What could be more relaxing than spending a weekend drifting out to sea on your own floating island? Throw in some vertical gardens, a lush green landscape, and a luxury spa and you’ve really got our attention. That’s the draw behind this floating garden spa designed by Dutch architects Studio Noach and Anne Holtrop. The structure’s interior contains baths, saunas, and treatment rooms, while the exterior is wrapped in an insulating shell of greenery designed by vertical gardens innovator Patrick Blanc.
Floating buildings make a lot of sense in Amsterdam, where rising and falling tides have created the need for architectural solutions such as dams, dykes, and canals. This floating garden spa capitalizes upon its watery environs with a hydroponic growing system that sustains a vibrant crop of oxygen producing plants. The designers suggest that this vegetation will provide a breeding ground for birds, butterflies, and insects.
The floating garden’s foundations will be constructed from GreenRexwall, which is a buoyant material made of recycled polystyrene. The surrounding water stands to offer significant energy savings by acting as a heat exchanger that helps regulate the island’s interior temperature. The project is currently on display in Rotterdam at the Architecture of Consequences – Dutch designs on the Future exhibit.
+ Anne Holtrop
+ Studio Noach
Via ArchDaily
http://www.archdaily.com/49895/floating-gardens-studio-noach-holtrop/
http://www.dezeen.com/2010/02/20/floating-gardens-by-anne-holtrop/
That looks absolutely wonderful. I wouldn’t mind living on that! Very cool concept.