Three years ago, just as Kerala had been recovering from an unprecedented flood, two young engineers from the State were busy putting the finishing touches to their years-long project for a ‘climate change future.’
The duo, Nanma Gireesh and Ben K. George, both translational engineers, initially had their focus on the concept of floating houses. But as the research progressed, they realised how important it was for Kerala to adopt a construction method that takes flooding in its stride. Animated by its potential, they carried on with the research and established a construction start-up, which works on houses that are not just resistant but immune to flooding.
Three years since, the duo has unveiled ‘Amphi Nest,’ the country's first working prototype of an amphibious pavilion structure that is ready to bob up and down with the floodwater. The structure, established at Kozha, near Kuravilangadu, was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister P. Prasad on Saturday at a function attended by Kaduthuruthy MLA Mons Joseph.
“These buildings typically use buoyant, air-filled concrete foundations, which offer double the space of conventional homes and thus ensures cost viability,” says Ms.Gireesh.
As water comes in, the house, guided on steel or concrete posts, can rise up to two metres and settles back down to its original placement as the water recedes, she explained.
As to the business potential of the project, Ms.Gireesh said they had already begun receiving inquiries from locations such as Pala, a township on the banks of the Meenachil.
“For the simple reason that Kerala has a historical appetite for waterside living, the method that uses locally available materials has been gradually gaining traction over the years,” she added.
Having worked with global pioneers in the amphibious architecture and engineering fields, including Elizabeth C. English, head of the Buoyant Foundation Project, Canada, these entrepreneurs are now in consultations with agencies in the Netherlands for collaboration.
“Some of them have already accepted our proposals on working with flood resilient buildings for Kerala. Since the conditions at Kuttanad are similar (to an extent) to the Netherlands, we have already discussed the scope of incorporating different ‘aquatectures’ to improve people's livelihood,” said Mr.George.
