Archetech Issue 23 2016 | Page 137

Watervilla The concrete box has the benefit that you The clients of + 31ARCHITECTS were can use the space within as a part of your inspired and charmed by the design of the building. modern “Watervilla the Omval” that they designed a little further downstream on the river Amstel. They also wanted to build a modern watervilla in which the relationship between the living area and water would be maximized. The result is a modern watervilla which is characterized on the waterside by a film frame-like glass façade. The pontoon principle has the benefit that you can use it in shallow water, compared to the hollow concrete box it has less stability and should be very light. Both floating constructions are connected with a flexible connection to the quay, so the construction can rise with the water when the tide changes. When needed the floating system can be moved elsewhere at short notice without leaving any scar to the environment. Instead a new house can be placed in to the old situation which makes it the most sustainable and durable way to build. The floating houses shown by +31architects are based on the hollow concrete box.