IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science

PAPER • OPEN ACCESS

An Analysis of Plastic Barrels as a Platforms Material of Floating House

in Coastal Areas
To cite this article: H P Adi et al 2020 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 498 012066

View the article online for updates and enhancements.

This content was downloaded from IP address 49.145.108.174 on 22/04/2021 at 08:53

IConCEES 2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 498 (2020) 012066 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/498/1/012066

An Analysis of Plastic Barrels as a Platforms Material of Floating

House in Coastal Areas

H P Adi1*, S I Wahyudi1, M F Ni’am1 and S Haji1

1
Civil Engineering Department of Sultan Agung Islamic University, Jl. Raya Kaligawe Km.4,
Semarang, Indonesia
*Corresponding Author :[email protected]

Abstract. Housing is a very basic necessity for human life, so it is needed by considering its comfort
of the environment and constituent materials. For people who live on the coastal areas which have
narrow land and low environmental arrangement, a floating house can be the solution. The floating
house is a building that stands or floats on water by relying on the weight and area of the field that is
submerged as load parameters that are able to be borne by the structure. The house can float and be
placed on the edge of the beach and above the sea water front. There are various materials that can
be utilized as the footing of this floating house; one of which is plastic barrels. This research aims at
analyzing the level of buoyancy, the amount of materials and the cost needed for the construction of
a simple floating house unit using plastic barrels as the platforms. The results showed that the
buoyancy level (Fa) of plastic barrels as the platforms material is 549.814 Newton, the number of
plastic barrels needed as platforms materials is 232 pieces costing for IDR 358,270, 000.

1. Introduction
The development of residential areas in Indonesian coastal areas is the most important part in supporting the
sustainable development and improving the welfare of the nation. Economic activities in coastal areas will be
followed by growth in population which has a direct impact on the housing and settlement sectors [1]. However,
there are still many resident settlements in the Indonesian coastal areas that are poorly laid out, too dense, slums
and not worth living. To overcome the housing problems in the coastal area, recently a new concept of floating
house technology has been developed [2]. The advantage of this floating house is the flexibility to move its
position or location. In addition, the house that uses a flat foundation can rotate its direction position and can
also move [3]. Besides being environmentally friendly and safe from flooding, the floating house is also regarded
as unique in terms of design as well as sustainable [4]. The location in this study is the northern coast of
Semarang City, Indonesia. In this area breakwaters and sea walls have been built, so that the coastal area
is sufficiently protected from ocean wave energy, so it is safe enough to build a floating house.
There is a wide range of materials that can be used as floating house platforms, such as bamboo, styrofoam,
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipes and plastic barrels [5]. The study aims at analyzing the use of plastic barrels as
a floating house platform. The analysis is carried out on a simple floating house construction, including the
calculation of Buoyancy, the amount of material and costs needed. The design of the floating house is made
simple that can be applied as a resident house in the coastal area by taking into consideration on the economical

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution
of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd 1
IConCEES 2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 498 (2020) 012066 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/498/1/012066

design. As for the sloof structure, the column, and the beam rings use wooden material, whereas for the trestles
use light steel, and the roof is using Sakura roof.

2. Literature Review

2.1. The Design of Houses in Coastal Area

Coastal housing designs in Indonesia can be divided into two types of buildings, namely raised platform
and non-raised platform house [6]. The location of the building can be either on the ground directly or on
the water or float. The main structure of the house can use wooden structures, concrete structures or bearing
wall structure. As in the following figures (Figure 1) are the designs of houses in the coastal area [7].

Figure 1. The Designs of Houses in Coastal Areas [6]

2.2. Floating House

Floating house is a living house concept using floating structure media. The concept of floating structures
is used as a substitute for land in the construction of a building, because its structure is able to float over
water [8]. Floating house is a building structure that floats on water by relying on buoyancy platforms as a
structure that holds the load on it by combining the footing or the platforms then some areas will be
submerged as a load parameter able to borne by the structure. The floating house is a unique life mechanism
on the platforms designed to float without any fear of drowning as well as the upward movement of the
building according to the water level [4].

2.3. Types of Floating House Platforms

The floating house design is divided based on the type of its floating material platforms. In some countries,
various materials have been developed for the footing of the floating house, including the following:

2.3.1. Floating House with Styrofoam Platforms.

Styrofoam is a material derived from polystyrene that in the process of manufacturing is using a mixture
of air bubbles so that it can expand and has a light weight like foam (Figure 2). Platforms with Styrofoam
materials used are styrofoams in the form of beams with a length of two meters, width one meter and a
thickness of half a meter, for the number of it is based on the needs [9]. The more spacious and heavy
the building, the more the styrofoam needed.

2
IConCEES 2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 498 (2020) 012066 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/498/1/012066

Figure 2. Styrofoam Materials as Floating House Platforms

2.3.2. Floating House with Bamboo Platforms.

Bamboo is a material that has light specific weight and also cavity. Some people think that the cavity
in the middle of bamboo as a weakness, but actually this is not true [10]. Bamboo does have a cavity
in it, but the central cavity on bamboo is actually a characteristic of bamboo power and serves as a
bracer. The bracer can strengthen the bamboo and makes the elements commonly used as structures
to be lighter and less rigid (Figure 3). A bamboo also has an elastic character and is not easily broken
so that its structure becomes more powerful and reliable [3].

Figure 3. Floating House with Bamboo Platforms

2.3.3. House with Plastic Barrel Platforms.

The footing of the floating house design is a structure that is under the house serving to withstand the
total load of the building to float the house. This floating house material is plastic barrels that have a
good buoyancy, lightweight and easy to obtain as it is commonly available around us (Figure 4) [8].

Figure 4. Floating House with Plastic Barrel Platforms

3
IConCEES 2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 498 (2020) 012066 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/498/1/012066

3. Research Method
The research methods of this study is research and development method including the creation of a floating
house design plan (Figure 5 and 6), calculation of buoyancy platforms bottom structure, calculation of
upper structures, calculation of buoyancy platforms and cost calculation. In the law of Archimedes, that is
all objects dipped into the fluid will get buoyancy in proportion to the weight of the fluid they move.
Because the pressure at each point on the surface of the object is equivalent to the specific weight of the
fluid and the depth, the total force acting on the left and right parts of the object becomes the same and can
be ignored (the equilibrium of the horizontal direction force, Fx=0).Data of floating house design plan as
a dwelling house that is with the area of building (11 m x 9 m) = 99 m2 and floating platforms (12 m x 15
m) = 180 m2 as shown below.

Figure 5. Front View of Floating House Design Plan.

Figure 6. Side View of Floating House Design Plan.

4
IConCEES 2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 498 (2020) 012066 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/498/1/012066

3.1. Lower Structure Load

The structure data of the type of material used in the floating house design, including:
i.Vertical Wood Beam Load
 Size : 8 x 12 cm
 Volume : 3.456 m3
 Wood Specific Weight : 1250 kg/m3
 Weight : Volume x SW
: 3.456 x 1250 = 4320 kg
ii. Horizontal Wood Beam Load
 Size : 8 x 12 cm
 Volume : 3.456 m3
 Wood Specific Weight : 1250 kg/m3
 Weight : Volume x SW
: 3.456 x 1250 = 4320 kg
Total load applied on the bottom structure
Total Weight of Platforms Frame: 4320 kg + 4320 kg = 8640 kg = 86,400 Newton (downward direction)

3.2. Upper Structure Load

To calculate the weight of the upper structure in this study the SAP 2000 software application is used,
which serves to help calculate the amount of load in the floating house design, which consists of roof loads,
horse loads, column loads, beam ring loads, sloof, loads walls, door and window loads, and wind loads,
while for calculating the load of fences and house floor plates calculated using Microsoft Excel software.
Based on the SAP 2000 calculation result, totally weight of upper structure that consist of roof loads, horse
loads, column loads, beam ring loads, sloof, loads walls, door and window loads, and wind loads is 20.6047
ton. While the weight calculation of sloof, wall, column, beam ring, trestle and roof structures as
following:

a. Load on floor plate

 Size of floor plate : 200 x 20 x 0.2 cm
 Volume of floor plate : 3.6 m3
 Wood Specific Weight : 1250 kg/m3
 Weight : Volume x SW
: 3.6 x 1250 = 4500 kg

b. Load on fence
 Size of Wood Beam : 10 x 10 cm
 Volume of Fence : 1.787 m3
 Wood Specific Weight : 1250 kg/m3
 Weight : Volume x SW
: 1.787 x 1250 = 2233.75 kg
c. Live Load
 Load of Residents : 6 People
 Weight / person : 80 kg (assumption)
 Total of Live Load : 6 x 80 kg
: 480 kg
Total load applied on the upper structure is:
= 20604.7 kg + 4500 kg +2233.75 kg + 480 kg
= 27818.45 kg = 278,184.5 Newton (downward direction)

5
IConCEES 2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 498 (2020) 012066 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/498/1/012066

3.3. Total Weight of the Structure

Based on the calculation result of the upper and lower structure load of the floating house design, it can
be obtained that the total weight in the floating house is as follows:
= Total weight of upper structure + Total weight of lower structure
= 27818.45 + 8640 kg
= 36458.45 kg = 364,584.5 (downward direction)

4. Result and Discussion

4.1. Calculation of Floating Platforms with Plastic Barrels

The calculation analysis of plastic barrels floating footing is conducted to identify the power of the floating
footing to be able to withstand the weight of the floating house structure, so it can be identified how many
plastic barrels needed to withstand the load of the floating house, with a defined amount of structural
stability of 1.5. For more details, the steps of calculation of a plastic barrels floating house foundation
structure can be seen below.

Calculate the Weight of Empty Plastic

a.
Barrel
Weight of Plastic Barrel (G) = 8.6 kg/pcs
Diameter of Plastic Barrel = 0.58 m
Height/Length of Plastic Barrel = 0.93 m
Total Weight of Plastic Barrel in Newton = 8.6 kg x 10 N/kg
= 86 Newton

b. Calculate Buoyancy of fully submerged plastic barrel

Buoyancy (Fa) of Plastic Barrel = π.d2/4.ρ.g.L (d =inner diameter)
= (22/7) x (0,58)2/4 x 1000 x 10 x 0.93
= 2456 Newton/pcs
So the total buoyancy of 1 Plastic Barrel is (Fa - G)
= 2456 - 86
Newton/ pcs (upward
= 2370 direction)
Total floating force of 232 Plastic Barrels = 232 x 2370
= 549,814 Newton (upward direction)

Based on the results of the above analysis, it can be identified that the buoyancy (Fa) is 549.814 Newton
(upwards). By using plastic barrel foundation material as many as 232 pieces, the footing system is made
one layer with the arrangement as Figure 7.

6
IConCEES 2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 498 (2020) 012066 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/498/1/012066

Figure 7. Detailed Laying of 232 Plastic Barrels as Floating Footing.

c. Stability structure control on floating footing after lied with floating house
Total Weight of Floating House Structure = 364,585 Newton (downward direction)
SF (Safety Figure) = 1.5
Upward Buoyancy (Fa) = 549,814 Newton (upward)
Stability Control (Fa/G > 1.5 = 549,814 / 364,585
= 1.5

After checking the result of structural weight calculation analysis of buoyancy with 232 plastic barrels
which was 549.814 Newton (upwards), it was compared with the weight of the floating house structure
which was 364.585 Newton (downward). Therefore, it was obtained the value of the structure stability
control which was 1.5. Thus, it can be stated that the construction of a floating house using 232 plastic
barrels is declared safe. For more details, can be seen in Figure 8.

Figure 8. Front View of Floating House with Plastic Barrels as the Footing

7
IConCEES 2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 498 (2020) 012066 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/498/1/012066

4.2. Cost Calculation of Floating House with Plastic Barrels Platforms

The recapitulation of the floating House cost calculation using plastic barrels as the foundation of can be seen in
Table 1.

Table 1. Cost Recapitulation for Plastic Barrel Materials

No Working Process Total (IDR)

1 Preparation 1,500,000.00
2 Floating Platform 92,298,000.00
3 Sloof 18,195,000.00
4 Column 21,834,000.00
5 Ring Beam 18,195,000.00
6 Wall 45,392,800.00
7 Floor 43,668,000.00
8 Fence 21,834,000.00
9 Doors And Windows 16,745,000.00
10 Light Steel Trestles 14,988,000.00
11 Roof 12,040,800.00
12 Electrical Mechanical 3,187,500.00
13 Sanitation 5,180,000.00
14 Painting 9,678,400.00
15 Finishing 1,000,000.00
Total 325,736,500.00
Rounding Off 325,700,000.00
Taxes 10 % 32,570,000.00
Total (IDR) 358,270,000.00

5. Conclusion
Based on the result of the calculation, it can be concluded that for making a simple floating house with the
99 m2 area of dwelling house and the 180 m2 area of floating footing, using plastic barrel platform materials
showing buoyancy (Fa) of 549.814 Newton, the number of plastic barrel platforms needed is 232 pieces and
the cost is IDR 358,270,000, estimated lifespan of the structure is 15 years.

6. References

[1] Wahyudi S I, Adi H P and Schultz B 2017 Revitalizing and Preparing Drainage Operation and
Maintenance to Anticipate Climate Change in Semarang Heritage City J. Environ. Sci. Eng. B. 6
17–26
[2] Sugiri P L, Husain J R and Bakri J 2016 Analysis of Buoyancy in the Gas piping system of Area
Flowline and Trunkline Geomine J. 4 94–97

8
IConCEES 2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 498 (2020) 012066 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/498/1/012066

[3] Asrasal A, Wahyudi S I, Adi H P and Heikoop R 2018 Analysis of floating house platform stability
using polyvinyl chloride ( PVC ) pipe material MATEC Web of Conference 195(3) 02025
[4] Ishaque F, Ahamed M S and Hoque M N 2014 Design and Estimation of Low Cost Floating House
Int. J. Innovation & App. Studies 7 49–57
[5] Sudarman 2015 Bamboo as A Material of Floating House Construction at Lake Tempe Kabupaten
Wajo, Proc. National. Conf. SCAN vol 6 pp 290-296
[6] Pribadi S B 2011 Simple Building Construction System for Repairing Residents's Home in Tidal
Flood (Case Study: Kemijen,East of Semarang) Modul J. 11 81–88
[7] Adi H P, Wahyudi S I, Sudarmono C S and Islam M C 2020 Comparison Analysis of Expanded
Polystyrene System (EPS) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Pipe as Platform Material of Floating
Buildings in The Coastal Areas of Semarang J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1444 012047
[8] Cahya D, Mahardika P and Wp T 2017 Technical and Economic Analysis of The Floating House
Developments as a Support for Indonesian Maritime Tourism J. Teknik ITS. 6 235-240
[9] H. Halim 2013 Structure System of Floating House at Tempe Lake in South Sulawesi J. Permukiman.
8 145–152
[10] Mononimbar W 2014 Handling Flood-Prone Settlement on River Banks J. Ilmiah Media Eng. 4 26-
31

Acknowledgments
The author thanks The Ministry of Research and Technology of Indonesia that has funded this research and
all those who participated and supported