While we’re all worrying about the green belt being swamped by nondescript new housing, while also fretting about how our kids will ever afford their own homes, some people have been thinking outside the starter-home box.
Nowhere is the affordability issue more critical than in the capital — but Greater London also has expanses of redundant docks, basins, wharves and underused stretches of once busy canals and rivers. So, if brownfield land is too expensive to build on, and greenfield is a no-no, how about floating some starter homes onto our bluefield sites?
It’s not as wild an idea as it sounds. An award-winning London architecture practice has come up with a two-bedroom modular home that can be built off-site and craned into position on the water. With an estimated price of £150,000 for about 700 sq ft, it would cost buyers less than half as much as an equivalent two-bedder on dry land. This would mean huge numbers of first-timers could finally get a foot on the ladder — or a toe in the water.
The prototype floating home has been designed by Baca Architects, a firm with form when it comes to houses and water. Last year, it created the Amphibious House, as seen on Grand Designs: built on land, but designed to float in rising flood water. Baca has now joined forces with Floating Homes, which will manufacture the properties at a factory in Southampton.
“These high-quality prefabricated homes are affordable and can be moored on the miles of unused water space in the capital,” says Richard Coutts, the Baca architect behind the idea. “Other cities and countries, including Holland, San Francisco and Germany, have succeeded in creating communities on water. Our waterways are publicly owned, so space could be made available.”
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The floating homes will be constructed from lightweight Sips (structurally insulated panels), then clad in a variety of timbers, so they won’t all look the same. This construction method should make them watertight and ecofriendly, without any of the damp problems associated with traditional houseboats. Factory construction will enable mass production, which will keep costs low, Coutts says, while allowing for customisation.
The homes are designed with the kitchen in the centre, two bedrooms and a bathroom at one end and the living room at the other, with a large glazed panel to make the most of the water views. Owners will be able to climb up to a balcony deck on the roof, and a floating platform connecting the home to the bank will be big enough for a dining table and chairs.
Baca and Floating Homes entered the concept in this year’s New London Architecture competition, in association with the mayor’s office, and the Greater London Authority is now studying its feasibility.
This is a serious step forward for the floating home concept. In 2013, Boris Johnson unveiled an ambitious plan to create a floating village, including commercial space as well as 50 homes, at the Royal Victoria Docks, in east London. A percentage of these homes is destined to be affordable.
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This project is still at the development stage, with a planning application expected to be submitted to Newham council next year. There are still a few hurdles to overcome — not least the issue of building regulations, which do not cover floating homes, and the difficulty of getting a mortgage.
Coutts has calculated that Greater London has about 50 linear miles of rivers and canals available, as well as 370 acres of developable water space in the city’s docks, marinas and basins. He says this could accommodate up to 7,500 floating houses. Yet there may be some resistance from the Canal & River Trust, which looks after 60 miles of waterways in Greater London, including Docklands, the River Lea (which runs past the Olympic site), the Regent’s Canal and the Grand Union Canal — but not the Thames itself, which is owned by the Port of London Authority (PLA).
“There may be a place for some static floating homes — in larger docks or basins, for example — but the design, scale and location would be critical,” says Joe Coggins, a spokesman for the Canal & River Trust. “We want to preserve the character of the canals and rivers. Just like London’s parks, canals shouldn’t be seen as building plots.” He adds that the challenge for them is finding a balance between moorings, allowing people to cruise through the waterways and enjoy the wildlife.
Coutts, who is in talks with the PLA about some sites along the Thames that are outside the remit of the Canal & River Trust, counters this by arguing that our waterways were not designed for pleasure cruising, but are part of the industrial landscape that once powered our nation. “As our city grows, it needs these arteries for new uses,” he insists. “Sensitive and controlled use can allow this.”