A house capable of floating — said to be the first permitted in the United States — has been brought to New Orleans and placed among more than a dozen other homes built through actor Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation.

The home, called the FLOAT House, was unveiled Tuesday and is designed to float up and down with rising water levels. It was designed by Morphosis Architects, under the direction of architect Thom Mayne.

Mayne, along with architects and graduate students from UCLA, where he teaches, have been working on the project for roughly two years.

In the event of flooding, the base of the house acts as a raft, allowing it to rise vertically on guide posts, floating up to 12 feet as water levels rise.