WALKING ON WATER: A Floating Home

Part of a new local scheme, i29 architects has designed and developed a low-budget family home that not only looks a treat, but is also eco-friendly, energy-efficient and truly packs a punch.

Set apart by its dark monolithic exterior appearance from the outside and crisp, white interiors full of high ceilings and glazing, this home stands out from the crowd while providing its owners with stunning views and abundant daylight.

 

Schoonschip Amsterdam

Floating Home was designed as one part of a puzzle: conceptualised by a group of residents, an urban plan concept was devised to create a 46-home floating village, called Schoonschip, located within a canal in north Amsterdam.

 

In development since 2010, this urban village was created to be a standalone ecosystem set within a formerly industrial area, making use of the natural resources of water and energy, while allowing for natural biodiversity to flourish alongside. Completely self-sufficient, this is one of the most prominent contemporary projects acting as a showcase for sustainable living.

 

The sum of all parts

While the development promotes a social connection between residents, each floating house is unique in its architecture, with owners choosing their preferred architects. Floating Home was thus devised by firm i29, based on their clients’ wish to maximise their space, using a typical house shape while still designing something special.

 

By building a pitched roof, the interior benefits from extended useable space, both by way of its high, white-painted ceilings and a prominent three-level atrium. Black-stained wood used for the cladding creates a monolithic appearance from the outside, with openings and corners cut away to provide water views and an open-air terrace. A study in the use of space, Floating Home plays with perception, a new floating take on a traditional wooden home.

 

Source: i29 architects

Photography: Ewout Huibers