Floating Island Structures to be Built for The Maldives
The lowest country in the world may have found an interesting solution to a rather alarming problem.
The Maldives is an absolutely amazing place, consisting of 26 atolls (a ring of coral reef) and nearly 1200 small islands. It’s also severely affected by climate change. Some people say the islands are sinking. In fact, they only have approximately 6 feet of natural elevation above sea level. If something isn’t done about climate change now, the entire chain could be completely underwater within a century.
Last year, President Mohamed Nasheed and fellow cabinet members staged an underwater cabinet meeting in an effort to show the world how serious the global warming issue is. Concerned about the possibility of an entire nation being submerged and thousands of people left homeless, President Nasheed is doing everything he can to help his people survive. In 2008, he considered purchasing land in a few different places, including Australia, India and Sri Lanka. This month, however, a new plan came into effect.
Last week, the Maldives government signed an agreement with Dutch Docklands/Dutch Watervalley. The agreement will allow the development of several floating facilities for the Maldives, including a convention center and golf courses. Dutch Docklands is a company well known for their creation of floating structures. Not only do they use methods that reduce impact on underwater life, but it also decreases the chance of any changes happening to coastal areas.
Architect Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio.NL, will be designing the facilities. Right now, the structures are expected to be star-shaped islands that are split into different levels. On top, you’ll find green-roof terraces. However, each floating island will also have hidden indoor spaces, which will include pools and beaches. Also, the good news about this particular project is the floating facilities are only the beginning. The Maldives government also plans to have floating housing units developed by Dutch Docklands in the future, as well.
It certainly will be a shame to see such a beautiful place lost to the sea. Perhaps this is what happened to Atlantis all those years ago. At any rate, these floating homes and islands sure seem like an interesting way to deal with climate change.
By Heidi Marshall
I have been with GreenFudge for about a year now, but I've had a passion for Nature my entire life. When I'm not writing articles, you can find me out hiking, gardening, working on green craft projects, or taking photos for my website. You can check out the site at http://arkisaeo.com
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Tags: climate change, Dutch Docklands, Dutch Watervally, floating facilities, floating houses, floating islands, global warming, The Maldives, Waterstudio.NL
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