the port area, offices and public buildings have already been built, along with a floating dairy farm. In the Nassauhaven district, 18 modular floating homes called harbor lofts have been anchored along the quay, rising and falling with the water level. The city is announcing further projects, treating them as part of a long-term strategy for adapting to rising sea levels.

Houses on water – simple idea, advanced technology

Dutch floating houses are usually three-storey cubes containing one or two residential units. They are built along the shore and anchored using steel poles. Instead of fixed foundations, they have a submerged hull that rises and falls with the water level.

The devil, however, is in the details. Floating estates require special waterproof connections to water and power networks, as well as materials that can absorb the movement caused by waves and tides. Full stability is hard to achieve, and Schoonschip residents admit that during strong storms, even walking up the stairs can be a challenge.

Architects agree, however, that despite the costs and technical difficulties, floating housing estates are the future of coastal cities. In the face of increasingly frequent and intense storms, water-based infrastructure may become a life-saving solution and a way to prevent huge financial losses.

Floating housing estates on the Baltic Sea?

Dutch technologies are attracting interest all over the world. Local engineers are taking part in the development of ambitious floating housing projects in the Maldives and French Polynesia, where rising sea levels are a growing threat.

The potential of water-based construction has also been recognised around the Baltic Sea. In the German town of Olpenitz, located at the mouth of the Schlei River, a holiday village with floating rental homes has been created. Yet the true revolution is expected to come with the development of Green Float Tallinn – a floating island planned along the underwater railway tunnel between Helsinki and Tallinn. The project, developed by the Dutch company Blue21, is designed to accommodate 50,000 residents and provide educational and entertainment facilities. The entire concept is based on energy independence, a closed water cycle, and the zero-waste philosophy – all waste is to be reused or recycled.