{"id":33699,"date":"2022-09-15T02:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-15T09:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=33699"},"modified":"2022-09-13T14:03:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-13T21:03:38","slug":"water-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/water-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019ve discussed the challenges, benefits and methods of building higher<\/a> in these pages. This time we\u2019ll look at building lower \u2013 specifically, underwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it\u2019s largely hidden, underwater construction is prevalent and necessary to many aspects of commerce and recreation. A study in 2020 found that infrastructure such as marine tunnels, bridges, oil and gas rigs, wind farms, ports, marinas, aquaculture farms, artificial reefs, cables, coastal defense and breakwaters cover about 11,600 square miles \u2013 an area about 500 square miles larger than Albania.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Underwater structures face special challenges such as ocean currents, corrosive water and pressure. They must be positioned to avoid interfering with ships and be sturdy enough to withstand impacts from large sea animals. Moreover, many construction materials commonly used on land, such as wood, aren\u2019t suitable for underwater use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there\u2019s the actual construction process. Since it\u2019s nearly impossible to build in water, sea-based structures are usually built on land, transported to their destination and lowered into place. Some pieces are lowered using their own weight while other parts are loaded with weights that help them reach the seafloor. One structure that was built this way is the Utter Inn<\/a>, a small hotel in Sweden that was built on shore then submerged in the middle of a lake. Its entrance is only accessible by boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If builders need to reach the bottom of a body of water, they might use a caisson, a watertight structure that creates dry interior. Once the structure is built, the caisson is released, allowing water to enter. Building the Brooklyn Bridge, for example, involved using large caissons to dig to the bedrock and form the bridge towers\u2019 foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cofferdams, another type of support structure, are temporary enclosures that pump water out to create a dry working area, giving builders space to create wharfs, piers and other structures. Cofferdams were erected to divert water from the Colorado River in the construction of the Hoover Dam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another technique involves inserting steel columns called driven piles into the soil. Filled with concrete and steel, they can provide a foundation for buildings that are constructed offsite then lowered into the water. Apple\u2019s partially submerged store in Singapore<\/a> is an example of driven piles used as an anchor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offsite building, caissons, cofferdams and driven piles have produced other notable underwater structures, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n