Construction of Floating Islands Using Geofoam Blocks

Due to its closed-cell structure, EPS absorbs only a very small amount of water by volume and therefore remains buoyant in water. This buoyancy is a characteristic that requires additional design considerations for geofoam block fill applications constructed on land, particularly in areas exposed to flood risk. On the other hand, the same buoyant behavior provides significant advantages in terms of overall project cost and construction time when geofoam blocks are used in floating island applications.

Floating islands can be constructed for a wide range of purposes. Structures such as piers, helipads (Figures 1 and 2), landscape islands and floating gardens (Figures 3 and 4) can be constructed as floating platforms using geofoam blocks.

Floating helipad constructed using geofoam blocks
Figure 1. Floating island application using geofoam blocks: Helipads
Floating pier constructed using geofoam blocks
Figure 2. Floating island application using geofoam blocks: Piers
Floating garden constructed using geofoam blocks
Figure 3. Floating island application using geofoam blocks: Landscape islands / floating gardens
Floating garden constructed using geofoam blocks in Amsterdam
Figure 4. Floating island application using geofoam blocks: Landscape islands / floating gardens
(Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands; Photo: A. T. Özer; Date: November 16, 2010)