House Boats
Houseboats for the Spoy
Creative, green, solution to housing crisis
Inspired by the houseboat communities of Amsterdam, Seattle and elsewhere, the Sozial- und Ökologiestiftung of Cleves has begun the development of a green houseboat for the Spoy Canal. The concept is to create a floating community and bring some life to our now closed waterway.
Engineering Challenge
Designing and building a houseboat present some different challenges. Though the dwelling looks and feels like a house, it is legally still a boat. The challenge therefore is to marry the comforts of a floating home with the regulatory framework required by the navigational authorities. In its role as a permanent home, the houseboat has to be equipped with a regular kitchen, normal(ish) furniture, and things like electricity, freshwater provision and sewage. As a boat, it has to be completely self-contained, self-propelled, stable, watertight and escapable.
Hover over the images below and contact Prof Stamm for more information about the engineering aspects of this houseboat project.
