Why the Dutch embrace floating homes

Why the Dutch embrace floating homes Koen Olthuis/Waterstudio The ocean-based development of Maldives Floating City is an ambitious plan to relieve pressure on land and provide homes Faced with worsening floods and a shortage of housing, the Netherlands is seeing growing interest in floating homes. Getty Images The Netherlands is a pioneer for water-based developments, as a low-lying country that has had to work alongside the sea for centuries "We now have the tech, the possibility to build on water," says Olthuis, who has designed 300 floating homes, offices, schools and health care centres. Getty Images The Netherlands' floating developments have inspired much larger developments in low-lying countries elsewhere To help protect cities against climate change, in 2006 the Dutch government undertook its "Room for the River" programme, which strategically allows certain areas to flood during periods of heavy rain, a paradigm shift that seeks to embrace, rather than resist, rising water levels. Koen Olthuis/Waterstudio The ocean-based development of Maldives Floating City is an ambitious plan to relieve pressure on land and provide homes Floating homes pose numerous challenges, however.