Floating architecture is on the move. Designs are getting more luxurious and quality is rising but more important the technology taking a leap.
With the completion of the Miami based Arkup portable hurricane proof villa designed by Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio a new generation of floating buildings has emerged. The evolution of floating villas has resulted in a hybrid solution that combines the flexibility of the floating foundation with the stability of offshore jack-up technology. During storms the floating building can be lifted up more than 10ft above water level out of reach of the heavy waves. This upgrade of stability performance unlocks opportunities for large scale floating structures as condominiums and floating high rise which will benefit from the additional support of the lowered spuds.
New larger urban components will accelerate the Rise of the Blue city.
Urbanization and the effects of climate change put pressure on livability in big cities. “Rise of the blue city” argues that Cities that are threatened by water today will be the best performing cities of tomorrow if they start using the water to achieve a higher flexibility and shorter response time. Stop building for today’s demands, start building for change!
Sales of watercraft have soared since the start of the pandemic as recreational boaters seek to escape home—and land. Here are the trending toys to inspire your next seagoing adventure.
By Mark Ellwood
Bloomberg
2021.may.13
Blame James Bond. It was the sight of Roger Moore skidding a Wet Bike over the waves in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me that piqued yacht owners’ interest in keeping more than just a tender, or small ship-to-shore shuttle, on board. Moore’s gadget morphed into the Jet Ski, a must-have for every polyester-era playboy. The Jet Ski, in turn, raised cultural expectations for what we should be able to do on—or under, or over—the water.
Billionaires such as Jeff Bezos and his new 417-foot-long project Y721—a yacht so big it needs its own yacht—plus destinations like the Four Seasons Bora Bora keep spurring new innovations. As bigger superyachts became dominant in the late 1980s, complete with roomier onboard garages, the types of toys and tenders available multiplied. Invention is “driven by charter guests,” says Chris Clifford of the yacht industry bible Onboard. “Even if Grandpa and Grandma are paying for the boat, they’ll bring their children and grandchildren, and you’ve gotta keep them amused.” Indeed, charter specialist Burgess Yachts says 84% of its clients expressed interest in toys and water sports as crucial for their next rental.
But it’s not just the world’s wealthiest who are diving in since the coronavirus pandemic started. According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, U.S. powerboat sales reached a 13-year high in 2020, when 310,000 new vessels were sold, a rise of 12% from the previous year. GetMyBoat, a marine rental platform, sent 60,500 renters out on the water in 2019, rising to 178,000 last year; it expects to hit more than 1 million for 2021. That’s a lot of people potentiality looking for their first boat or an addition to an existing collection.
It makes sense: Nothing says summer like a good, socially distanced splash. Whether you’re looking for an easy-to-maneuver three-cabin sailboat for your family, a two-seater Sea-Doo on steroids, or a double-decker party barge with a waterslide, here’s our roundup of the newest and hottest toys.
Thrills
Four craft for the adrenaline junkie
PARAJET PARAMOTOR VOLUTION 3
You may have wondered about these flying whizbangs after spotting one soaring along a beach in the Hamptons or Miami. The love child of a paraglider and a fan boat from the Everglades, the Parajet was dreamed up by flying enthusiast Gilo Cardozo, who wanted to share his love of aviation. Strap one on—the Volution is the sturdiest of the range—and you can soar as high as 500 feet at speeds that reach 50 mph, weather willing. (Pro tip: The air is less bumpy at sunset and sunrise.) Just book a few lessons first. $8,395
SUBLUE WHITESHARK MIX PRO
Cousteau-inspired explorers keen to chart the depths of the oceans on film should pick up this double-propeller sea scooter. It can duck more than 130 feet below the surface, pulling a swimmer behind it at up to 6 feet per second. Better yet, fix a smartphone in the waterproof camera mount to record every moment. The scooter is designed to be used by anyone 8 or older—a detachable floater can keep kids from diving more than a few feet deep. $699
ZAPATA FLYRIDE
Former world champ Jet Ski racer Franky Zapata founded his company more than two decades ago to devise wacky water toys like the Flyride, a narrow Jet Ski-like device that can shoot into the air on plumes of water. There’s room for two, so a parent can hop on with an adventurous kid as young as 5. (They can also use the wireless remote to curb a teen’s crazier ambitions.) With 300 horsepower, it offers a top speed of 22 mph—and a button will initiate a barrel roll. From $9,285
SEABREACHER
Think of this fish-shaped, two-seater submersible as a Sea-Doo on steroids; the enclosed pod can leap into the air and duck under the surface at up to 50 mph. It was designed by New Zealand-born boat builder Rob Innes, who considers it more like an aircraft than a watercraft, because it’s able to operate on three axes of control. With a little practice, a pilot can even do 360-degree barrel rolls while skipping across the water. The styling of the chassis adds a witty touch: Take your pick from sharks, whales, or dolphins. The company custom-builds only about two dozen of the craft each year. From $85,000
Chills
For casual fun, try a drone, a kayak, or your own mini pool
HANSE 348
Based on Germany’s Baltic Coast, Hanse was founded by Michael Schmidt, a former winner of the Admiral’s Cup regatta. The vessels from his company deftly combine top performance—a self-tacking jib is standard to maximize ease of handling—with smart layouts and design. It’s a combination that earned this craft the title as Cruising World’s best value sailboat two years ago. Pick between a two- and three-cabin version, and you’ll enjoy the great light and clean lines below deck. $170,800
NAVATICS MITO
A student project at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology led to this 5-year-old startup, which specializes in naval robotics. Its 7.6-pound Mito underwater drone streams footage to an app from as far away as 1,600 feet. The tethered 4K device has two 1,000-lumen headlights for visibility at depth, and four-thruster stabilization keeps the camera steady in rough currents. $1,999
TRENT PRESZLER CANOES
When Preszler inherited his father’s woodworking tools seven years ago, the avid outdoorsman spent 14 months teaching himself how to build a wooden canoe from scratch. Preszler, who’s based in Mattituck, N.Y., now juggles his day job running a winery and selling bespoke, handmade canoes to clients. Each boat, often using exotic woods such as red cedar and purpleheart, takes at least a year to complete. From $100,000
TARPON 120 FISHING KAYAK
Nimble but sturdy, this 12-foot-3-inch sit-on-top kayak with a short waterline is perfect for fishing in creeks. The American-made craft is packed with user-friendly details, including gear tracks to secure rods and accessories as well as a paddle holder on the bow to free up your hands. The self-bailing hull retains buoyancy even when waters are choppy; best of all, it’s dog-friendly. From $999
BEAU LAKE PADDLEBOARDS
With Club Monaco founder Joe Mimran among its advisers, it’s no surprise this Canadian company produces paddleboards that emphasize beauty as much as function. Made with epoxy resin and other performance materials, they’re finished with mahogany and Macassar ebony, among other options. Pair yours with the equally stylish paddles, which start at $350. From $2,950
YACHTBEACH LUXURY POOL
Avoid jellyfish stings using this pool, which has an ultrafine PVC mesh stretching almost 8 feet down into the water. The largest, superyacht-aimed option includes a 19-by-13-foot boardwalk with a comfy foam top that’s wide enough for sunbathers to linger near the swimmers. €6,799 ($8,270)
Frills
You don’t need a yacht to impress out on the water
ARKUP 75
The ultimate overwater bungalow, Arkup’s two-story glass-box-like villa can be permanently tethered to a dock or cruise at a leisurely 7 knots under its own power. The open-plan four-bedroom structure has 2,600 square feet of indoor living space that connects to a retractable 450-square-foot deck. Its eco-credentials are impressive: Solar panels on the roof supply power, and tanks collect and purify rainwater for drinking and bathroom use. Sadly, the prototype has already sold, but the company is building several custom projects riffing off the same design, as well as planning smaller, marginally more affordable models. From $5.5 million
PREMIER ESCALANTE PONTOON BOAT
There’s no better party venue than this 35-foot double-decker pontoon, with room for up to 20 people: A stairway turns into a slide from the upper deck straight into the water. Need we say more? The design incorporates more practical measures as well, including a hard-sided changing room/bathroom, plus a refrigerator, sink, and wine cooler. With 800 horsepower or more, the Escalante is packing as much power as some speedboats. Just make sure not to leave anyone behind. From $154,150
ROM 28
The aptly named ROM, which stands for Rebuild Ocean Motivation, will construct a boat your way at its shipyard in Aveiro, Portugal. Former technology consulting executive Jorge Martins founded the startup four years ago to bring superyacht customization to smaller craft, upgrading workaday designs in a sleeker, sportier style. When Martins unveiled this specific model in January, he promised only 20 of the eight-passenger 25-footers would be made; just 14 remain. From €230,000
BIGAIR YACHT BLOB
This classic lake toy was first developed in Texas from an army-surplus fuel bladder. Like a seesaw, when someone jumps onto a specific spot from a boat, the force will propel anyone sitting at the other end up to 30 feet in the air. Austin-based FunAir has reengineered the blob for use on the ocean, adding stabilizer outriggers to prevent it from turning over and an inflatable stand-off to stop anyone from bashing back into the hull after they jump. It takes only around 20 minutes to set up.$4,000
NAUTIBUOY FLOATING PLATFORMS
Countless companies produce platforms like this that can be jigsawed together to create a pontoon at the back of any vessel, be it speedboat or superyacht. The big differentiator for this British company’s offerings is the quality of construction, with drop-stitch cores and strong, durable PVC borders. NautiBuoy’s own ballast system keeps the platforms stable, and the teaklike finish is stylish and slip-resistant. Buy one to act as a parking slot for your Seabob or Jet Ski, and attach it to another for an impromptu, al fresco cocktail lounge.From €3,805
YACHT JOUST
Anyone prepping to compete on Wipeout can finesse their dueling skills with a few sessions on this inflatable platform 5 feet above the water. The lightweight batons are easy enough for kids and adults to handle. Yacht Joust can be secured almost anywhere—in a small cove or close to a beach to drum up some cheers or jeers from spectators—and packs down to the size of a carry-on bag. $8,000
AQUAGLIDE RESIDENTIAL MINI PARK 4
Install this 38-foot-long inflatable obstacle course behind your boat or lakefront home. The main appeal is a 10-foot, high-velocity slide, complete with an interior mesh floor at the bottom for safer splashing. You can also loll on the water, safe from the sun, under the roof of the Ohana lounge platform. Small decks connect the two elements, making it a cinch to hop into the splash zone. And if you want to expand your water park, other Aquaglide inflatables attach easily. $8,600
W 2020 roku wszyscy piekliśmy chleb, w tym morsujemy. Zawsze pozytywnie reagujemy na trendy, które niosą za sobą korzystne skutki, np. zdrowotne, a morsowanie niewątpliwie zalicza się do tej kategorii. W architekturze również mamy do czynienia z czymś w rodzaju morsowania – mowa tu o budynkach na wodzie. Poniżej przedstawiamy najciekawsze przykłady tego rodzaju architektury.
Unoszący się dom (ang. Floating home) zlokalizowany w Amsterdamie, zaprojektowany przez architektów ze studia i29 jest częścią Schoonship – wioski składającej się z 46 gospodarstw domowych. Celem projektu jest stworzenie najbardziej zrównoważonej ekologicznie społeczności zamieszkującej domy na wodzie w Europie. Dzielnica zakłada pełne wykorzystanie energii wodnej, minimalizację odpadów i tworzenie warunków sprzyjających rozwojowi różnorodności biologicznej.
Właściciel pragnął, aby dom wyróżniał się wyjątkowym kształtem, co bez wątpienia się udało. Atutem tego budynku jest jego zmieniająca się forma zależnie od strony, z której na niego patrzymy.
Jednocześnie widok z wewnątrz domu jest bardzo różnorodny, bo zapewnia dostęp do krajobrazu z kilku stron.
Mimo surowości budynku wynikającej z kształtu i koloru elewacji, wykorzystanie do jego budowy desek oraz ulokowanie budynku na wodzie sprawia, że jest w tym projekcie pewne ciepło. Dom niewątpliwie wyróżnia się na tle sąsiadujących budynków, ale jednocześnie doskonale się z nimi komponuje.
Willa Arkup
Oprócz faktu, że ten wyjątkowy budynek pływa i tym samym może łatwo zmieniać swoją lokalizację, jest odporny na huragany. Kwestia ta jest szczególnie istotna z uwagi na położenie willi w Miami, czyli w miejscu, w którym problem występowania huraganów nie jest obcy jego mieszkańcom.
Projekt Koena Olthuisa z Waterstudio jest odporny na sztormy dzięki możliwości podniesienia budynku na ponad 3 metry nad poziom wody, co sprawia, że znajduje się wtedy poza zasięgiem silnych fal.
Nie sposób pominąć faktu, że w wyniku ocieplenia klimatu wielu miastom grozi zalanie przez wrastający poziom wody. Takie budynki jak willa Arkup mogą być jedną z odpowiedzi na ten problem.
Hortusboatanicus
Projektanci z Waterstudio patrzą w przyszłość również w przypadku tego domu. Architekt Koen Olthuis, autor projektu, na swoim Instagramie podpisał zdjęcie tego budynku słowami: „Wyhoduj sobie swój obiad na dachu”.
Niewątpliwie umożliwia to dom na wodzie ze szklarnią stworzoną na dachu budynku.
Podkreśla taką możliwość przewrotna nazwa projektu, czyli Hortusboatanicus, która została zaczerpnięta od Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, czyli jednego z najstarszych ogrodów botanicznych na świecie, założonego w 1638 roku. Zastąpienie słowa „botanicus” na „boatanicus” trafnie oddaje charakter tego wyjątkowego domu. Smacznego!
By Karing Kloosterman
Green Tech and Gadgets
2020.Aug.19
A movable home that can plunge its support deep into the water against hurricanes, or be brought on land to live off-grid.
I grew up as a Dutch girl in Canada. Among part of our family’s storytelling and legends was the tale about the Dutch boy who plugged a dyke with his thumb to save his town, the country, the world? from an encroaching sea. The flatlands people of Holland or The Netherlands as you might call them are at home with the idea of climate adverse consequences.
The houseboat reimagined
The national psyche is built on man against nature or man with nature, and for that the Dutch people have been reasonably doing unreasonable things against climate change and for helping the environment. See our article on the extraordinary city of Rotterdam, the home to one of resident writers, or Boyan Slat, who boldly plans to clean up the seas with his plastic-corralling invention.
Whatever floats your boat. Call it a yacht, a barge, a houseboat, but it’s not a tiny home.
While Americans might rather escape to Mars with Elon Musk, the Dutch are battening down the hatches and are offering more reasonable approaches to dealing with Mother Nature, or an angry Mother Nature. Consider the Dutch firm who has designed a solar powered yacht that can lower stilts for a more permanent mooring.
Like the modern trailer also known as the #tinyhome or #vanlife, this yacht appeals to a certain eco personality that might also want to settle like the barge dwellers in Amsterdam. It is not your father’s houseboat.
Full speed ahead
The solar powered boat is created by the Dutch architecture studio Waterstudio.NL for the yacht maker Arku in Miami, with an option of it becoming an off-grid home.
The craft is 75 feet long, is fully solar-electric, mobile and self elevating. This turn-key vessel is furnished and decorated in style by the acclaimed Brazilian furniture company, Artefacto.
Interior designed to be as fancy as this concept houseboat
The first one is for sale at a cool price of $5,500,000.
Have the captains drooling. This does not look like a houseboat. Transforms into stilted urban getaway at the port.
Arkup is a Miami, US-based company founded in 2016, to pioneer next-generation floating homes. The company rethinks life on water with its fully solar-electric, mobile and self-elevating livable yachts they call “future-proof blue dwellings.”
Weather and future proof, rain harvesting too
These livable yachts feature zero emission and silent electric propulsion which provide mobility and maneuverability. An automated hydraulic lift system, allowing the vessel to put down a stable foundation in up to 20 feet of water, ensures stability and hurricane resilience.
Sail away with me. Or anchor for the night?
The livable yacht has four bedrooms in 2,600-square-feet of indoor space, with 4,350-square-feet in total, including its terraces and balconies. To achieve its sustainability objectives, the Arkup design is 100 percent solar-powered and has systems for harvesting and purifying rainwater, for complete independence.
With Covid and potentially other climate change disasters facing us, let’s start saving? The other option might be our collective thumbs in the dyke.
Нідерландська студія архітектури Waterstudio.NL створила електричну яхту-віллу, яка буде автономною та зможе ходити на воді. 22-метрове судно у вигляді будинку можна буде закріплювати до дна або ж самостійно передислокувати на інше місце.
Віллу назвали Arkup 75, а проєкт планують реалізувати поряд з якимось із перенаселених міст, пише Dezeen.
Основа вілли є гібридною, адже будинок може плавати як звичайна яхта та легко протистояти морю. Але у разі виникнення шторму, приміщення підіймають над водою 12-метрові палі, які кріпляться до дна.
Будівля без проблем триматиметься на морі / Фото Dezeen
Оскільки “Аrkup” плаває, він може справлятись із звичайними хвилями, але коли активуються палі, будинок виштовхується з води,
– розповів архітектор.
Так будівля виглядає у статичному положенні / Фото Dezeen
Разом з гібридним фундаментом, приміщення обладнане електричною системою, що працює на сонячних батареях, а також технологією збору дощової води, що робить будинок автономним.
Сонячний панелі охоплюють весь дах, щоб забезпечити електроенергією систему кондиціонування, приладів, освітлення, та всіх інших операційних систем на борту.
Єдина проблема – відсутність місця для вирощування власних харчів / Фото Dezeen
Arkup 75 розроблений так, щоб нагадувати гладку прямокутну прозору коробку, з якої відкривається вид на океан, а стінки виготовлені зі скловолокна, мають також висувну терасу та великі розсувні вікна.
Так вілла виглядає всередині / Фото Dezeen
Вілла має житлову площу 404 квадратних метри і, теоретично, може перебувати у відкритій воді допоки якась із систем не вийде з ладу або закінчиться електроенергія чи вода.
Мешканці також матимуть терасу на “борту” / Фото Dezeen
Dutch architecture studio Waterstudio.NL has created a solar-powered electric yacht-cum-villa with retractable stilts that allow it to be raised fully out of the water to become an off-grid home.
Named Arkup 75, the craft was designed for yacht company Arkup with a hybrid foundation that allows it to float when moving, be semi-supported when alongside a dock or fully raised up from the water.
“The design was inspired by the way flamingos stand in the water,” Waterstudio.NL founder Koen Olthuis told Dezeen. “Only a leg in the water and the body untouchable above the surface.”
When it’s not travelling, the 22-metre long vessel can be anchored by four 12-metre steel spuds, which lower to the bottom at depths of up to 7.6 metres to keep it stable.
“As the Arkup is floating it can handle normal waves, but when the stilts are activated the house pushes itself out of the water,” Olthuis added.
“Now the waves can only hit the stilts, which makes it a hurricane-proof building.”
Along with the hybrid foundation, a solar-powered electric system, and a rain-harvesting and purification system make it capable of operating off-grid.
A solar array covers the entire roof to provide electricity for air conditioning, appliances, lighting, propulsion and all other operating systems on board.
Arkup 75, was designed to resemble a smooth, white frame that presents the ocean view as a picture, with glass-fibre walls, a retractable terrace and large sliding-glass windows.
It has a total living space of 404 square metres, is self-propelled and can, in theory, stay in open water indefinitely as long as there is enough solar power to provide energy.
Olthuis believe the yacht’s off-grid system will come in useful in the future, as he thinks sea-level rise and urban growth will lead coastal cities to develop on the water.
“Not just yachts but especially floating structures will take advantage of the space on water around our cities. These buildings are portable and can react to known and unknown changes in the demands of near future society,” he said.
“Covid is such an unknown change that has suddenly raised the popularity of off-grid, off-shore independent living.”
The architect added that Arkup is aiming to use the craft to demonstrate features that can also be applied to larger, high-density floating housing that could be built in the future.
According to Olthuis this is something that Waterstudio.NL has been advocating for almost two decades.
“The water is being paved for water-based, high-density developments in cities threatened by sea-level rise and urbanisation,” he said.
“Each project is a small step towards those floating neighbourhoods.”
How the 1960s craze for oceanic exploration changed our relationship with the planet
By Chris Michael
The Guardian
2020.Jun.08
In November 1966, the Gemini 12 spacecraft, carrying two astronauts, splashed down in the Pacific. The four-day mission was a triumph, proving that humans could work in outer space, and even step into the great unknown, albeit tethered to their spacecraft. It catapulted the US ahead of the USSR in the space race.
From then, Nasa’s goal was to beat the Russians to the moon. That meant weeks rather than days in space, in an isolated, claustrophobic environment. There was one perfect way to prepare humans for these conditions: going underwater. The world was gripped. If we could land people on the moon, why not colonise the ocean as well?
Nasa scientists were not the first to dream of marine living. Evidence of submarines and diving bells can be found as far back as the 16th century. The literary grandfather of all things deep, Jules Verne, popularised the idea of a more sophisticated underwater life with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1872, but it was in the 20th century that the fascination really took hold.
In the 1930s, American naturalist William Beebe and engineer Otis Barton collaborated on experimental submersibles called bathyspheres which set records for deep diving and opened up the underwater realm of plants and animals to science. Swiss physicist and oceanographer Auguste Piccard created the bathyscaphe (which used floats rather than surface cables) in 1946, and his son, Jacques, was on the record-breaking voyage to explore the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth, in 1960. Auguste also created the mesoscaphe – the world’s first passenger submarine – in 1964.
Arkup#1 Miami è una vera e propria houseboat lunga 22,9m, si sviluppa su 2 piani e comprende 404 mq di superficie coperta.
La progettazione è frutto del lavoro tra lo studio americano Arkup e l’architetto olandese Koen Olthuis con un team di oltre 20 specialisti provenienti da 5 Paesi diversi ed è stata commissionata dall’amore del proprietario per gli yacht ed il mare.
La sua caratteristica più interessante rispetto ad altre case galleggianti sono i suoi 4 pilastri idraulici telescopici che possono essere dispiegati ad una profondità di 6m per stabilizzare l’abitazione e sollevarla dal fondale al di sopra della linea di galleggiamento, al fine di evitare onde e ridurre la manutenzione dello scafo.
I progettisti hanno anche certificato che è classificata per resistere ad uragani di categoria 4 fino a 250 mph (250 km/h). Nell’Arkup#1 troviamo anche pannelli solari da 36 kW e batterie fino a 1.000 kWh sufficienti ad alimentarla autonomamente.
L’acqua piovana viene raccolta dal tetto e purificata per renderla potabile ed è dotata di ogni comfort: internet, tv e radio. La casa è azionata da una coppia di propulsori azimut elettrici da 100 kW (134 CV), che le consentono di raggiungere sino a 7 nodi di velocità (13 km/h), senza l’utilizzo di carburanti.
La casa è molto luminosa e perfettamente climatizzata, si sviluppa su una pianta rettangolare regolare cinta da ampie vetrate. Al piano terra: salotto, zona pranzo, cucina, bagno e la terrazza esterna di ben 77 mq con angolo cucina ed area relax.
Al piano superiore, ci sono 4 camere da letto, ognuna con bagno privato. Gli interni sono caratterizzati da linee pulite ed un’estetica minimalista in cui domina il bianco. I mobili sono progettati su misura e realizzati con materiali sostenibili.
Questo gioiellino è ora in vendita per 5,5 milioni di dollari!