Hurricanes seem to be increasing in frequency and severity lately. The obvious solution is to try and lessen the impact of global warming, but some tinkerers are trying to come up with more out-of-the-box solutions. One such tinkerer believes the damage of hurricanes can be lessened by adapting our homes to them.
Arkup, a startup company in Miami, is developing a floating home designed to withstand a hurricane up to category 4. Essentially a house-shaped yacht, these homes are suspended on four hydraulic legs that keep it 40 feet above sea level. The bottom of the home is also buoyant, allowing them to float if the water level rises. Each home is equipped with four bedrooms and four and a half baths, which would be a pretty nice normal house. In lieu of underground wires and plumbing, the home has solar panels on top that feed to a battery and a purifier for rainwater, which also means zero emissions.
If all this sounds enticing, don’t get too excited, because one of these things will run you about $5,000,000. I guess it’s either pony up for floating super-homes now, or wait til we end up in Waterworld later. I hope Kevin Costner will still be around.
