How This Luxury Home Floats On Water, Adjusts To Rising Sea Levels And Withstands Category 4 Winds

This month’s Miami Yacht Show unveiled a self-sufficient floating home that can reach speeds up to 7 knots while also being able to adapt to changing climate conditions and hurricane-force winds. The 4 bed, 4.5 bath house sits on four adjustable 40-foot hydraulic ‘spuds’ or lifts which allow it to anchor in to the ocean floor and raise the home above sea level with just a touch of a button. Designed with walls and glass that can withstand Category 4 winds, the home is also built for entirely off-grid living with a roof full of solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system that collects and purifies rainwater in the hull for on-demand use. Prices for the fully-furnished model start around $5.4 million.

Arkup, the company behind the project, partnered with the Brazilian furnishing brand Artefacto to stage the existing model since the brand only uses timber taken from tracts that require immediate reforestation as soon as trees are harvested and approved for use by the Brazilian Environment Department. Here is the deck off of the living room with a sliding glass door that retracts almost completely for an indoor/outdoor lower level. The shock resistant glass railings provide a safety barrier without disrupting the view. 

Here is the 775-square foot living room with surrounding views. The wide staircase to the upper level matches the sun-bleached look of the main floor to tie to the two spaces together. The total amount of indoor living space is 2,600 square feet. 

The open plan kitchen comes with Miele appliances and a breakfast bar/island with electric cooktop.

Here is one of the four bedrooms, with its views over the water and a private outdoor terrace at the far end of the room. Here some of the design themes common to yachts start to show up—such as having an inset headboard and floating bedside tables to save space.

The bedroom also comes with working plumbing for this bathtub perfectly positioned to take in the views.

But there are three and a half other bathrooms in the house, including this one with double vanities.

For more information go to the Arkup website.

Related on Forbes: A home belonging to a famous rapper that looks like it is floating. The same architects also built a similar style house that might break a few price records in Miami Beach. And for a deep dive into design trends, here’s a look at how superyacht designs are influencing luxury homes on land.

Follow me on Twitter @amydobsonRE