Aquatecture is becoming more and more popular as people look for solutions to how they can live closer to water rather than fighting a constant battle to restrain rivers and tackle flood problems. The field has grown substantially with unique projects springing up all around the world. One of the most notable is the concept for sustainable floating cities in China, featuring underground tunnels to connect buildings with roads and walkways.

The Netherlands is one of the global leaders in the field because a full quarter of the landmass in the country is below sea level. As a response to this, they have developed some of the most exciting policies dedicated to encouraging water-based living, with the idea of people living in colonies of floating houses. The river IJ in Amsterdam is a great example and is home to entire neighbourhoods of aquatic homes. Houseboats are also popular on the canals and rivers further inland.

The Dutch have such an innate understanding of what it takes to live close to the water that experts from the Netherlands have been invited to offer policy advice in a number of other countries. With an increase in flooding over the last few years and the continued high demand for homes in large cities, architects in London and the rest of Britain have become particularly interested in the potential of aquatecture.

The first amphibious house in the UK was completed in 2014 and there have been a number of additional projects since then, including the idea of prefabricated houseboats for rivers. London based Baca Architects even claim that as many as 7,500 affordable prefabricated homes could be built on the rivers and canals in Greater London if planning policies were put in place to support aquatecture.

Water could play a huge part in architectural designs in the near future and more people could find themselves living on rivers in major cities. It will be interesting to see how the field continues to expand and grow and whether more countries embrace the idea.