Boat International US Edition – June 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY:

CRAIG

DENIS

MODERN

ARK

Partvilla,partyacht,Arkup

offersentirelysustainableliving

onthewater,saysCecileGauert

his waterfront villa
with floor-to-ceiling
windowsandArtefacto
furnituremovessilently
atsevenknots,requiringnofuel
andproducingzeroemissions.
Miami-basedstartupArkup,which
imagined and built thisself-
sustainablewaterfrontdwelling
(designedbyDutcharchitecture
firmWaterstudio.NL),callsita
“livableyacht.”
Madeofcomposite-cladsteeland
hurricane-resistant glass, the
75ft-long, two-story villa was

designedforshallowandpartially

protected waters. One major

differencefromtraditionalyachtsis

itsanchoringsystem:four40ft

hydrauliclegsallowanchoringin

20ftofwaterandmakethehouse

impervioustowaves.“Nobodywill

haveissueswithmotionsickness,”

saysNicolasDerouin,Arkup’sCEO.

The company built its first

chic,beach-inspiredfour-bedroom

villawith4,350squarefeetofliving

space,plusaterracethatrecedes

under thehull.“We wantedto

integrateindoorandoutdoorspaces

togivepeopletheultimatelifestyle

onthewaterandachancetobond

withmarinelife,”saysDerouinwho,

likeco-founderArnaudLuguet,has

anengineeringbackgroundandis

passionateabouttheocean,urban

planningandsustainability.

OneofArkup’sgreatestassetsis

self-sufficiency.Solarpanelsand

batteriesruntheairconditioning,

lights, appliancesand electric

thrusterswhenit’stimetomoveon.

Itcapturesrainwater,hasabundant

storageforfresh,grayandblack

waterandiswiredforanoptional

watertreatmentplantforreleasing

waterbackintotheenvironment.

ThefirstArkupvilla,listedforsale

at$5.5millionfullyfurnished,was

anchoredoffStarIslandduring

theMiamiYachtShow,whereit

attractedmuchattention.“Miamiis

agreatplacetostartthisproject

becauseitisacoastalcitythreatened

bysealevelrise,”saysDerouin,who

hasfieldedinquiriesfrompeople

seekingamobilebeachhouse,anew

toyorawaterfrontresidenceto

hospitalitycompanieslookingto

T developecoresorts.arkup.com

Arkup’s movable floating
house can be elevated on
hydraulic pilings for stability

“We wanted to integrate

indoor and outdoor spaces

to give people the ultimate

lifestyle on the water”

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inspiration

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