flood of ideas

Log and stone-filled gabion barriers are built into the river along the existing shoreline. Slowly, over time the deposition of soil will create a new publicly accessible riverbank. Eventually a path could be built connecting Merthyr Rd with Stanley Street. This infrastructure would protect the ferry terminal and shoreline from debris and erosion during flooding. Mangroves naturally establish w

This machine is called a Scraper Sucker. It is a remote controlled vehicle that scrapes up mud from the floor and sucks it into a bag. I thought of this idea because I know it would be horrible to have mud all through the house and it would feel better if it was gone. It runs on batteries so it can go all through the house. It is water proof and it has a propeller also at the back. So if ther

- Clean the rivers out - No development on krown low lying land or the council faces large fines.

Give buildings a watertight mode.Selected doors would be replaced with equivalents that included a one-time-use inflatable watertight seal could be deployed around them using compressed air. To deal with windows and drains each building would keep in storage an insert with a similar function (ie. a one time use plug that was enabled using compressed air).When a flood became inevitable building own

I am constructing a house that I designed to cope with flooding among other things. My main structural concerns were wind, flooding, and soil instability and movement, followed by fire and termite resistance. The lowest level will be sacrificial non structural infill, or left for carparking, landscaping, or large family gatherings. External covering on the next two levels are corrugated steel, gla

Just like the UV and Fire Danger Index, when the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) is above 20, East Coast QLD should be declared as having a high flood danger and people should be warned to prepare.

This is a house surrounded by as floaty (made of indestructible material) that inflates when you hit a button. This floaty goes around the perimeter of the house. When the water comes, instead of the water flooding everything, the house will float on top of the water and save everything in it!! To stop the house floating away, ropes will be attached from the floaty to the ground. It also has a m

On the 12 October 1893, during the Queensland Parliament’s Legislative Assembly Debate, Andrew Lang Petrie, Member for Toombul, asked the Premier if the government intended to offer premiums to engineers and others for the best plans for diverting the flood waters of the Brisbane, Burnett and Mary Rivers in order to prevent repetition of flood disasters and to use the water usefully. Then Pr

Tackle Climate Change Now.

Knock down old low density areas on badly affected floodplains. Replace with self-funding high-rise residential towers scattered on floodplain and accessed by flood proof tunnels. Increase flood conveyance of the floodplain around the scattered residential towers.

Wide flood water canals/concrete channels to take large volumes of water away from city Start channel at Brisbane river near Corinda and go mainly east towards the coast or into another water catchment. Large underground pipes could be used but may clog up; open channels wont get too blocked but will need to go through suburbs so many houses will have to be removed. More bridges will have to be bu

The amount of damaging debris that clogs the Brisbane River during flood times, not only pollutes the waterways (and adjacent properties) but also cloggs up the river with potentially dangerous missiles to the landscape and surrounding infrastructure (bridges, pontoons etc). One of the Brisbane River’s most prominent depositional banks is on the West End bend (Orleigh Park) where it is one of

Designed as a dynamic terrain, the site accepts the periodicflooding of the Brisbane River (and stormwater inundationof the low-lying streets) as a normal situation in the life of ariver city, and oers a site that evolves and shapes itself tothese dynamics. At peak flood level (5.4m in this region),areas such as Kurilpa Point, GOMA (see section below) andState Library riverfront and QPAC river

To flood proof our houses we can change how we build them. We can build our houses using concrete as the base. In this concrete we have a plug. This plug has a sensor and when it feels that water is building up over it, it opens and the water is sucked through. This stops it from flooding.

A fireproof and waterproof container in which valuables are stored. The enclosure would be available in various sizes with varying security (locking, fire rating and water rating) and methods of fitting. Perhaps economics and/or demand would dictate lower cost boxes that are fire-only or water-only suitable. The idea is that in the event of sudden fire or water ingress the box can be shut/locke

Houses built on a metal block

Even if we do flood again, we need clear insurance policies.

Better management of Wivenhoe

I lived across the park from Fairfield Gardens, the lowest house in Sydney Street, Fairfield, Brisbane. I came home early on Jan 11, and my wife and neighbour and I packed and moved as many things as possible. Firstly, upstairs, and then up the hill when I realized that upstairs would not be enough. BUT, I could not get reliable information about what high enough meant. Please consider painting tw

Apply infiltration and retention upstream. Including above Wivenhoe. By slowing the water here we potentially reduce the peak downstream. Such ideas could also reduce pollution including pesticides and fertilizers entering the system.

- Temp. Structures - Floating houses - Stormwater management - Absorbent Material

This concept is unrealistic - The reality is Bne is on a flood-plain. We have to construct houses differently and accept that some houses are out of bounds - except for grazing animals

The location of this design is along the eastern side of Kangaroo Point. The key idea was to create openings along the edge of the river to allow floodwater to flow in and out without getting trapped behind barriers or in the low points of the site (such as the top zoomed in plan). The second part of the design was the creation of green space (grassed parks and forest riparian areas) along the riv

This significant piece of hydraulic infrastructure that would reside close to the existing river system and target low lying suburbs that suffer flood water inundation. The network would relieve the flood water as it occurred by eventual channeling of the water back to the open ocean/bay and effectively bypassing the already flooded river during a flood event.The canal would take the form of both

After the recent Brisbane floods there was an overwhelming response by the public to assist in the clean up. The co-ordination however left many eager volunteers with nowhere to go. If volunteers were allocated a response area prior to the event it would greatly reduce the confusion and allow for quick, efficient action.

Be better prepared for the next one.

When it detects a dickhead trying to drive through flood waters, it knocks them out, chucks on the breaks and sets up a road block.

Establish the B.R.I.S.B.A.N.E. Fund, ie the Brisbane Regional Inundation Savings Bank and Natural Emergency Fund. The Fund would collect $20 per person per year (increasing annually with CPI) from everyone in the Brisbane Region. This would raise $50M in the 1st year increasing to $80M by 2026. The accumulated real value over 25 years allowing for interest on deposits and inflation would be app

Houses on buoyant platforms that are anchored to weights.

Houses are to float on pontoons. If flood gets high enough houses float until flood goes down.

Mark a power pole or have a permanent marker in each street that was flooded, showing the level of the water and the year that it flooded, to make people aware that the street they may be buying or renting in was flooded. This will also inform residents of whether or not they will be eligible for flood insurance prior to buying or renting a property.

The design here is based primarily around ideas of fluid terrain, flood resilience, the tidal nature and natural systems. Tidal influences relate to the reintroduction of the New Farm Creek so that any water levels above the standard high tide level will flood the lower walkway. This creates an outside influence that will affect and interact with users on a regular basis. By doing this it will

If everyone started drinking the water from the river they could recycle the water we wouldnt otherwise use and then the water wouldnt go into the houses and we wouldnt have to change anything.

During flood events the houses become an empty shell. The shell is made of strong, resistant materials to withstand the flood waters. After the water has evaporated the shell can be hosed out and the structure can be cleaned with ease. Design and image by Daniel Smith.

You cant flood proof it just plan development accordingly.

The Hulking Reminder is not intended to prevent flooding or directly protect property from flood damage. Instead a large scuttled ship will act as a dominant visual reminder of the Rivers presence and its history as a maritime transport corridor. The intention is that the ship will help encourage the city to not forget and be less complacent about the destructive behavior of such a large Australia

Having observed how our river edge infrastructure adapted, or otherwise, to the flood surge it is obvious that more adaptive systems are required. Our case in point is the popular floating boardwalk linking New Farm to the City – half of which became the subject of a dramatic tug boat escort beneath the gateway bridges. This proposition explores a way to replace this structure with a walkw

I think volunteer support should be co-ordinated for rehabilitation after the aftermath. By that I mean, when everyone went back to work the volunteer army stopped but I am sure if people knew where to go they would still want to help on their weekends. Say an elderly couple had their entire garden wiped out/covered in mud they would need a lot of work to get their place back up and running.

This landscape concept is based on the understanding that whilst the Brisbane River is a system that can be completely described by ecological rules and mathematical equations, the system is more than capable of producing outcomes that are entirely unpredictable. It is then the focus of this concept to develop conditions within the River System that look at creating new landscape typologies whi

Berm structure in river to slow the flows.

Design a flood free route for an additional two lanes of the Bruce Hwy. In this way the two new lanes will provide for a dual carriageway over the total length of the current two lane sections. This will allow for two lanes each way during normal operation. During major flood events the newly constructed two lanes will allow for flood free movement of traffic but only one lane each way. This propo

The Cutting Edge concept works with the existing site to create one system of resilience and the physical environment. This concept aims to provide guidance, knowledge and methods to all people worldwide by setting an example of living in flood-prone environments. Human interference and aid of support in a flooding crisis will become something of the past. This concept works with widening threshol

Build house boats

Town planning and always remember past history.

I would suggest a network of canals and reservoirs  all across our country. The reservoirs can be away from cities in central Queensland/NSW/NT/WA regions. Our coastal area gets too much rainfall /cyclones etc and central Australia is dry. So whenever too much rainfall is in one area, water can be discharged into canals to take the water to any of the reservoirs and the water can be used later on

An idea outside the box, capturing the imagination of young architects minds and combining it with the Brisbane flood crisis to create a better environment for the victims. This design proposes an idea to preserve the precious belongings of flood victims as well as allow people to navigate effectively during flood times.

TIDAL-SCAPE is an experiment in resilience, a landscape which depends on the Rivers’ tides and occasional flooding to form, evolve and function. TIDAL-SCAPE will be initially formed by; 1.Breaking down physical barriers such as retaining walls. 2.Allocating by public lottery, a 2m x 2m plot of land (to be located by GPS) to families, individuals and community groups. 3.These individuals/gr

NEW.FARM is a hypothetical scheme for Brisbane’s river suburbs that retrofits a response to the landscape into the existing city fabric. It is a rearrangement more than a re-design, building on the opportunities presented by the adaptable ‘Queenslander’ house type. NEW.FARM makes a distinction between ‘flood plain’ and ‘high ground,’ and presents a strategy for each. Dwellings on

Wivenhoe Dam stands as Brisbane’s main defence against flooding. During the 2011 Queensland floods water from the Wivenhoe catchment area spilt into the Brisbane Valley flooding the city and surrounding areas. The water had nowhere else to go. A series of dedicated catchment basins combined with levees could have slowed the flow of water into the city and protected against the rising waters.

Water regeneration, permeable pavements that allow water to enter the groundwater and slowly enter the river system. Concrete pushes water directly into the water ways.

Evacuate to the moon

TIPPING POINT is a concept that celebrates and embraces the dynamic nature of a fluid terrain1. It responds to the landscape as an ephemeral entity that is constantly shifting and evolving through time. It is a system that can absorb disturbances, change and self-organise to cope with flooding. This design embraces the dynamic interplay between the environmental systems of the Brisbane River an

There are many ways to respond after seeing the damage done by the floods in Brisbane’s past. But it’s most important that we don’t choose to do nothing. “Hands Held High” is a phrase intended to encourage people to keep themselves dry for the next flood and to put their hands up to participate with the community in making a more flood-proof Brisbane. ...Ignore There’s nothing wors

Heres a little something I have been working on since January with a couple of friends. Its nearly ready but heres a sneak peek. Share the Link and leave your comments. If you can help out in any way let us know even if its only a few hours volunteer work every week http://tinyurl.com/MRDPCSN

My idea focuses on the river edge between Howard Smith Waves and Sydney Street Ferry Terminal. The current issue with this area is public river access. The floating walkway was a great solution allowing public river views and interaction; unfortunately it was inundated so I used this opportunity to design a new approach. There are two main parts to my design; a tunnel and UV lighting. To achieve p

Education. What to do in a crisis etc.

Our city is built on a floodplain so any idea to flood proof can realistically only ever remain an idea

Canterlever Kitchen and bathrooms to raise items above flood waters.

If building move onto higher ground

Re-establish vegetation in the catchment area so flows are spread instead of peaking as high.

Subsidize low-income housing on high ground. Power pole stripes are a good idea.

Have false flood evacuations twice a year so people get used to it instead of staying in their houses being ridiculous.

Manage flood plains for floods not against them.

Creek and river esplanades provide a wonderful environment for living in fine weather. Housing has long views across water and vegetation and the river or creek-side walking and cycle paths provide good connectivity through the city. In various locations in SEQ, the esplanades offer potential for fishing, swimming, kayaking and boating. The esplanades can also be highly susceptible to riverine

People living in a fish bowl

The independent review of the flood noted that the community became isolated as the mains power went off and their mobile phone batteries ran down and could not be charged. Council has the ideal infrastructure with bus shelters to have solar powered communication nodes on a mesh network. The roof solar panels could charge USB universal charging for commuters during normal times. The mesh network

Stop putting carbon into the atmosphere to limit sea level rise.

I don’t think we can flood proof Queensland because we cant control the rain. I think we can just stop the damage floods cause. So, we need to build our houses on a big block of cement. This will make the houses very strong and high so that the water can’t get into the houses, or wash them away.

The wet marker & weather station is a digital warning and education centre that can be installed as a standalone object or fixed to existing structures such as bus stops, light poles and buildings in key flood risk public spaces. The device is activated and maintained by key government bodies allowing quick data upload from remote locations ensuring the information is up to date and relevant. O

Urban Wells is a concept for capturing flood water once flows break river banks. The result will be a reduction of peak flood levels and therefore a limitation of flood inundation and damage. Future economic savings through limitation of flood damage and its knock on economic effects helps to justify construction costs. Urban Wells are essentially an alternative response to urban infill develop

A point of engagement The Howards Smith Wharves area has been designed to be engaging to the public by providing mixed recreational, functional and educational features. Its key feature is the man made tidal pool located at the east end of the HSW historic site. The site addresses the issue of connectivity through the site with an emphasis on multi user access and acts as a connection node to

The Crown Ecology House was designed over 10 years ago by an innovative Australian Engineer. The house is highly engineered, easy to erect, endorsed by CSRIO and tested to withstand cyclones and earthquakes. This house is ideally suited for flood-prone areas and can be easily erected and constructed. I met the man who designed the house earlier this year and I think it is ideal solution to h

Buildings that float

Picture 1: House on the Ground This image is of a normal house on the bank of the Brisbane River in 100 years time, when anything is possible. If this house had no technological advances then it would almost certainly be inundated with water. Option 1: House with legs This house can easily grow a large pair of legs that can walk it all over the city, to vacant land so the house will be safe dur

Hover Houses are hovering platforms that can change levels according to the height of the flood. It also has waterproof escalators creating a pathway connecting to the ground. This invention raises the houses above the water level to prevent destruction of houses, hotels, shop and any other structures that are not flood proof. Can support any weight or size and can be adapted in any city or climat

Flood Mark is a component of my masterplan for Kangaroo Point. The idea stems from the need to maintain awareness of Brisbane’s flood culture and to build resilience not only into the landscape but also into the urban community. Infrequent flooding, passing time and shifting populations can result in a community that lacks the knowledge and experience required to successfully adapt and respond t

Hydraulic lift pad to lift valuables from ground level. Rail, block, and tackle built into roof to lift items manually.

While devising short and medium term solutions to this problem, there should be a long term plan to phase out as much development as possible from the floodplain. Otherwise we will keep paying the price of living in a floodplain.

It’s your choice….. Whether you live on a river, in the city, in a desert or on the beach. It’s your choice. But you can’t choose what the varying elements of those situations will bring. You can’t choose where the wind will blow, when the water will rise or when it will fall and this is what we have to learn to respond to. We need to learn to live with nature. We need to start chan

All parks should have a knoll that is above accepted flood levels. The knoll should be used to site critical (and expensive) park infrastructure including shelters, playgrounds, clubhouses and amenities. The knoll can be created by selecting a new park with suitable topography and / or using earthworks to create the knoll. For existing parks, new infrastructure should only be funded and constructe

This is basically an image to get people to think about if we have actually seen what the river can do, and should we be preparing for the river to rise or change its course. It is also about what would it mean for Brisbane if the water did rise another couple of meters...

Our idea is tree houses. Everyone would live in their regular houses, but in the event of a flood the people would move into a giant tree planted in their backyard which is quite tall. In the tree, there would be ladders and bridges between branches to get around. The tree house would be just like a normal house and being made from wood with a thatched roof; this house would be relatively environm

Advertise flood prone areas to enhance appeal of suburbs. Where you need to keep houses, use high houses or floating houses

There needs to be more accuracy in Councils flood overlays and more effective links between DERM & councils. At present, I am bandied back and forth between councils and DERM about who wants to provide the appropriate information. Most of the time Im told to check with a local who has lived there for a long time.

One of Brisbane River’s most prominent winding bends is on the West End bend (Orleigh Park). Where the river narrows significantly into a hair-pin bend and only tightens moreso on exit. This sharp and narrow bend in the river potentially lies home to signifacnt water velocity measures, as the river rushes into and out of the West End bend. There is an opportunity to use this significant hair-pi

SKIP-HOUSE is designed to provide temporary accommodation for flood displaced residents. The concept is simple, REDUCE the amount of embodied energy and processing in creating a 1 in 30 year product by RE-USING an existing implementation system, materials and existing community amenities, and RECYCLE the whole lot. SKIP-HOUSE is delivered in a skip bin at the flood alert stage (rather than just

More monitoring and controlling dam water levels prior to times of the year prone to flooding based on previous weather records and cyclical season patterns. Better risk management.

To flood proof Queensland… we need to build houses on the hills. This will protect the important things if it does floods on lower ground. To help stop it flooding though we also need to put holes in the ground which lead to big underground tanks. This will also stop us from running out of water or going back into drought.

Build things on hills.

Accurate flood modelling Making engineers accountable. For the record I am an engineer myself and my house got wiped out in the floods.

They could make the foundation of buildings with more concrete in the basement so the water cant get in. (Also solar power and wind power are good)

The Flood Adaptive Queenslander addresses the issue of flood protection with the question, “Why demolish and rebuild, when you can adapt?”. Our proposal suggests building an extension onto and above existing Queenslanders. Normally this space would provide additional living area for the occupants, but during a flood would provide a higher habitable area which could be used for emergency accomm

Post flood relief worked best in highly organised, connected and skilled communities - as was the case for the highly effective Graceville Community Relief group. Massive post-disaster relief should not rely on ad hoc community responses but instead be able to draw on simple, disaster-specific information that has had prior expert input: emergency services, health experts, disaster relief experts

Dutch house boats on canals are floating on cement pontoons. Japanese floating airport resists ocean waves.

Cover QLD in a globe like in the Simpson movie.

Install hydraulic struts to lift the house from resting level during flood events. Inbuilt winch systems to lift valuable items off ground. Design and image by Daniel Smith.

Knock down all the blocks of units and rebuild Queenslander houses ;-)

Establish a State fund to rehabilitate and protect natural environmental features on floodplains and coasts. Connecting a network of natural coastal features- sand dunes, mangroves, wetlands, beaches to their optimal functions will act as a barrier between the ocean and settlement-right up the coast of Queensland. Fund floodplain rehabilitation to allow floodplains to function and flow naturally,

Some streets become canals. Streets have water when flooded. Green-space when no floods.

Inspired by the original 80s Safety House scheme, the idea of a Powerhouse sticker which would be nationally recognised as a source of power in an emergency situation. Constructed of solar panels and power sockets and attached to a power pole so that once it gets wet the base would float up. It would be placed on the high end of a previously flooded street and be vandal proof. It could also bec

Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley areas but could be applied to Brisbane or Australia-wide: Modify the phone numbering system to include the post-code of the area affected. When emergency messages need to be sent to specific endangered areas then ring the phones to those post-codes or map-reference numbers. Have heard that in South Australia they use map reference points that are noted on fence pos

This design intervention centres around the themes of flow; flow from the water, from the land, from humans, movement through the site both from the land and the water. The design looks at incorporating the themes of flow into the landscape. For example the flow from a flood of rising water, or on a more regular basis the flowing movement of people through the site. The design interventions are

Install a buoyant platform the surrounds the house. During flood events the platform will float exposing a protective membrane which will stop flood water damaging the house. Design and image by Daniel Smith.

The amount of damaging debris that clogs the Brisbane River during flood events, not only pollutes the waterways but also clogs the river with potentially dangerous missiles to the landscape and surrounding infrastructure (bridges, pontoons etc) Orliegh park will be redeveloped as a densely vegetated and largely undulating landscape within the high depositional site which will encourgae deposits

It is proposed that new buildings located on flood-able areas are to be constructed as light weight structures and are able to be lifted to safe elevation levels as water rise beneath them. The building will be placed on telescopic columns, able to withstand hydraulic pressure to displacement.  The foundations will be designed to fit lifting devices on which the structures will rest on above f

Where flood risks are moderate, an alternative to raising habitable floors a full-storey above ground, is to consider the use of split level sections. Where living, bedroom and bathroom levels are only half a storey apart, movement between levels is much simpler and the ease of living in a taller house is improved. This scheme proposes a kitchen and dining level 1.5 metres above ground, with st

1. The idea proposed by Philip Kirsch to put flood lines on power poles. 2. Dont build affordable housing in flood plains

Think big and remake Brisbane into a world class city. Focus on house design, even small clusters of housing, misses the main opportunity for Brisbane to reshape the urban fabric at a grander scale. A suitable template for vast urban renewal is found in the Haussmann reshaping of Paris in the late 1800s. By rebuilding multistorey housing / retail / office space along grand arterial roads (with

We need to rethink - not Dams but flood mitigation schemes. ie. Lockyer Valley - Bremer River which all flow towards Brisbane

Overall the device causes Austrlia to defy gravity and tips all the water out of Australia.All the islands around Australia will have force fields that prevent unwamted mounts of rain setting in and flooding the islands , including Tasmania. THere will be jet turbines the size of 20000 elephants . The jet turbines will flip Australia over and tip all the unwantedwater out into the sea.