Inside A Green Floating House in A Netherlands Canal - Photos

2/8/24, 12:56 AM Inside a Green Floating House in a Netherlands Canal: Photos
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Step inside one couple's floating house in the Netherlands,

which has a green roof, lots of natural light, and all the amenities
of a conventional home
Amanda Goh Jan 30, 2023, 12:02 AM GMT+6 Share Save
Riccardo De Vecchi
Floating houses and houseboats are a common sight in the

Jump to Netherlands.
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A Rotterdam-based studio designed a floating home that stands out
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from the rest with its origami-like facade.
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The building has a green roof and is connected to water pipes and
power lines on the shore.
https://www.businessinsider.com/floating-house-netherlands-canal-sustainable-photos-2023-1 1/10
Floating houses are a common sight in the

Netherlands, but one that was built for a millennial
couple in the city of Leiden stands out from its
neighbors due to its origami-like facade.
"The Float" is a floating house designed by a Netherlands-based firm Studio RAP. Riccardo De
Vecchi
Dubbed "The Float," the one-bedroom home in the city of Leiden was
designed and built by Studio RAP, a Rotterdam-based architectural
design company.
In 2020, a millennial couple bought a floating house and commissioned

the studio to create a more contemporary and sustainable new build in
its place.
Jump to "That's how we came up with the idea to use as much bio-based
material as possible to build the house," Wessel van Beerendonk, the
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project architect, told Insider.
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To avoid the appearance of a single floating container, van Beerendonk
and his team decided to divide the house into a series of boxes with a
staggered facade.
"We started to rotate those boxes in the direction of a park on the

opposite side of the canal, and by doing that we came up with the idea
that we can corrugate the walls and the roof in a way that's inspired by
origami," he said.
Insider was not able to contact the homeowners for this story.
Beerendonk declined to provide the homeowners' names, citing their
privacy.
All the panels used to build the house were pre-

fabricated, and then assembled onsite within a week.
Progress photo of the house as it was being assembled. Riccardo De Vecchi
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The original plan was to build the entire house off-site and tow it to the
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desired location with a boat, van Beerendonk said.
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"But because it's in the city of Leiden and there are a lot of historic
bridges that cannot be opened, that idea was not possible," he said.
In the end, the team decided to bring the floating base to the site first,
before building the rest of the house on top of it.
The construction process, beginning with the pre-fabrication of the

panels, started in mid 2021, van Beerendonk said. By mid 2022, the
house was completed.
The owners spent about €350,000, or roughly $380,000, to build the

new floating house, including the cost of the materials, van Beerendonk
said.
The floating house is anchored to the shore at two

points.
In stark comparison to its neighbors, "The Float" has a green roof to add to the local
biodiversity. Riccardo De Vecchi
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"But it's really floating," van Beerendonk said. "There's water
Search underneath the house."
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When water levels in the canal change, the house moves along with it —
although the change isn't drastic since the waterway isn't immediately
connected to the ocean, he said.
"When it rains, of course. And when people in boats are passing by, then
it'll move a little bit, but it's not like the sea with the tides," he added.
The timber frame is covered with cork, which gives the

building a low carbon footprint.
A close-up image of the house's cork exterior. Riccardo De Vecchi
The waterproof properties of cork ensure the timber frames are

protected from the canal water and rain.
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The rooms of the floating house are arranged in a row,

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Search centered around the living room. The kitchen and
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dining area are on one end, while the bedroom is on the
opposite side.
The living room. Riccardo De Vecchi
The original home on the lot — which van Beerendonk estimates to be

at least 20 years old — was demolished to make way for the new build.
"The ceiling of the previous house was very low, and it was pretty dark
inside. Most materials were not in the best state, I would say," he added.
The new house has a bright, airy feel to it, with big windows,
Scandinavian-themed decor, and lots of exposed wood.
One of the most important things the team had to

consider when designing the house was its weight
distribution.
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Large windows in the house offer residents a view of the boats on the water outside. Riccardo
De Vecchi
The design of the house is asymmetrical, van Beerendonk said.
"You have to balance out the weight because otherwise the house, it'll
start to rotate in one direction," he said. "And of course, it cannot be too
heavy because then the house sinks."
The floating house is hooked up to water pipes, power

lines, and a sewage system on land.
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The kitchen and dining area. Riccardo De Vecchi
The tube that connects the house to its on-land systems is flexible, so it
can accommodate slight movements of the house from passing boats,
van Beerendonk said.
While this is the first floating house the studio has

designed, floating houses and houseboats are a
common sight in the Netherlands.
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A collage of the bathroom and a ledge that goes around the exterior of the house. Riccardo
De Vecchi
Almost a third of the country lies below sea level, with the lowest point
approximately 22 feet below sea level. In addition, 17% of the total land
surface is made up of water, per data from the official tourism website
for the Netherlands.
There are about 10,000 floating houses and houseboats in the

Netherlands, Sander Rutten, the president of Amsterdam's main
houseboat association Woonbootvereniging Amsterdam, told Insider.
"Depending on where the houseboat is located, the size, and age of the
houseboat, prices can vary from €200,000 to €2 million," Rutten said.
"Normally you buy a permit or plot of water with the 'old' boat and
replace it by something new."
Jump to There are currently five houseboats and floating homes listed for sale in
Leiden, on Funda, a popular real-estate platform in the country. Prices
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Search range from €495,000 to €775,000, or roughly $540,000 to $846,000.
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2/8/24, 12:56 AM Inside a Green Floating House in a Netherlands Canal: Photos

Step inside one couple's floating house in the Netherlands,

Floating houses and houseboats are a common sight in the

Floating houses are a common sight in the

In 2020, a millennial couple bought a floating house and commissioned

"We started to rotate those boxes in the direction of a park on the

All the panels used to build the house were pre-

Progress photo of the house as it was being assembled. Riccardo De Vecchi

The construction process, beginning with the pre-fabrication of the

The owners spent about €350,000, or roughly $380,000, to build the

The floating house is anchored to the shore at two

The timber frame is covered with cork, which gives the

A close-up image of the house's cork exterior. Riccardo De Vecchi

The waterproof properties of cork ensure the timber frames are

The rooms of the floating house are arranged in a row,

The living room. Riccardo De Vecchi

The original home on the lot — which van Beerendonk estimates to be

One of the most important things the team had to

The design of the house is asymmetrical, van Beerendonk said.

The floating house is hooked up to water pipes, power

The kitchen and dining area. Riccardo De Vecchi

While this is the first floating house the studio has

There are about 10,000 floating houses and houseboats in the

Real Estate Home Tours

and Privacy Policy .

Made in NYC Jobs @ Business Insider

Stock quotes by finanzen.net Reprints & Permissions

International Editions: INTL AT DE ES IN JP MX NL PL

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