The brief for the raft was to create a one bedroom self contained space with the option of an extra double sofa bed, to be used as a holiday let and a spare room for friends and family. We built it from the mud up alongside our floating workshop and towed it to its mooring as a finished unit.
There were a lot of design constraints for this project: It had to float, the foot print was small (20'x14'),there were limitations on height, only the north facing wall could have windows and access, and weight had to be kept to a minimum through out the design. As always, We wanted to use sustainable materials where ever possible. We also wanted to incorporate as many plants as possible-both inside and out.
Although the footprint was rectangular, we didn't want the space to feel square. so we made the whole structure a wave shape and gave the front wall a slight bow. Despite the north facing aspect, we wanted the space to feel light and open, so we added a skylight running across the whole space and full height windows looking over the estuary.
