Floathouse, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Is living on water easier and / or cheaper than on land?
For a float house you need a specialist built (floating) foundation, and a number of nautical specifics have to be tackled that are not required for land-bound buildings. Besides that, financing may be difficult, this is not necessarily real estate. The advantages of living on water can be described only in terms of enjoyment.

In the brief the client included the aspect of self-build, and the saggy soil on site could not hold cranes or other big equipment. Wood was the answer. The structural building was done by two men and some powertools. The top storey is held up by a space frame.

The shape of the 3 storey house is the combined result of sheer fun, the need for visual reduction of mass, and the reckoning with the prevailing SW wind in this country.

The architects, Ontwerpen, found this to be highly enjoyable but challenging project to undertake, with progress having been stalled by the Rotterdam authorities for 2 years. As a result they have only recently been able to realise the completed project in full.
source: www.worldarchitecturenews.com
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