fig. 177: Initial Residence Assemblage Diagram According to Morphosis, “FLOAT House can rise vertically on [two] guideposts, securely up to 12 feet as water levels rise. . . . [vertical guidance posts] are anchored to the ground by two concrete pile caps each with six 45-foot deep piles.”205 When water levels rise, the house floats straight upward along the guideposts and does not move laterally, away from the site. Thom Mayne, founder of Morphosis Architects claims, “indeed, at first the house was too light and needed a ballast. It had too much buoyancy, so we added a topping slab to the mass of the building, like putting a lead keel on a boat.”206 He goes on to say, “there were a number of code issues to work out with the local building officials, given its nonstandard systems and structure, but it eventually won their approval. Apparently, no insurance underwriter has weighed in on the design but I would think they’d be elated, because during a 212
flood, the homeowner’s biggest investment should stay intact. Ideally, by that time, the homeowner will have closed the carbon-fiber panels over the windows and left town.”207 This project provides an extremely useful built precedent for the BFP. Together with the local community, MIR (a reputable, non-profit organization) and Morphosis (a world-class architecture firm), designed and constructed the first amphibious house to receive an occupancy permit in the United States. It is a helpful precedent in gaining acceptance by FEMA and the NFIP. The advantages of this system should be apparent to government regulatory agencies and the insurance industry.