The Floatwing houseboat | Friday

Do you enjoy a change of scenery once in a while? Want a place to call home but not quite ready to commit to a particular location? Then a floating home may be the answer for you. Floatwing is a new line of modular houseboats by Friday, a Portuguese design group focused on developing recreational equipment for aquatic environments.

Floatwing’s modular design means that it can be produced in a number of different sizes. They are all the same width but they vary in length and can include up to three double bedrooms. The walls are almost entirely glass thanks to an external structural skeleton that supports the roof and upper deck. The glass wall panels can slide open, leaving the living space completely open to the breezes.

The Floatwing also comes in several equipment levels. The most basic level is not motorized and depends on shore connections for power and water. Higher levels add twin outboard motors (capable of propelling the Floatwing at a leisurely three knots), solar panels and batteries, a pellet stove, and tanks for fresh water and waste storage. The most advanced level is designed for autonomous off-grid living during the warmer half of the year. It has enough solar capacity to produce 100% of its energy needs, plus a supply water treatment plant (for using lake water) and an advanced sewage treatment plant.

The houseboat shown in these photos has one bedroom in 52.1 m² (561 ft²) of inside floor space. A service core separates the bedroom from the open-plan living and dining space. The service core contains a compact kitchen, full bathroom and closets. In addition to the closets, there is plenty of under-deck storage in the hull. The floor plan with the service core in the middle gives the bedroom two doors, allowing for the possibility of dividing the generously-sized room into two smaller ones.

The Floatwing is constructed from materials chosen for low environmental impact. Aside from the floor, the interior is mostly finished with plywood. The cabinets and even many of the furnishings are also built from plywood.

Have a great weekend!

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Photographs by Jose Campos, courtesy of Friday. Via Gessato.

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