From early 2025 to December 2025, Vietnam experienced 17 consecutive storms, submerging 22 of its 34 provinces under floodwaters. As natural disasters shift from seasonal events to persistent conditions, the question of how to protect communities without displacing them from their ancestral territories becomes increasingly urgent. In response to this reality, architect Bui The Long, together with CTA | Creative Architects, Nha Xanh, and 5G Construction Solutions, developed the Floating Prefab House as a spatial and infrastructural proposition for living with recurring water.
The project is framed within the logic of seasonally adaptive architecture, where a single structure operates in two states. Under normal conditions, it functions as a modest garden bungalow or weekend retreat, lightly grounded and integrated into its surrounding landscape. When flooding occurs, the same structure transitions into a buoyant condition, detaching from the ground and rising with water levels through an integrated floating system, becoming an autonomous and temporary refuge.
This duality is supported by a compact triangular form, chosen for its structural balance and low center of gravity, allowing resistance against overturning forces in high wind and unstable water conditions. The envelope is constructed using lightweight 5G materials, selected for their thermal insulation, acoustic performance, and inherent buoyancy. Beneath the structure, sealed HDPE drums act as pontoons, forming a continuous floating base designed for durability and impact resistance. The roof is conceived as a tightly resolved geometric volume without overhanging eaves, reducing vulnerability to wind uplift while reinforcing structural coherence.
Within this system, domestic infrastructure is reorganized around conditions of autonomy. Dry storage and a backup kitchen allow for 7–10 days of self-sufficiency, supported by a compact gas cooking system independent of electrical supply. Sleeping arrangements are designed for flexibility: a standard configuration accommodates two occupants, while emergency conditions allow for expansion up to eight through floor-based sleeping systems and stored bedding. A floating septic tank maintains sanitation continuity during inundation, ensuring environmental separation even in submerged conditions. Energy is generated through two solar panels, optimized for low-light storm environments and stored in backup units to sustain essential functions, while a 220-liter water tank secures potable supply.
Rather than separating architecture from risk, the Floating Prefab House integrates instability into its operational logic. It constructs a domestic environment capable of transformation—one that remains grounded in everyday use while prepared to become a refuge when the landscape shifts. In this sense, the project proposes not a fixed object, but a condition of continuity between habitation and climate. Developed by CTA | Creative Architects, Nha Xanh, and 5G Construction Solutions, the project positions architecture as both infrastructure and shelter—an adaptive domestic system that allows life to remain in place, even as water rises around it.
