Amphibious construction presents intriguing possibilities in the quest for low-cost, low-impact responses to the impending intensification of weather events and weather-related natural hazards.  Forward-looking strategies capable of providing adaptability to future flooding levels that are difficult to quantify in advance are especially needed. Suitable new housing types must be developed for populated regions where fluctuating sea levels and heightened storm activity are expected to intensify flooding.  Issues of social and environmental justice must be addressed, particularly when engaging with marginalized populations in underserved communities in international contexts. 

Amphibious foundation systems allow a house to remain close to the ground with the appearance of an ordinary house, but to rise with rising floodwater and float on the surface until the flood recedes, at which time it returns to its exact original position. This strategy has great potential to benefit flood-threatened populations that currently face the difficult choice of leaving their communities or living in fear of the devastation and trauma that severe flooding can impose.

Amphibious retrofits to existing structures function entirely passively, in synchrony with natural cycles of flooding, allowing water to flow where it will rather than attempting to control it.  Since the height to which amphibious structures rise is in response to the depth of the water, they enhance resilience by taking both fluctuating sea levels and land subsidence in stride.  Amphibious retrofitting is a particularly appropriate strategy for communities with strong connection to place and respect for natural ecosystems.  Made practical by their low cost, amphibious retrofits to existing houses can serve as an interim strategy for communities desiring to relocate together as a community, a process that can take many years or even decades to complete; in the meantime, a relatively small investment in amphibiation is sufficient to protect their houses and possessions from flood damage and loss in the intervening years.

The presentation will feature case studies of low-cost amphibious prototypes implemented in Louisiana, Ontario, Vietnam and Bangladesh, and visionary projects designed for other flood-threatened locations around the world.  Also included will be current projects, designed in partnership with Indigenous communities in Manitoba and Louisiana, that are anticipated to commence construction in summer 2026.