Filipina architect is trying to build homes that can rise above floods

In countries already familiar with the problems caused by flooding, the concept of floating homes is nothing new. But what if houses in coastal and low-lying areas could levitate to save themselves? That's the question on the lips of Lira Luis, who thought up the concept of a levitating house after working with magnets on another installation that was located on water. The multi-awarded Filipino architect realized that even through a layer of water, the magnets still repel each other when held the wrong way.

Lira's goal is to create a model version of the system in a Filipino community where flooding is already a serious problem. Currently she has a 13-ounce prototype built that levitates 1.5 inches, but she plans to showcase a slightly bigger version next month, according to Fast Co.Exist.

The idea is a bit insane, and there's a very good chance that it may not work. Martin Simmons, a physics researcher at UCLA says that not only would it be very expensive, but there are also "a million other problems." But who knows, maybe one day Lira's idea would be feasible. The distance between dream and reality is called action.

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