Flooding is estimated to represent 40% of all natural disasters in the world and is one of the most tangible results of climate change. As the third poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Nicaragua is struggling to adapt. Previous solutions to relocate communities in flood-prone areas failed in Nicaragua because residents have refused to leave their land of origin, leaving people in uninhabitable homes still threatened by flood waters. Working with CO2 Bambu, a Nicaraguan social enterprise that trains and employs local and indigenous workers to build low-cost housing, I helped research, design and prepare funding and grant proposals for the development of an affordable amphibious home prototype and 20-home pilot community. With the urban planner, engineers, CEO, Board Members and international NGOs I developed target milestones, projected the budget and R&D timeline.
Amphibious housing is an innovative and proven housing technology that allows buildings to rest on the ground like a traditional home and float during floods, settling safely back in place as flood waters recede. Our development strategy for affordable amphibious homes will change how we construct in flood plains, having an impact for generations to come while developing a sustainable construction economy for the present.
