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Waterbuurt (Dutch for “water quarter”) is a
state of the art residential development in Amsterdam, which
consists of nearly 100 individual floating homes moored on Lake
Eimer.
The floating homes Ijburg district are no ordinary houseboats,
but real floating houses. They float adjacent to jetties and are
moored to steel pilons, so they only move vertically with the
changing tide. Designed by Dutch architect Marlies Rohmer, the
houses have a “no-nonsense, basic design” but are comfortable at
the same time. They were built at a shipyard about 65 km north
of Lake Eimer and then transported through a network of canals.
Although the Waterbuurt is still a work in progress, some of the
houses are already inhabited.
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Two thirds of the Netherlands’ population lives below sea-level, and
with the melting ice cap becoming a serious concern, there are many who
believe that living on water in the European country is much safer than
living on land. Not to mention that the prices of land homes in large
urban centers like Amsterdam has sky-rocketed in recent years, making.
In case you didn’t know, water is not that expensive.
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“It’s already safer to live on water if you live where flooding is
common, aquatic architecture visionary Koen Olthuis told the BBC. “And
most big cities are already densely populated and the square-meter
(housing) prices are rising rapidly… and water is not as expensive as
land.”
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“Moreover, cities are too static — every urban component we build has to
stay there for 50 or 70 years,” Olthuis added. “And as cities change,
the only alternative is to demolish these things. But floating buildings
can be moved and adapted…it’s all about reinventing our cities so they
function better.”
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Residential developments like Waterbuurt are proof that living on water
is not only possible, but maybe even preferable to living on land. But
it wasn’t easy, as many of the things that are routine on land, had to
be reinvented on water, both from a technical and legal standpoint.
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The floating homes are built atop submerged concrete platforms, and
consists of a light steel frame and wooden walls and paneling. The
bedrooms and bathroom are located on the lower floor, which is partially
flooded. The kitchen and dining room a re located on the raised ground
floor, while the main living area and the outdoor terrace are on the top
level.
All floating homes are designed with a lot of extras that buyers can opt
for, like floating terraces, a second entry, or a boardwalk around the
property.
Waterbuurt is part of Ijburg District, an ambitious project set to
become the largest water settlement in the history of the Netherlands.
Apart from floating houses, it will include multi-family wonboats,
floating parks and even floating skyscrapers.
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