Zero Carbon Houseboat, London, Greater London
From Archiplanet
 | Zero Carbon Houseboat |
| Designer | Skene Catling de la Peña Architects |
| Location | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Date | to Spring 2009 |
| Building Type | Small House |
| Climate | Mild Temperate |
| Builder | Colecraft Boat Builders |
| Street Address | Regent's Canal Walk Score |
| Notes | Design of a sustainable ‘wide beam narrow boat’, for a filmmaker. |
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| Building Details |
Skene Catling de la Peña were asked to design a boat to be used as a home on Regent’s Canal. It was also required to be capable of travelling the network of UK canals, and travelling on the Thames. SCDLP began their research by examining how these ‘floating houses’ evolved. Traditional narrow boats were used for transporting goods around the country, and were eventually colonised as living spaces but are not ideally suited for the purpose, either in terms of proportion and layout, or in constructional build-up from an environmental point of view.
The overall form was reconfigured where it could improve living conditions without compromising the boat’s performance. Elements of the traditional design were kept where they seemed rational. The structure that emerged is a mix of old and modern, far better suited for the current use of London canals than the traditional narrow boat, and by working with Downie Consulting Engineers on the environmental strategy, the carbon footprint was reduced to its minimum.
Further factors that affected the design include the nature of the mooring, which is opposite a noisy pub, regular unavoidable absences from the boat, the client’s profession as a filmmaker, and visits from his two small children. The loud neighbours and regular absences required the ability to at times almost fortify the boat.
This led to the detail of a band of cast glass blocks, which wraps around the boat, letting in light but not views. This is where the boat most radically departs from traditional design. These blocks are cast with an angular profile in plan, so that when the boat moves, a strip of varied views will be reflected, like an abstract animation or film. These blocks were developed in collaboration with the glass artist, Matt Durran and will be made from glass recycled from discarded Chinese television screens.
Regular visits from the client’s two children meant developing a very flexible plan with areas that can be opened up to maximise space and light, or closed to create privacy. The project has effectively been developed at a 1:1 scale like a very large piece of floating furniture.
