REAL ESTATE
Floating offices and commercial hubs expand onto the water
Cities across the floating economy adopt barge-based workspaces and retail clusters as land grows scarce.
EcoPavilion Floating Boardroom. Photo by EcoPavilions.
Floating offices are no longer experiments. With pressure on urban real estate and rising seas, cities are turning to pontoons and barges to host offices, meeting rooms, and commercial hubs. In 2024–2025, projects from Delft to London show this model scaling fast.
Blue21 launches Bluelands in Delft. In October 2024, Blue21 unveiled “Bluelands,” a modular floating office at The Green Village innovation campus. The unit provides workspace for startups and researchers while testing sustainable floating infrastructure.
London debuts floating boardroom hub. EcoPavilions delivered a floating boardroom at St Katharine Docks in 2025. The waterborne office suite offers premium meeting space in central London, catering to corporates seeking unique venues.
Fatkin completes barge office fit-out. UK firm Fatkin adapted a barge into a modern office with open-plan workspace, a meeting room, and kitchen facilities. The project demonstrates how standard office layouts can transition to floating platforms.
That’s not all: analysts say floating offices and commercial hubs are gaining traction in Europe and Asia. As cities run out of land, expect pontoons and barges to become anchors for new work and retail districts.
—TFI
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