Not sure where to classify this; I don't have a hardcore conceptual architecture category yet...
Core77 reviews the recent Rotterdam Architecture Biennale, which includes a hypothetical proposal by Niall Kirkwood of Harvard's GSD for to help manage/develop a floodplain along the river Waal [no idea, either. look it up.] Called SPONGEcity, it would consist of several manmade elbow/canal combinations that would be filled with Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP), the same stuff that disposable diapers are made of. When the floodwaters hit, these canalsful of SAP would swell up 20m high, then you'd hardcoat it--and eventually build on it. I guess.
Someone with a more creative mind than mine should tell me what's going on here; all I know is, the Pampers sure helped dry out the floor of my car when the rains poured in.
Surviving The Flood: A Review of the Rotterdam Architecture Biennale [core77.com, via archinect]
