Floating Architecture: Hawaii's Response to Sea Level Rise

Abstract

This research document briefly reviews existing knowledge of global warming and climate change, along with the consequences. It examines sea level rise, and briefly discusses the controversy that still lingers, allegedly because of what oil companies have done. It goes through strategies for mitigating sea level rise, with a final focus on floating development, not as a solution, but as one of a number of suggested ways to mitigate the problem of sea level rise. From there the topic moves to the predicted impact of sea level rise on cities, landmarks, and finally Hawai‘i, and how Hawai‘i is dealing with it. A brief summary of what the international community has done so far in an attempt to hold down temperatures is presented, as well as President Obama’s comments about global warming that he made during his final State-of-the-Union Address. Research extends to the Netherlands, where the Dutch are considered world leaders in water management and examines how their water-based architecture is helping them to adjust to sea level rise. Koen Olthuis, a leading Dutch architect, is featured, along with some of his current projects in the Maldives, which, like Hawai‘i, has a tourism-based economy. Following that, examples of future floating development that could be used in Hawai‘i are studied. Including examples of floating residences, floating tourist destinations, and floating support structures for energy, food, and fresh water. Since the writer is doing a design project at Ke‘ehi Lagoon, a historically rich site near the Honolulu International Airport, much discussion is given over to Ke‘ehi Lagoon and conditions in and around the lagoon. Following that a wide range of topics, some practical, and some peripheral, all directly related to the design project itself, were investigated. Practical questions like how the development floats and how are utilities provided, are raised and researched. The name of the project is HydroVillage & Research Farms at Ke`ehi Lagoon and residents work as sea farmers or researchers and live and work on site. HydroVillage is a dynamic community floating around a central hub where residents live, work, and play in meaningful and productive ways.