A Vessel for Change
Moored at Rijnhaven port in Rotterdam, Powerhouse Company’s floating office for the Global Center on Adaptation is a building for a new age. Self-sufficient and carbon-neutral, it will float – rather than flood – if water levels rise due to climate change. Fun as well as functional, it also forms a key element in a newly redeveloped port environment by providing public waterside space – and even a swimming pool.
FOR the future
We designed our floating office to reflect the values of its inhabitants: the Global Center on Adaptation. This Rotterdam NGO aims at promoting planning, investment and technology to mitigate climate change. Our climate-resilient office is both an illustration of the center’s mission and an inspiration for others. With its own solar energy source and water-based heat-exchange system, it’s completely self-sufficient.
The use of wood as a main construction material reduces the carbon footprint of the building dramatically. Overhanging floors balconies create permanent sun shading which allows for large windows with plenty of daylight flooding into the office floors. Besides the offices, FOR also feature public facilities: a restaurant with a large outdoor terrace, with as a special addition a floating swimming pool in the Maas river.
