Houseboats are nothing new in the canal-strewn Netherlands, but Olthuis is trying to take things a step – if not several steps – further. Waterstudio’s designs are more house than boat, with large expanses of glass, modern materials and relatively spacious interiors. “They’re no more expensive than houses on land,” says Olthuis, “and the technology is very simple.”
The standard “watervilla” floats, thanks to a hollow concrete box underneath it. As well as providing the…