Design and Construction of Floating Islands in Qatar

Lindenberg, Z.; Jackson, A.; Salyer, A.; King, S.; Otoom, Z., and Murwan, H., 2024. Design and construction of floating islands in Qatar In: Phillips, M.R.; Al-Naemi, S., and Duarte, C.M. (eds.), Coastlines under Global Change: Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2024 (Doha, Qatar). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 113, pp. 799-803. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Coastal regions, particularly those with low lying or limited available land, are facing a range of pressures in the future from urbanisation, demand for waterfront access and property, climate change and sea level rise. The use of floating or overwater piled structures is a practical alternative option to conventional land reclamation that can address these challenges and has been successfully implemented in the Maldives and the Netherlands. While significantly less impactful on the coastal environment than conventional land reclamation, floating and over-water piled structures still necessarily interface with coastal processes and are exposed to a range of dynamic environmental and human usage loads – often accommodating for unconventional stresses such as dancing. Careful consideration and understanding of these loads and their impact on buoyancy, pontoon connections and anchoring systems is critical to ensure stability and a robust structural design. The selection of appropriate material options, and feasible construction methodologies is also essential for the successful implantation of these structures, particularly for large-scale projects. Our experience has shown that a Design and Construct contract approach is an effective option for delivering what is often a multidisciplinary project. This paper explores how floating, and overwater piled structures are a practical alternative for reclamation as an option to mitigate sea level rise impacts, provide opportunities to enhance environmental outcomes and address waterfront development demands. The paper also includes a review of the design, construction and operational considerations essential to the successful implementation of floating and overwater piled structures, with a case example for a floating island project in Qatar is included, from the conceptual design stage through to construction.