Villa Näckros: Swedish Floating Prefabs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 06.15.07
Prefabs can go in places that conventional buildings can't; some even float, like the Näckros Villa designed by Strindberg Arkitekter in Sweden. It started as a project for a client but has turned into an industrial project; The first was built in 2003 and they now are for sale in two different models.
As is true in North America whenever a new prefab idea comes along, the problem is where to put them, and unless a developer puts together the land as well as the building then it takes forever to get a design out into the marketplace. In this case there is a pilot development in Kalmar, Sweden-"a floating residential project in the centre of town with the opportunity to leasehold or freehold. The project will be a guide for the future design and construction of floating living in Sweden."
From the website:
Näckros Villa sits securely and stably in the water with its 165 ton constructed weight and is impervious to wind, waves and winter ice. The whole building is surrounded by an aluminium-mooring bar so a boat can be easily fastened. The house is constructed to be placed beside a jetty or pier whilst the welcoming entry hall is reached via a jetty from dry land.
A Näckros Villa is constructed with material recycling potential as a starting point. New techniques and carefully chosen materials have resulted in a house that is extremely comfortable to live in and is in many parts recyclable.
Heating and ventilation
Heating is provided by a pump, which draws heat from the surrounding water. Heat is distributed through the house through water bearing under floor heating. Two-way air ventilation can be found throughout the house. As far as possible, the house has been designed to meet demands in respect of both energy and environment.
Electricity and water/drainage
In its base form, Näckros Villa is constructed to receive electricity and water/drainage from land. However, the villa can be designed for higher levels of self-sufficiency. All electricity cables have a reduced electro-magnetic field and are in halogen free format.
::Modern Marine Homes and ::Staffan Stindberg via ::Cube Me
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I love a lot of the prefab houses I have seen lately but this makes me think river rat and I can already see crowded, nasty riverfront neighborhoods.
floating trailer parks.
There are downsides to everything I suppose.
Very nice. I'd like to live there.
The only downside is people that have to tear down any new ideas with cynicism and a pessimistic attitude.
How can you see something nasty in something so beautiful? I love this.
"How can people see something nasty in something so beautiful?" Very easy. Most people (at least in the US) have no more caught on to modernist architecture than they have warmed up to modernist art. Aesthetically, at least with houses, they live quite comfortably in the past. Colonial will do just fine. Theirs is a "crackerbarrel" world with "old-timey" things. To put it another way, they are clueless about history, about culture, about art: about, in a word, where we are in the world, today.
Doesn't every major city already have floating homes? Atleast those on major lakes or rivers... I love the look of these but in Portland floating homes are far from new. Places like the one in my URL have existed for decades. I love the prefab design, and this particular one is very nice, but I thought floating homes were very common... Am I wrong?
Personally, I like 'olde-timey' things because I can find great utility in them. Sure modern is neat et al, but in the end it is just more new stuff (.i.e., waste).