Architecture, urban planning and research in, on and next to water
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Sea Trees , a beautiful way to save the cities

By Ana Swanson
The Washington Post
December.2014

 

In many of the world’s fast-growing cities, there isn’t enough room for people to live, let alone wildlife. Our friends beneath us in the food chain are becoming increasingly marginalized—world wildlife populations have decreased by about half over the last 40 years alone. Now, there’s a plan to give urban homes back to wildlife. But these homes aren’t quite urban. They’re, essentially, giant floating trees.

The underwater portion of a “Sea Tree.” (Waterstudio)

Waterstudio, a Dutch architectural firm that specializes in designing floating structures, wants to erect “Sea Trees” in major cities. The structures are multi-tiered, tree-shaped habitats that float near urban areas and could provide sanctuary for birds, bees, bats and small aquatic creatures that might not be cut out for city living in the 21st century.

Based on the technology in oil storage towers, the trees have multiple platforms for accommodating wildlife. The underwater portion can house fish and other sea creatures and even provide an artificial coral reef in climates that will allow it.

Koen Olthius, Waterstudio’s founder, told Fast Company that the concept is ready to be implemented as soon as possible. “Our favorite locations would be Mumbai or New York,” he said. “Both have such a high price on land that it makes the construction of new park zones on land not feasible.”

According to Waterstudio, the design would cost approximately 1 million euros ($1.23 million) to build. The idea, of course, may never actually come to fruition, but it looks like a clever and innovative way for cities to give refuge to animals that badly need it

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Waterstudio ‘dan Suya Meydan Okuyan Villa

By Mimarizm
mimarizm.com
December.3.2014

 

Hollandalı mimarlık pratiği Waterstudio.NL’nin ülkenin güneyinde gerçekleştirdiği “Villa New Water” projesi, DuPont™Corian® dış cephe uygulaması ile hem tarz hem bakım anlamında minimalist bir tasarım ortaya koyuyor.

“Su kenarındaki yapı, özel gereklilikler demektir”

Hollanda’nın güneyindeki Westland belediyesi kıyı şeridinde bulunan villa tasarımında kullanılan Cameo White rengindeki DuPont™Corian® dış cephe kaplaması, yapıya zamansız bir zarafet katıyor.

Waterstudio.NL kurucusu mimar Koen Olthuis , tasarımlarının önemli bir bileşeni olan bu malzemeyi şöyle değerlendiriyor:

“Su kenarında bulunan bir yapı, özel yapı gereklilikleri demektir. DuPont™Corian® ise bu zorlu hava koşulları için ideal bir çözümdür. Bir süre sonra, sıvalar göze hoş görünmemeye başlar. Ancak bu malzeme nem ve havanın etkilerine karşı dayanıklıdır. Bundan yıllar sonra bile bu dış cephe kaplaması yapıldığı günkü kadar iyi gözükecektir. DuPont ™ Corian®, su kenarında olmayan yapılar için de kullanımı pratik ve verimli bir malzemedir.”

“Rahatsız edici ayrıntılar olmadan kesintisiz bir yüzey yaratabiliyorum”

“Kamış çatıdan yapılmış bir kır evi istemiyorduk. İstediğimiz, elli yıl sonra hala modern gözükecek bir ev yapmaktı.” diyen Olthuis, ayırt edici kıvrımlara sahip villa tasarımını mümkün kılan DuPont™Corian® için “Bu malzeme çok ilham verici, her zaman yeni olasılıklar keşfediyorum.” ifadelerini kullanıyor.

Bu malzemeyi tercih edişini endüstriyel tasarım geçmişiyle ilişkilendiren Hollandalı mimar, “DuPont™Corian®, yapıları hayalimde öngördüğüm gibi gerçekleştirmeme olanak sağlıyor. Saçak, pencere çerçeveleri ve çatı çıkıntıları gibi rahatsız edici ve tasarımın özünden uzaklaştıran ayrıntılar olmadan kesintisiz bir yüzey yaratabiliyorum.”

Westland’de su kenarında bulunan villanın yuvarlatılmış hatlara sahip dış cephesi gözalıcı bir tasarıma sahip. DuPont™ Corian® projede hem yatay hem de dikey yüzeylerde kullanılırken, balkon kenarları ve güneş koruyucuların minimalistik kaplamalarında Cameo White rengi tercih edilmiş.

Koen Olthuis, tamamen pürüzsüz bir dokuya sahip dış cephe kaplamasının yıllar geçse de görüntüsünü koruyacağına ve neredeyse hiçbir bakım gerektirmeyeceğine dikkat çekiyor. DuPont™Corian®’ın çevresel faydası da oldukça fazla çünkü bu cephe kaplaması değişim gerektirmese bile, her zaman çıkarılıp yeniden kullanılabiliyor.

Malzemenin avantajları iç mekana da taşındı

Malzemeyi villanın iç uygulamalarında da kullanan Olthuis, iç mekanda kullanım için dikey düzlemde sorunsuz şekilde değişen yüzeyle farklı bir ada mutfak tasarladı.

Olthuis’a göre, suya, asidik malzemelere ve yüksek sıcaklığa dayanıklı bu malzeme, mutfaklar için mükemmel bir alternatif sunuyor. Mutfak dolapları da yine aynı malzemeden imal edilirken, pürüzsüz yüzeylerle kontrast yaratmak amacıyla bazı kapak panelleri yumuşak dolgu etkisi kullanılarak monte edildi.

Yemek pişirme adası ve mutfak dolapları, Cameo White renkli DuPont™Corian® solid yüzey malzemesi kullanılarak yapıldı.

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New Water Villa: ver van de functionele Nederlandse architectuur

By Bob Witman
Volkskrant
October.2014

 

Opgetrokken uit corian in plaats van baksteen, bochtig in plaats van strak. Tussen de kassen van Naaldwijk staat een fraai ‘net geen herenhuis’.

De New Water Villa. Beeld Koen Olthuis

Het ziet eruit als een villa waar James Bond graag cocktails drinkt, met precies de goede space age-achtige uitstraling die zo populair was in jaren zestig, toen we de maan bewandelden. New Water Villa ligt in de polder bij Naaldwijk, verscholen achter kassen. Een woning in de vorm van een boemerang, geheel opgetrokken uit wit corian, een composiet dat vrijwel alleen nog wordt toegepast als meubelmateriaal. Met zijn U-vormige hoeklijsten oogt de bungalow als een sexy ufo.

New Water Villa is een ontwerp van Koen Olthuis van architectenbureau Waterstudio. Net als een ander, onlangs gebouwd spectaculair woonhuis, Villa Kogelhof van Paul de Ruiter Architecten in Zeeland, is ook deze villa het resultaat van dapper particulier opdrachtgeverschap. Olthuis kreeg van de bewoners de vrije hand: het huis, het interieur en de tuin: hij mocht het allemaal vormgeven. De kwekersfamilie uit Naaldwijk wilde een herenhuis, maar liet zich verrassen.

Een herenhuis is het niet geworden. Ze kregen geen baksteen, maar wit composiet met glas en hout. Geen rechte plattegrond met gangen en kamertjes, maar golvende vertrekken die naadloos in elkaar overlopen. Geen oprijlaan met klinkers, maar asfalt. Geen Franse siertuin, maar kunstgras en hier en daar een polletje groen.

Architect Olthuis bouwt niet vaak op land. Zijn niche is drijvende architectuur. In Nederland, maar ook in het buitenland, waar hij het materiaal corian eerder toepaste voor stadsbouw op water bij de laaggelegen Malediven.

Corian is een relatief nieuwe kunststof, althans, in het buitengebruik. Dat is altijd tricky, omdat het onzeker is hoe het veroudert. Maar corian is keihard, duur, polijstbaar en houdt zich volgens Olthuis uitstekend, zelfs in een zoutwateromgeving.

De New Water Villa. Beeld Koen Olthuis

Onorthodoxie

Wat opvalt in Naaldwijk is niet alleen de onorthodoxie van het materiaal, maar ook de vorm. De villa heeft een heel leesbare contour, bijna kinderlijk eenvoudig. ‘Readable architecture’, noemt het bureau dat zelf.

Sensueel, makkelijk na te tekenen en ver weg van de functionele architectuur die in Nederland gangbaar is. Waar vorm altijd een ratio heeft en mooi nooit alleen maar mooi mag zijn. Dit huis is eerder benaderd als een product waarbij vorm en materiaal de dienst uitmaken, dan als een werk van architectuur waar volume en schaal leidend zijn.

Olthuis is opgeleid als industrieel ontwerper en als architect. Het is verleidelijk om in het Zuid-Hollandse kassenlandschap te zeggen: ja-dat-kun-je-wel-zien-ook. Zijn aanpak van de buitenzijde loopt door in het interieur, waar hij hetzelfde materiaal gebruikt als buiten: een keukenblad van gebogen corian, de keukenkastjes en het corian haardmeubel zijn bekleed met gecapitonneerde stof.

De slaapruimtes zitten in het souterrain, omdat boven het maaiveld slechts een beperkt aantal vierkante meters mocht worden bebouwd. De tuin is oorverdovend simpel, met een strookje kunstgras tegen de voet van de gevel aan, om de scheiding tussen het groen en het witte corian zo scherp mogelijk te houden.

De boemerang ligt met de holle kant naar het water en de polder gericht met een doorlopende glaswand die op een exceptionele wijze in een hoek van 90 graden buigt. Dat glas geeft, zowel buiten als binnen, onvermoede weerkaatsingen waardoor je je soms in het lachspiegelhuis van de kermis waant.

De bolle zijde van de villa, gekeerd naar de oprijlaan, is relatief gesloten. De elleboogpunt van de boemerang herbergt de hoofdentree. De bewoners gingen akkoord met de moderniteiten van de architect, maar eisten wel een entree. Dus kregen ze een voordeur met een statig natuurstenen trapje.

Het bochtenwerk is cruciaal. Het zit in het interieur, het glas en natuurlijk in de kopse buitenzijdes, die de villa het karakteristiek geven van twee platgedrukte U’s die op hun zij liggen. De keuze voor die rondingen leidde voor de architect automatisch tot het materiaal corian. Dat kun je verhitten en in een mal gieten, waardoor je volmaakt gladde rondingen krijgt. Iets wat je met steen nooit kunt nadoen,

De binnenruimte voelt prettig aan, door het bochtenwerk ontstaat een natuurlijke compartimentering. Het gebogen glas is spectaculair, maar dat corian is wel heel erg wit. Je loopt constant rond met de gedachte en-wie-moet-dat-allemaal-schoonhouden?

Maar volgens de corianfabrikant is het onderhoudsvriendelijk en duurzaam, hoewel kostbaar in de basisprijs. Voor de vorm van het huis is het corian ononvertroffen. Het is van dichtbij net zo smooth als op de foto. Dat kun je niet altijd zeggen in de architectuur.

De New Water Villa. Beeld Koen Olthuis

 

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Long for a sea change? Buy a house boat

By Alina Dizik
BBC
September.28.2014

 

When Soren Terkelsen moved to a houseboat with his wife and two young children seven years ago, he wasn’t prepared for a front-row seat of Copenhagen’s winter storms.

“All of a sudden the ship turns into a steel thing that you cannot control,” said the 44-year-old. “We were completely new to this and had a lot of surprises.”

For Terkelsen, taking care of the M/S Arno, a 50-year-old boat that was refurbished into a family home, wasn’t immediately intuitive. In fact, there was much to learn about the new lifestyle.

The boat requires a new coat of paint with the rust scraped off every few years, the septic tank needs to be emptied regularly and there are mooring restrictions that dictate where he can keep the vessel.

Still, living close to the city without the chaos, while enjoying the serenity unique to waterside living—like watching geese and other water birds fly past — is hugely rewarding, he said.

“I really love it,” said Terkelsen, who recently started Copenhagen Boats, a boat-rental business.

For those who’ve long dreamed of living on the water, owning a houseboat is within reach. Many refurbished boats are on the market in waterfront cities including Seattle, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Copenhagen. And, new luxury communities are in various stages of development in Dubai, the Maldives and Miami. Houseboat prices can run from $200,000 into the millions, depending on the location and the level of luxury.

Architects say homes that float on the water can rise and fall with the tides, keeping buyers safe from flooding and rising water levels due to climate change. “It’s a unique lifestyle,” said Rick Miner, a Seattle-based real estate broker who specializes in floating homes and has lived in one for 23 years.

How to find it

After 25 years spent working in the hospitality industry in Vancouver, Canada, Ben de Vries knew he wanted to return to Holland and live in one of Amsterdam’s famous houseboats. But finding a boat wasn’t easy.

In cities like Amsterdam, licensed boats docked within city limits can be difficult to find because there are so few lots along the city’s waterways. After a long search, de Vries bought an old boat in 2001 for €120,000 ($92,850), which didn’t quite fit his idea of a dream houseboat because it was cramped and in need of an upgrade.

But, the old boat was well worth the price, he said, as the purchase included the valuable docking space license, or ligplaats, which in Amsterdam is sold together with the boat. Places to moor the boat in this Dutch city are fixed and cannot be changed to a different location, similar to purchased land. De Vries eventually purchased a new boat for €110,000 ($85,115) to put in the same space.

The hassle was worth it. While some houseboat communities on the city’s most popular canals can be loud, De Vries says he lives in a quieter part of the city and enjoys the diversity of his houseboat community. “They are usually interesting people that live on houseboats,” he said.

He also loves being close to nature. “I see big fish swimming around,” he said. “You’re more exposed to the elements.”

Due to limited docking space, competition for house boats is fierce in most markets, according to Koen Olthuis, founder of Waterstudio, an architecture firm in Deft, Holland that specializes on over-water projects.

Miner says that only six or seven boat properties per year are available for sale in Seattle and range from $700,000 to $1 million. By comparison, in Amsterdam, with an estimated 2,500 houseboats, there are more properties for sale and small older boats can sell for €200,000 ($154,750).

Finding a houseboat on your own can be difficult, so it is advisable to find a real-estate agent that specialises in houseboat sales. In the Maldives, for instance, Christie’s is selling 185 new floating villas, which start at $1 million and are in the first phase of completion, said Olthuis, who helped create the project.

Fees and maintenance

If you’re thinking of taking the plunge, there are some financial considerations to take into account.

The newest floating homes are built on a hollow concrete barge that can be towed to other locations but can’t be moved independently. But, because many floating homes and houseboats aren’t equipped with the engines, mechanics or navigation systems of boats, upkeep costs can be lower than a fully functioning water vessel of a similar size.

Monthly upkeep of your houseboat can cost from $200 to $600 for mooring fees and maintenance. Most owners pay monthly homeowner dues that cover water, sewer and dock maintenance. Those who own their docking spot, don’t pay a monthly mooring fee.

Houseboat owners are required to pay personal property taxes similar to home ownership on land. And, many houseboat communities also provide parking for homeowners as part of the monthly dues. But, in some areas, the saltwater can eat away at the floating home and require expensive upkeep well into the thousands of dollars, so budgeting for longer term, one-off or occasional expenses is also a good idea. When getting a mortgage, insurance in a must and is only slightly higher than homeowners insurance on land, mostly due to more possible weather damage. In the US, houseboat insurance averages about $1,500 annually.

Life on the water

If you think a houseboat will provide solitude, think again. Floating homes have their own neighbourhoods and provide a sense of community with other owners because they are rarely moved from one place to the next.

People “don’t realize how similar it is to normal housing,” said Olthuis, whose firm focuses entirely on overwater properties. “People still think it’s something futuristic.”

However, some of the comforts of home differ and require some adjustment. For one, bringing groceries or items back to the boat is often an acquired skill because you need to walk along a jetty. Odd jobs around your houseboat will also be different to those on land. A septic tank filled with used water needs to be properly emptied and cables that attach the boat to land must be checked frequently to prevent a boat coming loose during high winds.

Decorating is also a unique consideration. Some regular furniture can be an odd fit into the houseboat’s curved rooms, says Terkelsen, which means furnishing it could be more interesting — but more expensive  — than a house on land. Some companies including the US-based Bradd and Hall specialize in furniture in marine settings.

How to finance it

Financing a home on the water is different than purchasing a home on land.

In the US, smaller banks located near houseboat communities such as those in the Northwest will help buyers get a mortgage, but most homes are bought for cash, said Miner. With a mortgage, most boat purchases require a 20% down payment, he said. Such mortgages require special inspections that can cost up to $800 and involve a dive survey of the outside part of the home, which is a cost covered by the buyer and should be factored into closing costs.

In Amsterdam, to close on sale, boats need to be examined in a shipyard outside of the water. Not all banks around the world offer houseboat mortgages. Instead, buyers may need to take out a secured loan, which is similar to a mortgage and gives more favourable terms because the borrower pledges collateral for the loan.

An added return

With so many curious travellers, one perk to owning a houseboat is that they are easy to rent out.

This year, Terkelsen and his family moved back on land to start renting out their Copenhagen houseboat online. Bookings are already filled for the next three months, providing a healthy income stream.

Renting out a room on his Amsterdam boat also helps De Vries offset the extra expense of living on the water, while allowing him to share his love of the water with travellers. Guests enjoy the novelty of booking a room at Ben’s Boat and Breakfastand being only 10 minutes away from the center of town, said De Vries who rents one of his bedroom suites for €95 ($123) per night.

“It’s a rewarding business,” he said.

 

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The skyscraper NATURE RESERVES: Architects hope to build £790,000 multi-storey habitats above and below water in cities

By Victoria Woollaston
Daily Mail
September.19.2014

 

With green spaces being replaced by building sites and large-scale developments around the world, architects are constantly looking for ways to replace them.
One such concept, devised by a team Dutch-based architects, uses towering structures built with layers of green space in which flora and fauna could live.
Called the Sea Tree, the structures would have space for birds and animals to live above ground, and would be bedded under the sea for fish and coral to inhabit.

‘Urbanisation and climate change put a lot of pressure on available space for nature in city centres,’ explained Waterstudio.
‘New initiatives for adding extra park zones to a city are rare.
‘Yet these kind of additional habitats for birds, bees, bats and other small animals could bring a lot of positive green effects to the environment of a city.’
Waterstudio’s concept is called the Sea Tree and it was designed to add high density, green spots to towns and cities.
According to designs, it would be a floating structure built using layers where animals and birds can live.
The structures would not accessible by man, and would be built using offshore technology and resources, similar to how oil storage towers are built and powered out at sea.
The idea is that large oil companies would donate a Sea Tree, and the trees could be built on rivers, seas, lakes and harbours.
The height and depth of the Sea Tree could also be adjusted depending on where it was placed.
To hold it in place, Waterstudio claims Sea Trees would be moored to the sea bed with a cable system.
Under the water, the Sea Tree would provide a habitat for small water creatures or, if the climate allowed for it, artificial coral reefs.
As well as providing a home for nature, the green structures could help reduce CO2 emissions produced by cities and towns.
‘The beauty of the design is that it provides a solution, and at the same time does not cost expensive space on land.
‘While the effect of the species living in the Sea Tree will affect a zone of several miles around the moored location.
‘For as we know, this floating tower will be the first floating object 100 per cent built and designed for flora and fauna.’
The firm said inspiration came from a project in Holland where ecologists asked them to provide habitats for animals which couldn’t be disturbed by people.
The cost for the Sea Tree design is estimated at €1 million (£786,100), and this would depend on water depth, mooring facilities and transport from construction site to the chosen city.
Further cost differences would depend on the preferred flora and fauna.
Waterstudio said it is in the process of finalising the location of the trees, and discussing costs with oil companies. Once these are complete, they will start construction.

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