REAL ESTATE
Floating housing rides tides of innovation and climate need
Homes on water are offering new space solutions — and legal, financial, and policy bottlenecks are surfacing across the floating economy
Sluishuis Apartment Complex. Photograph by Ossip van Duivenbode.
As coastal cities run out of land, architects are experimenting with modular housing built on water. These floating homes are anchored on pontoons and offer resilient living in flood-prone areas — but they now face cost, financing, and regulation hurdles.
Real, working examples are emerging:
Schoonschip: A community of 46 floating homes was completed in 2021 in Buiksloterham. The neighborhood features its own smart grid, solar power systems, heat pumps, and shared social spaces. While widely cited, it’s more of a tech demo than replicable housing; scale and cost remain barriers.
Lake Goitzsche project: Germany deployed its floating flagship project on a fixed jetty in Lake Goitzsche. Made with DualDocker technology, it’s a privately-backed project in collaboration with Floating House Germany, offering unique waterfront vacation packages.
Sluishuis Apartment Complex: Developed by BESIX in 2022, the Sluishis is a large-scale floating apartment in IJburg in Amsterdam. The building has 442 units, powered by solar.
Floating housing is no longer an experiment—it’s a tested solution facing growing pains. As cities search for climate-resilient, land-saving homes, these projects offer real models—but scaling will require financial innovation, zoning clarity, and policy evolution.
—TFI
The Floating Institute is all about advancing knowledge of the global floating economy.