The UK’s first amphibious house, built on the banks of the River Thames in Marlow, will be welcoming its owners onboard before the end of the year; just in time for the predicted harsh winter weather. An amphibious house is a building that rests on the ground on fixed foundations but, whenever a flood occurs, rises up in its dock and floats there buoyed by the floodwater. Using the latest technology, the property is a major breakthrough for British architects and engineers who have been searching for many years for a solution to mitigate the risk - and damage - of water ingress to homes in flood-prone areas. The truly unique 225sqm house is located just 10m from the river’s edge. Designed by Baca Architects, specialists in waterfront architecture and flood-resilient aquatecture, the house is located on a small island in the picturesque stretch of the Thames that passes through Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, a site designated as Flood Zone 3b and a Conservation Area. While the house is a modern, highly insulated, low energy building, including large high-performance windows, the architects have ensured that it is also sympathetic to the locality; a scenic spot with very strict planning guidelines. The property has pitched roofs and a chimney to complement the irregular roofline of neighbouring homes and an overall footprint that is no larger than the old demolished property. The new house has been designed to cope with up to 2.5m of floodwater, well above the predicted flood levels and future projected flood levels for the area. A carefully laid out garden also acts as a natural early warning flood system. Building an amphibious home currently costs around 20% to 25% more than a similar sized house; with construction costs predicted to fall as builders and manufacturers get to grips with the much wetter weather phenomenon and embrace new thinking and technology.