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Architects: Crossboundaries
- Area: 62 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Johanna Link
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Manufacturers: Abet Laminati, AustroFlamm, Corian, Haffel, Kvadrat, Nils Holger Moormann, Nora
Relax & Decelerate - With global warming, conflicts, the energy crisis, and past pandemic travel restrictions, it's understandable that the urgency for a self-sufficient, mobile refuge has surged worldwide. Crossboundaries redesigned a fully solar-powered motorboat with high-end tiny-home characteristics functioning as a slow-motion traveling nest. The exterior’s resemblance to a bus on the water sparked the interest of the new owner, and with enough space to invite family and friends for a getaway, she named this personal retreat “Fàng Sōng 放松”, which translates from Chinese into “Relax” and relates to her previous home in Beijing.
Background. Transient space - Itinerant forms of architecture were initially developed out of necessity and, more recently, out of willingness. The current architectural agenda debates our notions of public versus private spaces and temporary versus permanent. A home that was once linked to real estate ownership now shifts to a network of commodities that can be moved to different places. As Archigram already put it in 1964 with The Walking City: “One of the great attractions of urban living is the notion of being able to access all the services and goods you need easily. But what if those services came to you?”
A House that floats. Compact and transformable - Crossboundaries tested the flexibility in micro-dwellings where each room assumes multiple programmatic roles. The appeal of water in this project is to explore the possibility of adapting while challenging assumed and conventional norms. With an overall length of about 15 meters and a maximum width of just over 4 meters, the boat includes a set of interlinked, multi-purpose areas. The boat celebrates creativity with the color palette and by being highly customizable while also extremely practical. Some functionality improvements include a fully hidden bed with a function to close off the “helmstand”, which hides the more technical equipment of the boat, achieving a calmer sense of home. It additionally includes a pop-up table for the kitchen area and a hidden foldable desk included in a cabinet, providing a “work-from-home” spot.
A living machine: technical and sustainable integration - Research into material quality and durability elevated the concept to a craftsmanship level. Using a results-driven approach and virtual project management, key players such as the local master carpenter were crucial in the execution phase. The boat’s sustainable features include a solar power system that ensures full self-reliance on sunny days, allowing for an average traveling distance of approximately 50 km per day. A pellet stove, controlled by an app, meets heating needs using renewable energy. Future upgrades may include a water purification system and a biological sewage treatment unit, enabling the owner to enjoy the boat all year round.
This Tiny Home on the Water can be conceived as a unit of the city, containing a comprehensive set of urban resources. Ideally, in the future, people can free themselves from too many possessions and embrace denser, but quality spaces and thus achieve more flexible ways of life.
