Sometimes the best front yard isn’t a yard at all.
What could be better than a floating version of the perfect vacation home in a sunny, warm climate? How about one that’s off the proverbial grid and totally self-sufficient?
The Floatwing is a floating dream home that’s not just designed with a low carbon footprint and made for efficiency. It produces more energy than it needs for a year in half that time. Here’s how this solar-powered home in Portugal is making waves.
Portuguese Design Firm Makes Eco-Friendly Fabulous
Portuguese design firm, Friday, is responsible for the creation of one of the Eco-sound homes away from home available today. Not only is it situated in a sunny locale, it was designed from the ground, or rather the water, up for total environmental friendliness.
The floating home, aptly named Floatwing, is a “floating, romantic getaway for two,” according to Inhabitat, and it doesn’t sacrifice comfort and aesthetics for efficiency.
How Efficient is Efficient?
Solar-powered Floatwing was created from environmentally friendly components and fixtures, which means that it has a low carbon footprint from the outset. But it also produces 100 percent of the energy that it needs for one year in the span of only about 6 months.
Friday has 4 Floatwing models, each with a different level of self-sufficiency. The top-of-the-line model is all solar. It contains its own wastewater treatment plant with advanced tertiary treatment, says Inhabitat, a mini supply water treatment plant, as well as stored fuel. Its carbon footprint is reduced even more by its “low environmentally impactful materials.”
Check out the Floatwing in this promotional video:
Which Details Make Floatwing so Eco-Friendly?
Besides producing all of its own energy and treating its own water, Friday’s designs are 100 percent recyclable. The two-level designs consist of a floating deck and a top deck roof. The living areas are surrounded with glass and wood lined, and contain a fully functioning kitchen, AC generator, barbecue grill, wine cellar and up to three bedrooms.
Windows open, allowing natural ventilation throughout the living area when the weather is nice and warm. But when it’s chilly outside, a biomass fuel pellet stove keeps the indoors comfortable. The Floatwing is also modular. It can be packed into two shipping containers and shipped anywhere worldwide.
Floatwing is Customizable
Four versions of the Floatwing let you choose your options, from a simple, relatively stationary houseboat to one that goes where you want it to go. Level 1 is tied to the bank, says Friday, and has fixed municipal connections.
Level 2 adds mobility with a 3-knot capability motor and solar panels for producing its own energy, and level 3 adds in the wastewater treatment. Level 4 is more of an experimental type with advanced tertiary water treatment and 6 months of autonomy with zero need for refueling or maintenance.
If you’re a fan of water and like the idea of living untethered, Friday has something in the works for you. From the simple houseboat life to an autonomous experience where you don’t even need fuel for months out of a year, the company has created something that’s both attractive and environmentally friendly for the most discerning vacationer.
And if you’re really into something different, check out the company’s personal submarine. Friday’s team explains that it’s got a combined 30 years of R&D experience in “structural, electrical, hydraulic, marine, coastal and mechanical engineering.” There’s really no limit to what great minds can create, or how efficiently even the most luxurious items can be designed.
PDH Academy helps engineers maintain professional development education so that professionals like you can keep developing new designs that matter. When it’s time for your next credit hours, check out our PE approved courses and see how hassle-free continuing education can be.
Image credit:
Lake View, by Howard Knodle, via Flickr Creative Commons.
