51¶¯Âþ

Herman Carlinsky and Raymond Ackley of New York have designed a house that’s
ideal if you live near flood-prone rivers (WO 98/22663). The house has four
vertical corner pillars, rising from deep, solid foundations. The base of the
living quarters is a solid block of concrete, with rubber wheels at each corner.
The wheels rest on the pillars, allowing the house to run up and down freely,
like an elevator in a lift shaft. Air can be injected under the house to break
any vacuum that forms between it and the mud below, which might prevent the
house floating upwards as the waters rise.