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World’s first portable islands will let super-rich create eco-friendly getaways anywhere on Earth

By Jack Williams
Mirror
August.2015

 

Amillarah Private Islands have released artists’ impressions of luxury getaways in the Maldives, Miami and Dubai, where work is already is already planne

Want to own your own island but can’t find one in your desired location?

Such issues could soon be consigned to history – for the super-wealthy, at least – after plans were unveiled for the world’s first PORTABLE islands.

These artists’ impressions show the self -sustaining, eco-friendly creations that will allow people to create their own getaways anywhere on Earth.

Each home will adhere to the customer’s every need – with the renderings including options such as swimming pools, boat docks and greenery.

 

Grand plans: Amillarah Private Islands is the company behind the getaways

Going green: The islands will be eco-friendly and self-sustaining

 

Amillarah Private Islands are the creative force behind the initiative, which will offer islands in all shapes and sizes.

Their renderings show properties in the likes of the Maldives, Miami and Dubai, where Amillarah islands are already planned.

Where would you park your private island? Have your say in the comment box below.

 

Bespoke: Each island will adhere to the customer’s every need

Custom-made: Designs feature swimming pools, boat docks and greenery

 

Amillarah is overseen by developers Dutch Docklands, who have teamed up with Christie’s International Real Estate for the project.

Dan Conn, CEO of Christie’s International Real Estate, said: “The opportunity to literally develop a private island on a body of water is a testament to Dutch Dockland’s skills in this arena.

 

Take your pick: Amillarah will offer islands in all shapes and sizes

 

“Buyers are able to customise the size, shape and style of their residence, within the broadest range of locations, beginning with this first opportunity in the Maldives.”

The designs were created by famed Dutch architect Koen Olthuis, who helped found Dutch Docklands, in 2005.

 

Island life: The designs were created by Dutch architect Koen Olthuis

 

Each island is intended to keep environmental impact to a minimum using state-of-the-art technology.

The company are already developing 10 properties with the Government of Maldives, which will create a lagoon 25 minutes from the nearest airport.

 

Tropical: Amillarah are developing 10 properties with the Government of Maldives

 

In Dubai, OQYANA Real Estate have signed a deal for 33 islands, while in Miami, 30 islands are set to be developed.

Paul van de Camp, CEO of Dutch Docklands, added: “We’ve not only created a new luxury global brand with ‘Amillarah Private Islands’ but also a new industry of private island development to cater to our most discerning clients.

 

In demand: In Dubai, OQYANA Real Estate have signed a deal for 33 islands

 

“In addition to our Maldivian project, we have new developments signed in Dubai and Miami, and are actively looking for opportunities worldwide.”

Rick Moeser, Senior Vice President at Christie’s International Real Estate, said: “Each of these homes is an eco-friendly work of art that can be lived in, allowing consumers to not only create, but enjoy whatever kind of paradise they desire.”

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4 Reasons why you should buy your own personalised floating island

By Boat,
August.2015

 

1. You can customise your private island

The world of private island real estate could be about to dramatically change as Christie’s International has announced a partnership with Dutch Docklands to construct a series of atolls across the globe.

Looking for a secluded island paradise? Discover what Amillarah Private Islands will have to offer:

You can customise your island

Always wanted your own private island but never found one that quite fits your exacting criteria? Panic not as it is possible to customise your island to your wishes.

Dan Conn, CEO of Christie’s International Real Estate. “Buyers are able to customize the size, shape and style of their residence.”

Rick Moeser, the firm’s senior vice president, added: “Each of these homes is an eco-friendly work of art that can be lived in, allowing consumers to not only create, but enjoy whatever kind of paradise they desire.”

2. You can choose the location of your private island

Not only can you customise the design of your island, but you also get to decide where it is located. Maldives? Miami? Dubai? New York? Simply take your pick.

The project is going to start with 10 islands being built in Maldives in a lagoon, which is only a 35-minute transfer by boat from the airport. So whilst you’re exploring the Maldives next, stop by your own private island. In addition, there are already agreements signed in Dubai and Miami and other locations are currently being sought out.

3. Your island will be eco-friendly

With increasing threats to the world’s oceans, it is reassuring to know that the islands will be created using the latest state-of-the-art green technology.

The base of the island is designed to last for more than 100 years and will create a new habitat for sea life to live underneath. The project has teamed up with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society to work out better ways to enhance these new ocean habitats.

4.Your island will be constructed using the best in Dutch design

As we know from the superyacht industry, the Dutch are pretty good at creating things that float. Founded in 2005, Dutch Docklands are experts in floating developments, concepts and infrastructure. Using The Netherlands’ experience from the battle against rising water levels the company will create the islands that will be “self-sustainable and safe from rising sea levels”.

“We have not only created a new luxury global brand with Amillarah Private Islands but also a new industry of private island development to cater to our most discerning clients,” said Paul van de Camp, CEO of Dutch Docklands.

All pictures courtesy of Christie’s International

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Christie’s to Sell the World’s First Portable Private Islands

By Jim Dobson
Forbes
August.2015

 

Christie’s International Real Estate has announced a new initiative to build self-sufficient and eco-friendly private islands around the world for consumers looking for a unique residential opportunity. The world’s first truly portable private islands.

Amillarah Private Islands will allow guests to make their own self-sufficient island and determine its location anywhere in the world. Brands often provide luxury services by adhering to the consumer’s every wish, and Christie’s, along with its partner Dutch Docklands, will be bringing both luxury real estate and customization to a new level with these islands.

“This partnership with Dutch Docklands fits in perfectly with our strategy,” said Michael Sherman, vice president of corporate communications, Christie’s International Real Estate, New York.

Amillarah Miami Island rendering

Amillarah Miami Island rendering

A private island to call your own may sound like a fantasy or a lifelong dream, but with Amillarah Private Islands it is a reality.

Amillarah has created unique tailor-made floating residences designed by famed Dutch architect Koen Olthuis, who was named one of the most influential people by Time Magazine. These completely self-sustainable floating islands are free from environmental impact, safe from rising sea levels, and will create a new underwater habitat for sea life.

Create your own private paradise wherever you want. Not only can you customize the size, shape, and style of your floating residence, but you get to choose where you want it to be located. Miami? Maldives? Dubai? New York?

Amillarah Miami Island rendering

Amillarah Miami Island rendering

Amillarah is the creative vision of expert developer Dutch Docklands. Founded in 2005 by Paul H.T.M. van de Camp and Koen Olthuis, this innovative company is based on hundreds of years of Dutch expertise or “Know-H2OW” in water defense technology and management.

For hundreds of years the Dutch have lead the world in water defense technology, which is why Amillarah Private Islands’ developers Dutch Docklands was the perfect fit to develop these luxury, floating islands. Working globally in cooperation with Christie’s and famed oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society charity, this is the ultimate team.

Amillarah Private Island rendering

Amillarah Private Island rendering

Whether you prefer a romantic styled island surrounded by natural green, your own tropical island with white sandy beaches or a modern urban contemporary styled island, it is up to the buyer.

Amillarah Private Islands are self-sufficient, scarless developments with the latest state-of-the-art green technology, which keeps their environmental impact at a minimum.

Completely stable on the water, the base of the island is built to last for far over 100 years and will create a new underwater habitat for sea life.

Amillarah Maldives Island rendering

Amillarah Maldives Island rendering

MALDIVES

In one of the most beautiful lagoons in the Maldives, the company is developing in a Joint Venture with the Government of Maldives 10 Amillarah Private Islands. The breathtaking lagoon is only a 25-minute boat transfer away from the airport. The islands will all be designed with a maximum of privacy and luxury in mind, giving the owners the ultimate get-away-from-it-all.

Amillarah Dubai Island rendering

Amillarah Dubai Island rendering

DUBAI

The company has signed a deal with OQYANA Real Estate for a total of 33 Amillarah Private Islands within the OQYANA WORLD FIRST developments on ‘The World Islands’ project in Dubai.

The deal was inked in Dubai between Ali O Alghannam, CEO of OQYANA Real Estate and Paul van de Camp, CEO of Dutch Docklands, in the presence of Zeyad Abdullatif Janahi, the Chairman of OQYANA Real Estate Company.

Amillarah Maldives Island rendering

Amillarah Maldives Island rendering

MIAMI

Connected to the Inter Coastal and the Ocean, a 175 acre Lake will be the scene of the first Amillarah Private Islands in the United States.

30 Amillarah Private Islands and a VIP amenity island will service the rich and famous of the Miami upper crust while providing the ultimate bragging rights.

Private boat service, butlers and a well-trained island staff ensure a luscious stay at one of the world’s most talked about developments in recent decade. The Miami islands will be surrounded by the upscale nightlife, restaurants , shopping and entertainment this ultimate destination has to offer.

Amillarah Dubai Island rendering

Amillarah Dubai Island rendering

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An island of my own

By Zoe Dare Hall
The Daily Telegraph
July.2015

 

 

An island of my own

Your own private island cheaper than the average London home

An island might be the ultimate status symbol but 65 per cent are on sale for less than £350,000

In the rarefied world of trophy homes, there’s little that says “I’m absurdly rich” like having your own private island.

Johnny Depp has one in the Bahamas without even a house on it. “That’s a growing trend among island owners, especially celebrities, who like the idea of camping out and not leaving a footprint,” says Kate Everett-Allen, co-author of Knight Frank’s “Island Review”, which looks at the latest trends in island living.

Others prefer to share their private islands, such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who recently paid around $100 million for a chunk of Kauai island in Hawaii.

And a growing band are renting rather than owning, giving them the freedom to island-hop according to the seasons. Knight Frank calls them “wealthy millennials”, while Farhad Vladi, founder of Vladi Private Islands, who deals with many of the world’s island sales, refers to them as the “Facebook generation who like the excitement of island living but not the responsibility of ownership”.

There are currently a few hundred islands for sale ranging from wild, untouched outcrops to luxury hideaways with palatial homes or exclusive resorts. Most expensive is the 222-acre Cave Cay in the Bahamas on sale for $90 million (£58.4 million) with a deep-water harbour, private airstrip and house – plus permission has been given for 38 more properties and a hotel. Or, if you have $62 million, you could buy Halls Pond Cay, which would make Mr Depp your neighbour, both through Vladi Private Islands (0049 40 33 89 89; vladi-private-islands.de).

But 65 per cent of private islands are on sale for less than $500,000, according to Knight Frank, and some are positively cheap if you don’t mind forsaking the warm-watered idyll for something a little nippier on the toes and off the beaten track.

There’s Porcupine Island in Nova Scotia, for example, which Vladi is marketing for just under £30,000. There’s nothing on it, but you get a house on the mainland 800m away as part of the package.

The growth of technology – and the use of private jets – is making islands an increasingly attractive work-and-play option for the super-rich. “It’s much easier if you can work somewhere you enjoy spending time, and with Skype and video conferencing people can work from their islands, as Richard Branson does on Necker,” says Edward de Mallet Morgan from Knight Frank’s international residential department. He’s marketing Yadua island in Fiji with a guide price of $2.5 million-$3 million (020 7629 8171; knightfrank.com) – currently undeveloped but with permission to build overwater and island properties.

Accessibility isn’t a problem for Yadua; it’s 10 minutes by helicopter from Fiji’s main Nadi international airport. But if there’s one issue that is deterring prospective island buyers, it’s the prospect of having to start from scratch, building the infrastructure, installing utilities and finding someone trustworthy to run your empire when you’re off-island.

Buck Island in the British Virgin Islands – price on request through Knight Frank – removes much of that hassle as it already has a 12-bedroom clifftop house surrounded by 43 acres of tropical beauty. “It’s ready to go and with Beef Island’s airport a quick helicopter trip away, you can be master of your own domain but you’re close enough to get away if you need to,” says de Mallet Morgan.

Or easier still is to join the growing band of ultra-rich who are happy to sacrifice being the sole king of the castle in favour of buying into exclusive island resorts – which are driving the 69 per cent increase in private jet flights to island destinations in the past decade, according to NetJets. In that period, the number of private flights doubled in Antigua, Ibiza, the Greek Islands and Majorca. For the super-rich who slum it by flying commercial, the rise in the number of routes to the Balearics has done wonders for their desirability.

“Until 2012, you couldn’t even get direct flights in winter to Ibiza. Now Ibiza and Majorca have an ever-increasing number of direct flights all year, good IT connectivity and sought-after international schools, making them an ideal place for the work/lifestyle balance for young professionals,” says Everett-Allen.

The Caribbean islands of Mustique and Jumby Bay are rare examples of wealthy island communities whose villa owners own a share of the island. “They feel like private villages rather than commercially run operations and Mustique now has fibre optic across the island so it’s easy to work remotely,” says de Mallet Morgan.

You’ll need deep pockets to join them. Many of Jumby Bay’s properties are like mini-resorts with their numerous pavilions, hotel-like leisure facilities and private stretches of beach. The eight-bedroom Ty Molineux, set on eight beachfront acres, is Jumby’s biggest and priciest home, on sale for $28.5  million through Knight Frank. Annual running costs notch up a further few hundred thousand dollars a year (though you can recoup that through prime-season rentals).

On Mustique, the Balinese-style Mandalay – built in 1969 for David Bowie to include his recording studio in a pavilion hidden in the tropical gardens – (pictured below) is on sale for $20m (£13m), also through Knight Frank.

The appeal of luxury island life is also on the up in Bali, which had the greatest price growth in 2014, up by 15 per cent according to Knight Frank, followed by Mustique and Ibiza, in which property prices increased by five per cent. In Ibiza, Calaconta – where the huge, modern villas cost from €2.95 million (£2.10 million) through Knight Frank – has brought a new touch of luxury and concierge services to a peacefully remote spot on the south-west coast.

Barbados, meanwhile – whose properties had one of the highest number of online viewings among island markets last year, according to Knight Frank – may be too developed to offer the sense of getting away from it all, but its property is reaching ever more incredible heights of luxury to cater to the super-rich crowd in search of its inimitable brand of West Coast island luxury.

New to the market is Palazzate, a 75,000 sq ft beachfront mansion near Speightstown with an unprecedented price tag for the island of $125  million (001 246 262 8112; palazzate.com), while a little further down the coast is Platinum Bay, a new development of five beachfront villas that cost from $25  million (020 7647 7667; platinumbaybarbados.com) and come with “bespoke” concierge services tailored to each owner’s demands.

It’s not just the prospect of the hard work and continual expense that is leading to the world’s wealthiest steering away from buying their own private outcrop in favour of a ready-made, like-minded island community. They also face stiff competition from governments, NGOs and environmental organisations who are snapping up undeveloped islands to preserve the natural habitat.

“Ecology is becoming the buzzword for private islands and governments are landbanking them, partly to conserve them but they can also be an electoral winner,” says Knight Frank’s Everett-Allen.

The Canadian government is on an island-buying spree, currently purchasing 100 land masses in Nova Scotia. “It’s also happening in Europe and the Caribbean. There are no privately owned German islands left on the ocean now,” says Vladi, who calculates there are around 12,000 private islands in the world and only about 1,000 of them are developed and likely to remain privately owned.

“As soon as you build a marble palace on your island, it will be out of reach of the nature groups and remain in private hands. But undeveloped islands such as Ginger Island in the BVIs, on sale for $16 million, are ripe for purchase by the local government or conservationists,” he adds.

But while islands in private hands may be dwindling in number, new ones – despite what Mark Twain once famously said about investing in land – are starting to emerge.

Volcanic eruptions are creating new islands each year in Tonga, Russia and Japan, according to Knight Frank, and the growing need for “aquatecture” (homes that will withstand or repel flooding) is leading to the creation of new floating islands such as Amillarah, newbuild, eco-friendly private islands with villas priced from $10 million in Dubai, the Maldives and Miami (0096 033 36664; amillarah.com).

Whether you want to lord it alone over your own land mass or join a select group, whether you buy or rent, build a mansion or camp out like Johnny, there is no lack of luxury island living on offer around the world. And this is one trophy purchase for which you don’t even need to be a billionaire.

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Living with water – Building with nature

By HKIE-YMC
Overseas delegation Hong Kong
2015

 

 

The delegates visited the architectural firm Waterstudio which specialzes in the design of floating building, landscape and urban planning solutions with floating components. Apart from the local developments, they have also worked on several floating projects in China, Unites Arab Emirate and the Maldives.

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Green light for Dubai’s first private floating islands

By Parag Deulgaonkar
Emirates 24|7
June.2015

 

Oqyana World First to have 33 floating houses with own beach, garden and pool

Oqyana Real Estate and Amillarah Private Islands will create will be 33 luxury floating private islands with each having a garden, pool and beach. (Supplied)

Dubai-based Nakheel has given the go-ahead to the developer of the floating islands, which are part of Oqyana World First, on The World, an artificial archipelago of over 300 islands, according to the project developers.

“Nakheel has now granted our project with all the necessary permits in order to take the next step,” Oqyana Real Estate and Amillarah Private Islands said in a joint statement.

The developer claims it was the ‘first’ floating project ‘officially approved’ on The World, which has been developed by Nakheel, a wholly-owned government entity.

In January 2015, the two companies signed a deal to create a series of floating private islands as part of the project located on Australasia.

There will be 33 luxury floating private islands with each having a garden, pool and beach.

“We are offering floating private islands, tailor made to the clients specifications, based on our Dutch heritage of hundreds of years of working with the water,” Paul van de Camp, CEO, Amillarah, told Emirates 24|7.

“We do not want to start any sales before all permits are granted and all technical details are engineered.”

Completely stable on the water, the base of the island is built to last for far over 100 years and will create a new underwater habitat for sea life, the company states, adding, it is building similar islands in Maldives and in Miami in the US.

Oqyana World First comprises high-end villas, apartments, hospitality and retail elements.

In May 2015, this website reported that Kleindienst Group, developer of the Heart of Europe development on The World, had sold 35 of 42 Dh6.5-million ‘floating seahorses’, which will have the master bedroom and bathroom totally submerged underwater, to Gulf Cooperation Council nationals, Europeans and Indians.

The World

The World project is nine-kilometres wide and seven-kilometres long.

It covers an area of 931 hectares and will add 232km to Dubai’s natural 67km of beachfront.

The islands range from 150,000 to 450,000 square feet in size.

The project is divided into private estate island zones, commercial zones, which have low/mid/high density resorts, hubs for ferry transfer points and public visitor areas.

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Vingt mille lieux sur les mers

By Frederic Joignot
Le Monde

 

Vinght mille lieux sur les mers: Comment les architectes voient la vie sur l’eau

Projet “Citadel” d’appartements, agence Waterstudio (Hollande). Il s’agit de construire dans des polders ouverts des habitations flottantes adaptées à la montée des eaux. C’est une “citadelle” parce qu’il s’agit “du dernier rempart contre la mer”, disent les architectes.

Un vieux rêve de l’humanité est de se réfugier sur une île pour y refaire sa vie, voire le monde, inventer une société meilleure, expérimenter des voies nouvelles pour l’humanité. C’est sur une île que Thomas More situait Utopia (1516), sa société idéale, au cœur d’une île encore que Tommaso Campanella imaginait la Cité du Soleil (1602) ou Sir Francis Bacon La Nouvelle Atlantide(1624), menée par les philosophes. Aujourd’hui, ces utopies insulaires sont rattrapées par la réalité terrestre : construire des cités écologiques sur des îles nouvelles est devenu un mouvement architectural. Né dans l’urgence de la menace environnementale, ce courant qui a gagné l’urbanisme interpelle, depuis dix ans, économistes, institutions internationales et gouvernements.

Ce mouvement a un drapeau – bleu, couleur des océans – et un pays pionnier : les Pays-Bas. Elu en 2007 parmi les personnes les plus influentes de l’année par le magazine Time, l’architecte Koen Olthuis, cofondateur de l’agence Waterstudio, à Ryswick, est l’un de ses praticiens et théoriciens. Il signe ses mails Green is good, blue is better (« le vert [le souci écologique], c’est bien, le bleu, c’est mieux ») et avance plusieurs arguments pour expliquer pourquoi construire sur les mers est une idée d’avenir : « D’ici 2050, 70 % de la population mondiale vivra dans des zones urbanisées. Or, les trois quarts des plus grandes villes sont situées en bord de mer, alors que le niveau des océans s’élève. Cette situation nous oblige à repenser radicalement la façon dont nous vivons avec l’eau. » Car, rappelle-t-il, les cités géantes du XXIe siècle sont mal en point : « La préoccupation “verte” qui saisit aujourd’hui architectes et urbanistes ne suffira pas à résoudre les graves problèmes environnementaux des villes. Comment allons-nous affronter les problèmes de surpopulation ? De pollution ? Résister à la montée des eaux ? » Sa réponse : en bâtissant des quartiers flottants, de nouvelles îles, en aménageant des plans d’eau pour un urbanisme amphibie. « La mer est notre nouvelle frontière », affirme l’architecte, détournant la formule de John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Car si l’espace manque sur terre, la mer est immense – et inhabitée.

Waterstudio n’est pas la seule agence néerlandaise à développer cette vision « bleue ». Plusieurs cabinets d’architecture et entreprises expertes, reconnues internationalement, bâtissent déjà sur l’eau. Il faut rappeler qu’aux Pays-Bas, contrée où l’on compte 3 500 polders et des villes sillonnées de canaux, s’adapter et résister aux assauts de la mer et aux inondations est une activité séculaire indispensable : en 1953, une violente tempête a causé près de 2 000 morts et provoqué l’évacuation de 100 000 personnes. Ce savoir-faire est devenu symbolique de la lutte de l’homme face à une nature menaçante, perturbée par le changement climatique. Désormais, « le monde est un polder », écrivait le biologiste Jared Diamond dans Effondrement. Comment les sociétés décident de leur disparition ou de leur survie (Gallimard, 2006).

Sauf que les polders, ces terres artificiellement gagnées sur l’eau, ne suffisent plus. Waterstudio a notamment conçu des maisons flottantes à IJburg, un quartier expérimental au sud-est d’Amsterdam. D’autres projets maritimes sont en cours. En 2009, l’agence a dessiné le projet Citadel, une cité flottante de 60 appartements installée dans un polder délibérément ouvert aux eaux. « Nous l’appelons Citadel, car ce sera la dernière ligne de défense contre la mer », explique Koen Olthuis, pour qui ce projet « montre clairement les possibilités infinies de la construction sur l’eau »

Au pays des polders, le fait de bâtir des immeubles flottants offre un complet renversement de perspective : « Nous cherchons à nous adapter à la mer, à l’accompagner, plutôt que lutter avec elle », explique l’architecte. Quand les habitations flottent, nul besoin de pomper l’eau, de renforcer en permanence les digues. Un nouvel urbanisme s’invente, où des quartiers entiers, jardins et maisons, reposent sur l’eau, parfois ancrés au sol, parfois mobiles. Une telle conception, avance l’architecte, va bouleverser toutes nos habitudes urbaines. Elle nous oblige à revoir « notre vision statique des villes » : la terre habitée ne sera plus tout entière « ferme ». Elle nous engage à repenser notre « exigence du sec » sur des territoires protégés par les digues, pour vivre sur l’eau. Elle annonce la multiplication d’habitats flottants et amphibies sur les zones côtières.

« Une ville plus mouvante, plus dynamique, se dessine. Certains habitats et services se déplaceront. L’urbanisme, la vie citadine vont en être transformés », conclut Koen Olthuis. Il n’est pas le seul à le penser. Du 26 au 29 août, signe des temps bleus à venir, se tiendra à Bangkok Icaade 2015, la première conférence internationale sur l’architecture amphibie. A Lagos, au Nigeria, l’architecte Kunlé Adeyemi a conçu une école flottante pour les enfants du bidonville de Makoko, sur la lagune. Posée sur des barils, équipée de panneaux solaires, elle a été inaugurée en février 2013. Kunlé Adeyemi prévoit de bâtir une flottille de maisons sur le même principe.

Les architectes de l’agence DeltaSync, à Delft, aux Pays-Bas, ont synthétisé ces idées dans un manifeste architectural et économique : « Blue Revolution ». Si les terres viennent à manquer, écrivent-ils, « où irons-nous ? Dans le désert ? Les ressources en eau manquent. Dans l’espace ? C’est toujours trop cher. Reste l’océan ». Notre planète de rechange est là. Car 71 % de la surface terrestre est maritime. Le texte continue : « Ce siècle verra l’émergence sur l’océan de nouvelles cités durables (…). Elles contribueront à offrir un haut standard de vie à la population, tout en protégeant les écosystèmes. Un rêve ? Non, la réponse au principal défi du XXIe siècle. »

L’agence DeltaSync, qui a construit en 2010 un pavillon flottant dans le port de Rotterdam, conseille le gouvernement néerlandais sur ses projets d’aménagement urbain, travaille sur la flottabilité et la stabilité de l’architecture aquatique. Elle développe avec l’université des sciences appliquées Inholland un projet de parc sur l’eau dans le port du Rhin, à Rotterdam : imaginez un petit archipel abritant un marché, une piscine, des restaurants, un centre de sport, une salle de concert. L’idée pourrait être reprise dans plusieurs villes néerlandaises, dans les ports ou sur des polders ouverts.

Un autre projet conçu pour un bassin portuaire est le Sea Tree, l’arbre de mer. Conçu par Waterstudio, encore dans les cartons, il révèle une autre dimension de l’architecture bleue : son exigence écologique. Il s’agit d’une haute structure en terrasses, entièrement végétalisée, construite selon les principes de la technologie offshore. Chaque grande ville côtière pourrait en installer. Ces arbres maritimes géants pourraient aider à lutter contre l’épuisement environnemental des grandes cités : ils comporteront des potagers verticaux et des terrasses plantées pour nourrir les citadins, ils capteront le CO2, ils abriteront quantité d’animaux utiles – oiseaux, abeilles, chauves-souris insectivores – qui rayonneront sur la côte et la ville proche. A Manhattan, à Singapour, les municipalités réfléchissent sérieusement à en installer, assure-t-on à Waterstudio.

On retrouve, dans ce projet de tour portuaire, plusieurs des idées-forces du courant dit de l’« architecture écologique », en plein essor. C’est un autre volet stratégique de la construction « bleue » : récupérer et consolider les principes de la construction « verte ». Autrement dit, s’appuyer sur les énergies durables (éolien, solaire, chauffage passif, géothermie), végétaliser les terrasses et les toits, intégrer les immeubles à l’écosystème local, s’inspirer des formes naturelles. L’architecte malaisien Ken Yeang, l’un des théoriciens de cette écoarchitecture, auteur de The Green Skyscraper (« Le gratte-ciel vert », non traduit, Prestel, 1999), a poussé cette réflexion très loin : selon lui, un immeuble doit être conçu dès l’origine comme un « système vivant construit », afin de pouvoir entrer « en symbiose » avec son environnement : sobre en énergie, recyclable, bioclimatique, l’habitat doit participer du cycle naturel, réintégrer la biosphère et dépolluer, tel un arbre colossal.

Pour bâtir cette cité aquatique, il faudra d’abord concevoir des grands caissons flottants de différents formats qui s’emboîteront jusqu’à former des îlots constructibles. Les premières unités doivent être mises en chantier cette année. Les commanditaires ont hâte de les tester : la pollution des grandes villes chinoises est telle que les autorités envisagent de construire rapidement à l’écart des zones atteintes. Sur l’eau, en face des cités enfumées. Demain, ces cités pourraient abriter une partie de la population littorale, désengorger les mégapoles, être économes en énergie, alléger la dégradation environnementale

Que répondent les architectes « bleus » à ces critiques et à ces risques d’une pollution aggravée ? Ils soulignent qu’ils ne veulent pas construire des îles artificielles, mais flottantes, qui n’altéreront pas les fonds marins. Et ils avancent un nouvel argument de poids : au XXIe siècle, l’humanité (9,6 milliards d’habitants attendus en 2050) va rencontrer de graves problèmes de terre arable, d’épuisement des stocks halieutiques et d’alimentation – toutes choses qui inquiètent beaucoup l’Organisation des Nations unies pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture (FAO). A Londres, pour les concepteurs de la Floating City, la cause est entendue : seule une future « colonisation » des mers permettra d’arrêter la conquête des terres par la ville. Ils écrivent : « La biologie terrestre a été soumise depuis longtemps à une exploitation si intensive que les terres encore inexploitées doivent être préservées de l’urbanisation. De nouvelles colonies maritimes devront être planifiées au XXIe siècle. »

C’est sur cette problématique de la disparition et de l’épuisement des sols, associée à une crise alimentaire, que les défenseurs de l’urbanisme marin rejoignent un autre volet de la « révolution bleue » : la croissance exponentielle de l’aquaculture mondiale depuis vingt ans. En 2008, selon un rapport de la FAO, l’aquaculture a fourni 46 % des poissons à l’échelle mondiale. Il s’agissait à 87 % de poissons d’eau douce, mais l’aquaculture marine est en progression constante, ainsi que l’algoculture et la conchyliculture (élevage des mollusques marins). Cela se comprend : la pèche industrielle menaçant d’épuiser les stocks de nombreux poissons, l’aquaculture apparaît comme une réponse viable pour nourrir les populations, même si elle rencontre de sérieux problèmes de gestion durable.

Or, les architectes bleus avancent que l’avenir de l’aquaculture maritime passera par l’édification de fermes et de bassins nourriciers à proximité des cités côtières. C’est l’idée qui est derrière un projet de l’agence DeltaSync, « Floating food cities will save the world » (« les villes alimentaires flottantes sauveront le monde »), développé par l’ingénieur Rutger de Graaf. Imaginant une nouvelle forme d’économie circulaire, il explique que la construction de récifs artificiels accueillant poissons et crustacés, de bassins d’aquaculture aquaponique recyclant les éléments nutritifs apportés par les déchets des villes flottantes, et d’îles agricoles permettra de nourrir les populations urbaines côtières. Selon lui, il suffirait que 1 % des mers soient consacrées à l’aquaculture pour nourrir l’humanité – le reste des eaux devant être sanctuarisé. Une étude de faisabilité accompagne ces projets

Les partisans de l’architecture « bleue » avancent enfin qu’elle devrait permettre d’éviter un des drames possibles du changement climatique : la submersion de nombreuses îles du fait de la montée des eaux. Le gouvernement des Maldives y croit, qui a lancé en 2010 un programme de constructions sur l’eau afin d’accueillir les populations menacées et de sauver le tourisme : des projets de villages amarrés mais aussi d’îlots de plaisance, d’hôtels et de golfs flottants sont à l’étude. Ces réalisations pionnières, encore très élitistes − « Les riches paient pour les prototypes qui serviront à tous », explique Koen Olthuis –, sont étudiées de près par les Etats insulaires d’Océanie, qui ont lancé en juillet 2014, lors du 45e Forum des îles du Pacifique, un appel de détresse aux pays industrialisés.

Ils ont rappelé que l’archipel de Kiribati, où vivent 110 000 personnes, risque de devenir inhabitable en 2030 – même si certains scientifiques assurent que les atolls vont s’élever avec les mers. Les autorités ont d’ores et déjà acquis 2 400 hectares dans les îles Fidji pour les reloger. Le président de la République des Kiribati, Anote Tong, a aussi évoqué la possibilité de construire une « île flottante » pour les futurs réfugiés climatiques. Or, deux projets de ce type existent dans les cartons des architectes bleus. Le premier, un ensemble de trois îlots végétalisés, agricoles, supportant une tour d’habitation géante, est étudié par le constructeur japonais Shimizu Corp.

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Testing the Waters: Floating home development in Florida

By Amy Martinez
Florida Trend
February.2015

 

A 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling could lead to a first-of-its-kind floating home development in south Florida.
(Amy Martinez)

 

 

In 2005, Hurricane Wilma destroyed a pair of dilapidated marinas in North Bay Village where Fane Lozman, a former Marine pilot and software developer, kept a two-story floating home.
The Category 3 storm struck from the south, scattering splintered docks and other large debris into more than a dozen neighboring floating homes.
For years, Lozman had relished the camaraderie and convenience of living on Biscayne Bay, especially the easy access to deep-sea diving and fishing and his favorite Miami Beach restaurants. “Your speedboat was tied up right outside your front door. And you could enjoy the south Florida water lifestyle immediately and at any time,” he says.
After Lozman’s floating home, which had been docked at the north end of the marina community, emerged relatively unscathed, he quickly began looking for another place to anchor. In 2006, he had his home towed 70 miles north to Riviera Beach and rented a slip at a city-owned marina.
His new neighbors told him not to get too comfortable, however, because a planned, $2.4-billion marina redevelopment project soon would displace them. Lozman sued Riviera Beach to stop the project. And that led to another dispute, which eventually wound up before the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2009, after failing to evict Lozman in state court, Riviera Beach went to federal court, seeking a lien for about $3,000 in dockage fees and nominal trespass damages.
The city argued that because Lozman’s floating home could move across water, it was a vessel under U. S. maritime law. A federal judge in Fort Lauderdale agreed, and the home was seized, sold at auction and destroyed by Riviera Beach, which cast the winning bid.
Lozman countered that his home was similar to an ordinary landbased house and should have been protected from seizure under state law. The home consisted of a 60-by- 12-foot plywood structure built on a floating platform — with no motor or steering — and could move only under tow.
Lozman’s appeal caught the Supreme Court’s eye. And in early 2013, it handed him a victory. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in the majority opinion that because Lozman could not “easily escape liability by sailing away” and because he faced no “special sea dangers,” his home was not a vessel and not subject to seizure under maritime law. Lozman is still seeking compensation from Riviera Beach for his home’s destruction.
After the Supreme Court’s ruling, Kerri Barsh, a Greenberg Traurig attorney who helped argue Lozman’s case on appeal, contacted Netherlands-based Dutch Docklands, a developer of floating homes.
Founded in 2005 by architect Koen Olthuis and hotel developer Paul van de Camp, Dutch Docklands had designed hundreds of floating homes in Holland and was looking to expand to the United States. Barsh believed the high-court ruling created an opening for the company to pursue a first-of-its-kind floating home development in south Florida.
It meant, for example, that buyers could get a mortgage and homeowners insurance, though they’d also have to pay property taxes. The Coast Guard couldn’t enter their homes to inspect for life jackets and other safety measures — and “if a gardener or maid is injured on your property, you don’t have to comply with strict workers’ comp standards,” she says. “You also may be entitled to a homestead exemption.”
Dutch Docklands now is proposing a collection of multimilliondollar floating homes at a privately owned lake in North Miami Beach. Plans call for 29 man-made, private islands that are attached to the lake bottom with telescopic piles to guarantee stability.
Each island would cost an estimated $15 million and include a 7,000-sq.-ft. home, infinity pool, sandy beach and boat dockage, plus access to a 30th “amenity” island with clubhouse. The target market is celebrities and wealthy foreigners who want both privacy and proximity to downtown Miami, says Frank Behrens, a Miami-based executive vice president at Dutch Docklands.
“Buying your own island is a very complex process, and yet it’s a dream a lot of people aspire to,” he says. “Basically, what we’re offering is a way to realize that dream. Within two minutes, you can be on land and go to a Heat game or fancy restaurant.”
Historically, floating homes have not been widely embraced in Florida. A case in point is Key West’s Houseboat Row, which started in the 1950s as a playground for the rich, but in the 1970s deteriorated into floating shacks and live-aboards. In the 1990s, then-Mayor Dennis Wardlow repeatedly criticized Houseboat Row as an eyesore and environmental hazard. And by 2002, the community’s residents had been evicted and moved to a city-owned marina at Garrison Bight.
Today, the city marina has 35 floating homes and won’t accept any more. “We prefer to take in a registered marine vessel that’s Coast Guard certified,” says marina supervisor David Hawthorne. “Most marinas have moved out of it because of the liability, and there’s just more money in” short-term boat rentals.
To succeed in Florida, Dutch Docklands will have to change perceptions. The company promotes its brand of floating homes as a response to rising sea levels and climate change. And south Florida — as ground zero for sea level rise — could prove a receptive audience. Because of how they’re anchored, the floating homes move vertically with the tides, but not horizontally, enabling them to adapt to longterm climate changes and also hold steady in storms, Behrens says.
He hopes to begin construction next year at Maule Lake, a former limestone rock quarry with direct access to the Intracoastal Waterway. But his plans may be optimistic. The company recently filed for zoning approval and still faces questions about environmental impacts, the homes’ ability to withstand hurricanes and visual effects on the surrounding community.
“One of the big struggles we’ve had in this state is coming to grips with the fact that there’s a finite amount of land and water,” says Richard Grosso, a land-use and environmental law professor at Nova Southeastern University. “We tend to not recognize the importance of open space — the aesthetic and psychological value of it.”
Condominium towers — some pricier than others — surround Maule Lake. Behrens says local residents are understandably concerned about the project.
“If all of a sudden, a foreign developer comes and says, ‘Hey, we’re going to build private islands on this lake,’ I’d be upset, too,” he says. “But if you live in a $200,000 condo, and you get a $15-million private island on the lake in front of you, where a celebrity lives, you can imagine that the value of your real estate will go up.”
Even if all goes as planned for Dutch Docklands, it’s unlikely to spark copycat projects throughout Florida. Maule Lake presents “a pretty unique set of circumstances,” says Miami environmental lawyer Howard Nelson. At 174 acres, it’s big enough to accommodate a floating development without blocking boats — “and there’s very few bodies of water where the submerged land is privately owned,” says the Bilzin Sumberg attorney.
Meanwhile, Lozman has bought 29 acres of submerged land on the western shore of Singer Island in Palm Beach County. He says he’s talking with developers about building his own floating home community.
“I could see maybe 30 floating homes out there one day,” he says. “It would essentially duplicate the North Bay Village community that was destroyed in Wilma.”

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Koen Olthuis, Hong Kong design week

By Today’s living
BODW
February.2015

 

The business of Design Week (BODW), organized by the Hong Kong Design Centre, has been a key event for the local design community since 2002. BODW 2014 saw the arrival of leading designers from Sweden and all over the world,, carrying with them invaluable insights from the fields of architecture, fashion, technology and culture. Today’s Living talked with six of the design heavyweights present at this year’s event, namely Anna Hessle, Erik Nissen Johanson, Koen Olthuis, Lisa Lindstrom, Thomas Eriksson and Marcus Engman. In this issue, we introduce you to three of these interior and architectural leaders, all of whom are masters of their industry.

 

 

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