flood of ideas

3rd Year Landscape Architects at QUT will this semester explore ideas for celebrating the tidal and hydraulic characteristics of the Brisbane River near QUT Gardens Point. Highly speculative ideas will be generated during our exploration of how QUT, Parliament House and North Bank might become reacquainted with the River – an historic relationship that was separated by the Riverside expressway.

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.

This design allows for jetties and pontoons to be raised out of the water during flood conditions. A crane-like winch housing forms landfall end of jetty. Jetty connection with pontoon is a pivot. During flood conditions jetty/pontoon can be winched out of the water - like a cranes boom. Pivot connection allows pontoon to swing freely as lifted - like a ferris wheel carriage. Advantages of

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

The Handful of Treasures concept aims to defend Brisbane’s man-made treasures contained within the Cultural precinct while enhancing the natural treasures of Kurilpa Point and surrounds by allowing flood waters to enter the land thereby gradually increasing the resilience of the area.The design embraces the processes of natural geological deposition and erosion of the Kurilpa Point river bend ar

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

The Queensland university could easily be levied against flooding from the Eleanor Schonell bridge (ABT) to just below the athletics stadium.

Against the backdrop of the urban Brisbane City skyline and the iconic Story Bridge lies the historic Howard Smith Wharves parkland. This significant site within Brisbane was inundated by the recent January floods, showing the public that there needs to be something done to improve the resilience of the ‘fluid terrain’ (Mathur and Da Cunha, 2006), the space that cannot clearly be defined as ei

City Connection will provide the people of Brisbane with a flood proof Promenade that will increase the connectivity between Brisbane and its River. The design also increases the Height of the Prominent River Wall that separates the Brisbane River from the land on the East Side of Kangaroo Point (East Point). This will not only prevent future flood waters from spilling in to the Riverside homes an

As part Colonel Pennycuik’s report for the Queensland Government in 1899, he references an idea that he received in the form of a letter by Mr R. M. Stuart. Stuart’s idea was to create a diversion canal from the ‘left bank’ of the river (north bank) near the old cemetery (assumed to be the original North Quay cemetery) and rejoining it near the mouth of Breakfast Creek, thus relieving t

Build outside the flood plain Give the land back to the river Build and design houses to allow for basement flooding Position services on high ground

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

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

The Brisbane River is an ever evolving entity and should be treated as such. This site is a hub of culture, history and human activity among many other things and any minor disturbance can have drastic effects. This proposal aims to not only improve resilience but the connectivity, coherence and use of the site as well engaging the public with the river which shall promote appreciation and respect

Its pretty simple - dont build in flood prone areas in the first place. If you do/have/too late then think seriously about raising the floor height above the flood limit. This was done a lot in Brizzy after 74, and has been done in my rural, river-focused, flood-prone shire. Theres not much anyone can do about flash flooding in areas that dont normally flood, like Grantham, but Council/State could

More and bigger storm water drains

You could have deep deep wells around the city and very big walls around the city too. And you could have a force field for the roof just if it floods inside. And you could also have an undergraound city so if all fails you could live underground and wait until the floods finish then when the floods wash away you can go back up .

To flood proof Queensland, we need to have some very deep dams around our houses. At the bottom of the dam is a plug. If the dam starts filling up too much, we can turn the tap. This opens the plug at the bottom of the dam and lets some of the water out. The water that is let out goes through pipes to the sea.

1. All future housing (living areas) near river subject to flooding to be above the flood line and change height regulation. 2. Place non-return valves in storm water drains going into the river at flood prone areas. 3. Institute a general state flood-insurance scheme.

Plant solid trees on the side of the house or property that would be expected to be hit first by any flood. This would serve to stop floating debris from hitting the main property. Design and image by Daniel Smith.

Our underground body corp basement flooded to 30cm depth. So did all the other basement carparks in our area. This flood came up through sewer and storm water over pressure caps and the building sumps didnt work because the power was out

The URBAN WETLAND is designed as a post flood mitigation device to reduce sediment loads on Moreton Bay and lower catchment areas. This will be achieved through the integration of urban detention and bio-retention basins along the length of the Brisbane River. In recent flood events fluvial discharge of sediments and pollutants were deposited on land only to be subsequently washed back into the Br

Put houses on hills and wear life jackets to keep you safe.

Stop damming waterways change building regulations/approvals

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

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

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.

After the 1974 flood some engineers proposed that a rock wall be built in the upstream side of the Brisbane River where Oxley Creek enters the Brisbane River. Because of the direction that Oxley Creek enters the Brisbane River , unlike Breakfast Creek or Norman Creek , when the Brisbane River floods the water flows into Oxley Creek and not only fills it up but stops the flood waters from the Oxle

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

TIDAL-SCAPE is a concept for the area spanning Merivale Street Bridge to QPAC. Imagine walking through a tidal ecosystem designed, seeded and formed by nature. The system would be both shaped by and reliant on the tide and flooding as a part of its functioning and would serve as a valuable educational resource for both professionals and the public. Through the TIDAL-SCAPE concept nature claims

Floating City

My idea is the Flood Water Sucker 3000. It can suck up flood water and turn it into fresh drinking water. It has a filter in the machine that makes the water fresh. The water gets sucked up through the pipe into a container. There is a hole in the container and the water falls down into the bucket after going through the filter, and there are cups on the side of the bucket. You can wind up th

A better warning system for city - e.g. warn of possible flooding. More sand baggers. Better mapping of flood prone areas.

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

Through community art installations in our communities and suburbs we can all help to inform each other and new residents to the area of the impact of floods. What is your idea for a community art project?

Storms and floods habitually cut electricity services. In a regionalised State, many communities rely upon power generated a great distance away often transmitted by a single strand of cables. This is wasteful and could be avoided. Setting up regional communities with distributed and community generation capacities, removes the waste and the vulnerability of regions to power blackouts during flood

A landscape planning approach to flooding in an approaching era of climate change and resource depletion.... T.O.Ds: Transit Oriented Development. G.O.Ds: Green space Oriented Development. Small urban centres based around community green spaces for recreation and productive land use. This land use could include parks and gardens, community gardens for niche food production, food education a

This is my DIMONDILIA SEMI DOME. If a flood ever occurs the flood will hit the very hard glass bowl and not come in and trash the whole of Brisbane. This is effective and the people of Brisbane do not need to feel like they have spent their whole lives in a gigantic glass dome. It is called SEMI DOME because it is a dome with no top so people can breathe and have that lovely air. This may have a d

This is a site that evolves and adapts to the changing patterns and flows of the Brisbane River delta system. Islands of rock and silt evolve as material, over time, is deposited and eroded. The architecture on the site exists within this process of territorial construction and decay; the buildings standing on concrete piers like wading birds in a muddy lagoon. Periodic flooding may move, or even

Need better warning systems Employ competent dam engineers

Dredge Wivenhoe to maintain maximum capacity

Move all land fill and land reclamation from our flood plains. Land filled by reclamation, dumps, storing of soils, rubble and recycled materials etc, in flood plains, increases future flood levels. It increases flood frequency, speeds up water flow and floods areas previously unaffected. While recycling is a way to a greener future, filling our flood plains is not environmentally sustainable.

To flood-proof our houses we could build boat bottoms on all our houses so that if it floods, the houses will just float.

Ministerial Responsibility

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

Systems of Cities aims to harness ecology ‘corridor and network’ principles, sustainability and begin to view cities as precincts, showing that living ‘with,’ not ‘on’ an ecological system is resilient and sustainable. By increasing the systems density, linkages and connections points the system increases in resilience and is able to function during and after peak shocks. The design

Coordinate flood planning at state level. Stricter building controls. Early warning systems.

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

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

Prompted by the Brisbane Floods 2011, master plan has been designed and developed in response to the event. The scenario that the masterplan is based on is a flooding/hightides as a normalised event. This design piece is a section of the whole masterplan, it is the section of the Southbank beach and the adjacent Brisbane River. Lisa Diedrich’s theory landscape oriented urbanism ‘where the e

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

My idea is simple and cheap. The risk of drowning could be reduced if all people in flood prone areas have ready access to PDF Type 1 life jackets that help to keep their head above water until they can save themselves or be rescued.

A CONTEMPLATIVE INHABITATION OF THE FLUID TERRAIN Two components of the proposal: (1) A walkable landscape A walkable landscape connecting people to the greater system; its functions, services and sensitivity. An increased walkable circulation between the Central Business District, Milton, Pertrie Terrace, Caxton Street, Roma Street Parklands, Spring Hill, Gardens Point, Woolloongabba, South Br

Rivers flood and urban rivers behave differently to natural waterways. One of the most significant flood causes in most river systems is the reduction in channel capacity caused by development and management. This slows down the release of urban water, exaccerbating the impact of the rural catchment. The Brisbane River recently flooded upstream to at least AHD 7.5 but in Newstead it was AHD 2.5 (a

Steps that float

Make room for the river - Progressively redesign our urban form to.... MRFTR

During the devastating 2011 Brisbane flood, many watched their homes slowly disappear under the rising floodwaters, unable to do anything. This postcard looks at the idea of the “IKEA” house where occupants are able to dismantle all or part of their home into easily transportable components. In areas prone to flooding, we could look towards more temporary, transportable buildings that can be r

Life is more valuable than any other valuable item. Remember that the idea is to be resilient, have an action plan, learn more about your area, find a safe place that you can go as close to home as possible. Educate yourself about First Aid, Learn to swim, discuss your ideas about emergencies with family and friends.Youll feel a lot more comfortable when you are informed.PS. Always wear clean undi

To flood-proof Queensland… we need to use boxes, paper, plastic buckets and put these in our environment. These things can be used to soak up water or hold water. And if you have $900 you can buy more of these things to stop it flooding.

What is it? The Help Seeker is a boat that helps people in flood waters. It is operated by a well-trained person. It has rescue, clean up and high technology features. What does it do? The Help Seeker rescues people in the flood waters. To help it find people it uses a radar. It has amphibious features such as the slow moving wheels that enables it to take people to dry land. Screen techno

Tackle Climate Change Now.

For my concept the City Cat Terminals will be used as a way for Brisbane to create a connection with its river. They will be used to create better flows, improve connectivity and to remove the hard edge and create more awareness of the ‘Fluid Terrain.’ BUT DOES THIS CREATE RESILIENCE? Having more of a connection with the adjoining landscape and surrounding space will minimise the exposure of t

Berm structure in river to slow the flows.

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

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.

Better information available as to the best way to use sand-bagging and where areas of danger are e.g. city blocks with underground generators etc with possibility of electrocution.

Houses on buoyant platforms that are anchored to weights.

A small plant, repeated many times, can help prevent our soils collapsing.

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

Better planning and development controls - legally enforced Dont permit development on flood plains.

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

We can flood proof Brisbane by using a machine that has two buttons. One for sending the water to Wivenhoe Dam and one for sending to taps in houses . So when the rain falls out of the sky that amount of water goes into Wivenhoe Dam and the tap water for the houses.

Floating vegetable produce gardens attached to the river/creek banks (the idea comes from indigenous tribes-people in the Amazon basin)

The ‘Floatable House’, designed by Matrix Design & Planning, is a conceptual proposal combining the house with a floating system. The floating system comprises three key components. 1.Movable Footing Due to the renovated structure of reverse trapezium shape struts sleeving concrete ‘mortar’, the building is sitting on the foundation rather than fixed on it. The design increases

My idea is to measure the water around flooded houses every day. It is a water sucker and a measure stick. The stick measures the water going up and down and if the stick goes under water the water sucker starts to work. It sucks up the water and some rubbish, but not a lot of rubbish. There is a camera that sees rubbish in the water and a rubbish pickerupper can get it. The water sucker puts

Constantly moving and changing, rising and falling, the Brisbane River is hugely integral to the layout and design of Brisbane City. It is important that we respect the changing tides and river heights within our city on all riverside and flood prone areas. As a defining piece of central Brisbane, South Bank must be treated in this fashion and must be developed in such a way which it can co-exist

We need advice after a flood. What should be thrown out and what can be saved? People threw out clothes, sheets, curtains, ect which could be washed and reused. Could electric goods bee dried out and reused? They were in 1974. The courier mail and TV stations could disseminate this information.

Dont build on flood plains - it is not complicated.

Be Prepared. Nothing will stop the flooding but being educated on the best response will reduce the impact. - Have the manual mobile charger idea - Store precious possessions in water tight containers - Have torches/batteries/water on stand by

All flood prone areas to be re-instated as urban green space.

Brisbane City Council said almost one years worth of landfill was picked up during last months clean-up - 291,000 tonnes of rubbish... It would seem that many people were unprepared for the flooding in their neighbourhood or were unable to remove their property in time. The Flood Response Tower is an multi-layered and multi-functional structure, which will better equip neighbourhoods and reside

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

Milton, Rosalie and Auchenflower were three of the most photographed suburbs that went under in the Brisbane flood. Floodwaters that inundated the shops, school and hundreds of residences, came up from the river along the floodpath of the former Western Creek. This much abused watercourse connects to the Brisbane River through a small culvert under the John Oxley Centre, beside the ill-fated Drif

1. The River Hydraulic interlocking panels along the rivers edge provide a footpath/bikeway for everyday use but these panels can be hydraulically raised during floods to provide a temporary levee to protect against flooding. This concept could also be used to create channels to redirect excess water to minimise flood damage 2. The HomeSame principle; interlocking hydraulic panels that form a

New Farm is situated on a peninsula that is formed by the Brisbane River. Extensive damage occurred in New Farm during the January 2011 Floods and was mostly caused by the Stormwater Drain System. The flooding created an inland water body that offered low resistance. The neighbourhood suffers from flash flooding on a regularly basis after heavy rains. Raised dwellings will increase the resil

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

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.

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

This intervention in the landscape retains and cleans water in storm events, slowing the flow temporarily through Sandy Creek on its journey to the Brisbane River. Its about a measured detention, clean and release and this process is made visible to the local community in Tarragindi within an existing park. Strategies include water sensitive urban design and other infrastructure thats supports

Have a warning system that where all residents connected to the water grid (outside river areas), are alerted, and asked to turn on all of their hoses into their gardens (calculate the water drain of one hose and refund that ammount on water bills).

In exploring the recommendation of a ‘regulating reservoir’ at the junction of the Stanley and Brisbane rivers, Colonel John Pennycuick presented two ideas for important issues that would arise from the construction of this dam. The first idea addressed who would control the reservoir. He believed that: “…the absolute control of the regulation be placed in the hands of an individual

This page is a follow-up to my original idea submitted last month. The detail in this expands on the concept of embracing a fluid terrain for the Kurilpa Point to QPAC river frontage and also addresses the issue of stormwater flooding in the low lying streets behind. In this summary of a larger proposal, the dynamics of mound formation, planting and appearance are explored in greater detail. Some

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

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

Accept that sometimes life is cruel, random and hard. What went wrong was it simply rained too much.

Having some sort of structure in place that springs up or is quick to install to stop the flood from reaching areas of worst hit/prone. Having this in place along the side of the river that is lower...i.e. Southbank...when prior warning is given then that flood gate is mechanically activated and they spring up...I think for sounding this should be double enforced so that the 1st gate once up will

To flood proof Queensland we need to put lots more drains into the ground of the cities and towns. The water that goes onto the ground in the cities will then go into these drains and be taken away to rivers and dams and so on.

People living in a fish bowl

After 1893, after 1974, and again after 2011, the community was astounded that flood waters reached the levels they did. There were widespread misconceptions that a dam could floodproof a city, and many thought a 1 in 100 year flood was exactly that. Is there an easy way to retain awareness in the community about floods when we need it most: in the dry years before a big flood, not the months i

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

Brisbane River is the major element which has shaped Brisbane city. All the residential blocks, including houses and units with the river view, have always been the most desirable living places in this beautiful city. But the recent flooding in Brisbane has affected these residential areas and at the moment the main concern for buying a house in Brisbane is the flood level. Here is an idea for de

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

Put the city on stilts.

To stop Queensland from flooding… we need to put more holes in the ground. These holes lead to pipes which carry the water away.

Build an ark that will hold 2 of every animal until the great flood subsides.

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,

A barrier should be built around creeks ans rivers to prevent flooding. A pipe vgoes to Africa to stop them having droughts or converts to ocean. Scanners would be used to see if there are leaks or breaks.

Manage flood plains for floods not against them.

To flood proof Queensland we could build a mote around the important cities, buildings and houses. This will stop the water getting in because the motes will be really deep. There will also be pipes at the bottom of the motes to take the water to other places.

A mark to remind us all.. Local street art on power poles that indicates flood levels would remind the community of the flood risk in an easily understood manner.

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

If everyone in Brisbane went down to the river and took a bucket of water they would lower the river and stop a flood. (ALSO, DRINK MORE WATER)

1. We should focus on retrofitting. 2. We need to better plan for stormwater not just the river.

Statewide flood modelling will assist with land use planning in Queensland. All new land developments must be required to demonstrate how they will achieve necessary freeboard for major flood events. A state planning framework for better urban water management would be useful. This would provide a mechanism for ensuring all new developments are outside of the floodway and that development on flood

Re-establish the chain of ponds

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

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

Water management needs to involve liaison between bureau of meteorology and dam managers directly. We had an unnecessary flood because parliamentarians decided we needed to maintain the dams at 100% capacity if at all possible. Result: over 20 deaths, untold misery through insurance backpeddling and losses of livelihoods, homes and dreams. It was well known that the summer would be a wet one. Ca

Proposed is an idea which can be easily and quickly integrated into a site affected by natural disaster. The pods consist of a hexagonal sturdy base with soft non slip foam on top, three interchangeable hexagonal core pieces sitting on a generator and a hexagonal umbrella top. The material for the core is plaspanel plastic and the material for the roof is solar infused tyvek (both clean easily,

Rural swimming programmes to increase water/flood safety awareness in these sometimes very dry/sometimes very wet areas.

As each new development is designed, design in mind with electricity and major infrastructure i.e.- plant rooms for buildings on middle or top floors instead of underground car parks and schools and hospitals on hills or higher ground. (flood markers on houses)

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

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.

Move to NSW NSW is awesome

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

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.

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

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

To flood proof Queensland… we need to build more rivers around buildings. These rivers will be built so that the water flows away from our important places.

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

It cant be done in short period. We have to think to solve the long term climatic hazard. For a developed country like Aus, we need to think and act on CO2 emission mitigation and work on adaptation science. Hope this kind of disaster will not happen to Queensland in future.

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

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

Really, this is for the Toowoomba and Lockyer valley area: Construction of an emergency mechanism stretching across that creek in Toowoomba at several different points along it – like big fibreglass balloons attached to cables stretched across the creek and as the water level rises to a dangerous level, an emergency siren is activated to alert people to the rising water level. If the source o

This concept works with the existing site to create one system of resilience and physical environment. Currently, we have two environments, one built, one natural, when a flood occurs these environments are merged into one without time for adaption and preparation. Creating a permanent physical environment aims to merge built and natural environments but at the same time ensure two environments ar

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.

F=Flood=Flexible Fixed+Flood=Failure

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

Image www.greenchange.com

Nature in its simplest form uses the sun to create a cycle. When rain falls on an undeveloped site, it is softened by the trees, some is absorbed by leaves and then the rain falls on the undergrowth where the flow of water is slowed by the plants. Water uses the plant to infiltrate into the earth with a small percentage running off to creeks then rivers. The plant then transpires water back into

We can’t flood proof Queensland because we have no control over the rain, where it goes or how heavily it falls. So what we need to try and do is stop the damage flood water causes. To do this, I think we should build our houses and buildings so that the base is made in the same way to a boat. This would mean that if it flooded again, the houses would simply float and not get damaged.

“The Urban Jungle” Go Between Bridge through to Goodwill Bridge The riverside boardwalk has been extended from William Jolly bridge to the Go Between bridge (montage A-A) . Large-scale man made berms are placed in key areas along the journey (montage B-B). As the journey progresses the Berms begin to evolve, becoming more interactive. Towards the end of the journey the occupier begins walk

This idea aims to increase the resilience of various types of infrastructure while accepting the fact that the flooding of the vulnerable terrain of Brisbane is to be a frequent event. The required transformation of these vulnerable areas, in order to achieve this aim, will be possible due to the gradual (over a 100 year period) abandonment by current residential and commercial uses following incr

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

While there was a great sense of community after the flood and many volunteers emerged to help those affected, Ive been asked to flag that some of those impacted werent necessarily happy about how the situation was handled. Im told that in many cases, too much was thrown out that need not have been discarded and that apparently sometimes volunteers didnt respect the homeowners desire to be the one

Simply people need to have a plan - and not be complacent. Build canals to drain flood water to sea.

Reclaim low lying properties in Yeronga to establish a city farm on the south-side of the city. (see Northey St. after 74)

Move the whole city 25 miles north away from the flood plain.

Construct a leveled levy system to control flooding.

Stop building on flood plains - rehabilitate natural wetlands Stop destroying mangrove areas and building where the water courses are meant to be.

The 2011 January floods have passed and our city may have been lucky in avoiding severe damage. With the future floods being predicted to be twice as devastating, are we confident that our landscapes will guard us from the next big flood? The New Farm Heart project focuses on the area of New Farm and what steps can be taken in order to make the area resilient to floods. This proposal aims to ma

Four areas of Brisbane, near the airport, had vacuum sewer reticulation areas rather than traditional gravity sewers. Stormwater could not enter the system, and clients in these areas could still operate and no overflows of sewage could occur. Many flood prone areas around the world use these systems. Contamination from raw sewerage is a big problem in a flood.

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.

To flood proof Brisbane I have created Banana Shoes! Everyone will walk around with bananas on their feet and when it feels water up to 30cm high, it blows up into a big Boat! SO you will be cruising in a banana that is a boat. No socks needed!

This Strategy is considering the next 100 years and aims to: -Accept the condition of the fluid terrain rationale by lowering resistance to it. -Increase the resilience of the different layers of infrastructure. -Explore the opportunities that could exist within the fluid terrain and on its periphery. This page is a condensed version of a strategic plan that is being used to generate a mas

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.

Keep houses light weight and be able to be raised when a flood is signaled.

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

Be better prepared for the next one.

In 1896 the Queensland Government Hydraulic Engineer John Baillie Henderson published a report on behalf the Queensland Government’s Water Supply Department with preliminary observations and recommendations following the 1893 Brisbane Flood. One idea he put forward was for two large canals to divert flood water from the Brisbane River to the sea. The first canal was proposed to be located