Hausboot, Hamburg (Allemagne)

Graceful as a swan

With “Hausboot Schwan”, his house-boat project clad entirely in zinc presented at a competition organised by the city of Hamburg, architect Daniel Wickersheim won mooring rights on the Norderkai, one of the many canals in the Hanseatic city. The initial idea was to create a link between the architecture and the aquatic element. The result is a floating house with surprising contours, a “Swan” – the English translation of the German word “Schwan” – in the form of a tube with oval sections, intersected by cubes housing doors and windows. Its structure, placed on a reinforced concrete pontoon, is protected with zinc cladding made up of flatlock panels. This cladding system is so flexible that it was possible to apply it even on the curved surfaces of the houseboat: the pre-fabricated elements were curved on site to adapt to the project’s volumes.

Ventilation on the roof tops is ensured via discreet ventilated roof ridges. The roofing elements made up of transversal flatlock strips leave room on the upper part for standing seam panels that are not visible because they are covered with other flatlock elements, so slightly elevated. This thoroughly examined system ensures visual continuity of the curved roof and harmoniously integrates ventilation.

Daniel Wickersheim used three types of preweathered zinc to clad the envelope: the cylindrical body is clad entirely with velvet grey QUARTZ-ZINC®, whereas the cubic volumes of the door and windows create a contrast with green PIGMENTO®. The soffits of the openings are clad in ANTHRA-ZINC®, giving them a darker aspect. In terms of energy, “Hausboot Schwan” is equipped with a wood-pellet stove, underfloor heating and a photovoltaic installation, specifically designed for optimum effectiveness. According to the architect, the price of this floating house is comparable to that of a traditional house, which earned him several consultations for similar projects. The lack of mooring places in the city centre should however restrict the expansion of this type of housing. Daniel Wickersheim opened the doors of this houseboat, where he lives all year round. He rents part of the boat by the day or week and shares the living spaces, kitchen and breakfast room with his guests.