In many countries there is a long tradition of living on the water, and even today many people feel the desire to live close to it. For them the solution is a houseboat or floating home, a boat which is anchored in a specific berth and is their permanent residence.

In many countries there is a long tradition of living on the water, and even today many people feel the desire to live close to it. For them the solution is a houseboat or floating home, a boat which is anchored in a specific berth and is their permanent residence. In regions with large areas of water or in densely populated conurbations where the property costs are high, houseboats already provide a permanent home for many people. The designers who make up Confused-Direction, Elke Florian and Sascha Akkermann, were not interested in building a kind of block house on the water - instead they wanted to design a quality home which would represent a balanced combination of good design and maritime flair. Above all the selection of material would play a major part.

The floating home is built on a catamaran pontoon which consists of 98% plywood from locally sourced birch. With this method of construction an epoxy coating can't be avoided, but the amount is kept as low as possible by means of a robust wooden base. The walls and floor consist of a glued beam construction, which is insulated with hemp fibre. The facade of the prototype has cladding of untreated larchwood and thanks to structural wood protection measures such as a protruding roof on the front of the house and drainage areas in the right places it is possible to do without sealing the wood. Other facade designs and materials are under consideration.

The floors in the outer areas are made of locally sourced wood. In the interior the walls are covered in oriented strand boards (OSB) with a minimum of glue, while high-quality glazing is used to create passive house values. The roof can be greened or fitted with solar panels or a photovoltaic installation. Tanks for grey water and black water with connections for permanent operation or manual drainage ensure disposal.

At the end of March 2009 the house boat will be on show at the NordHaus exhibition of construction and crafts, and from April 2009 it will be berthed in the harbour of Oldenburg as a show house. Unfortunately there is a shortage of berths for houseboats almost everywhere, but many progressive German cities like Hamburg or Groningen in Holland have already begun developing their inner city waterways into living space.

Confused-Direction is a fresh young designer label with a focus on furniture and interior design. In 2002 designer Flo Florian and cabinet maker and designer Sascha Akkermann worked together as a project team, and shortly afterwards founded their own company. Without repeating themselves the two designers often include elegant curves and waves in their designs, where a blade of grass or the outline of a wave can provide the basic pattern for a line.