The Last Resort: Sustainable floating homes

The Last Resort

Be it the flooding of the icecaps or simply requiring more room to build homes, there are many reasons why a floating home could be useful. With that in mind, RAFAA Architecture & Designs have dreamt up a series of sustainable homes called The Last Resort.

The unique design recently won a competition at the Internationale Bauaustellung Fürst-Pückler-Land and is now seeking funding to begin building a prototype.

Of course, there is no point in building a floating home unless it is completely sustainable and as such the homes' roofs are comprised of integrated solar panals that generate electricity for the two electric engines that propel the home.

Free floating home

While these homes are nowhere as big or as sturdy as the Arks envisioned by Hollywood in the film 2012, these stylish structures come with two floors; sleeping bunks, mechanical equipment and hatches are on the lower level and the upper level contains living space, a kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms.

Conceived for the mobile floating architecture in a design competition organised by the Internationale Bauausstellung in Germany, RAFAA Architecture & Designs stated that the " horizontal, undulated" design was inspired by the waterfront.

According to RAFFA's website, "the concept of a conventional house and mobile swimming architecture cannot be easily merged. There is no doubt that a new typology has to be invented regarding usability, space and technology."

"The formal and conceptual requirements of being in motion stand in opposition with the desire to simultaneously feel at home. Living on water has to be rethought. This is why we propose a system focusing on movement and autarchy. As its name suggests, the project "the last resort" follows the strategy of a last resort and tries to challenge known and familiar concepts."

RAFAA Architecture & Designs have previously designed a massive solar/hydro-energy generating tower envisioned to produce energy via a massive waterfall for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

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Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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