Living, working and blogging in Seattle, it was only a matter of time before we felt obligated to post on floating houses. In doing our homework we spoke with Dan Wittenberg, president of International Floatation Systems Inc. (IMF), who was gracious enough to give us a bit of his time and expertise. In addition to designing and building floating homes all over the world, Dan previously lived in a floating home for 11 years. Here’s a bit of our conversation:
Are there any common misunderstanding that architects have about floating homes? Many architects think that we build hulls or vessels, but that’s not true, we build floating platforms. These platforms are solid construction made with a concrete shell and a Styrofoam core. The platform has positive flotation and will not sink under any conditions, whereas a hollow vessel can fill with water and sink. The technology is comparable to a cork in that it won’t sink regardless of how many holes you poke in it. What are the material options with a floating platform? The floating platforms are only built with concrete and Styrofoam; this is a common construction method that insures they won’t sink. It is possible to build a shell which offers interior space (like a basement) but since it’s possible for a shell to sink, insurance companies look at the situation differently. It is still an engineered product but has a different risk factor. Is there maintenance necessary for the platform floats? There is no maintenance necessary below the water line. Are the hulls made in Canada and brought down by tug boat? For a floating house in Seattle, yes – we build them in Vancouver B.C. and bring them down by tugboat.
(That is just the beginning of the conversation. If you want more information, just click onto the heading. The link also has multiple popular post for Architecture, AND at the bottom of the page, it has some Nice pictures of Floating Homes in different parts of the world.) http://blog.buildllc.com/2008/07/floating-houses/
