THE POLAR ICE is smelting. Sea levels are rising. But the ‘WaterNest 100’ simply floats above it. The droplet shaped floating home has a living area of 100 square metres and is made from laminated wooden ribs in a design that takes many of its cues from a boat hull. A thin frame sets the shape, which is then clad in horizontal strips to create a structure that is both light and strong. The building is kept afloat on a pontoon of sheet aluminium. Both the residence and the pontoon are intended to be made from recycled materials, with up to 98 percent of all the constituent components also being recyclable.
A newly developed type of curved solar panelling, fitted onto the rounded roof, guarantees lighting and ice in the cocktails for all the villa’s residents. The WaterNest 100 will be marketed by London-based company Ecoflolife. The man behind the design is Giancarlo Zema, an Italian architect who has made floating dwellings a speciality. For the time being, however, this is all just a concept. None of the companies’ websites indicate when you might see a floating villa like this on sheltered waters near you.«
