The Fennell Residence—Portland, Oregon
At first glance, Robert Harvey Oshatz, a famous architect, put his unique design touch on this spectacular houseboat. Sitting on the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, the Fennell residence has smart features and uses laminated wood beams, giving it a warm and inviting interior. The living and dining rooms are directly facing the river with large stained glass windows that have the ability to perfectly capture a beautiful sunset. A loft-style bedroom sits above the residence's study. Oshatz plays perfectly with the spatial differentiation of this houseboat, giving it an incredibly impressive curvilinear shape, which makes it an everyday wonder, no matter the time of day.
The Floatwing — Coimbra, Portugal
This houseboat, known as the Floatwing, was created by a group originally affiliated with the University of Coimbra. The group is made up of naval architects, engineers and industrial designers. The team specializes in a very specific niche building houseboats and underwater structures ranging from 33 to 59 feet in length. While some of the more deluxe Floatwing packages include a solar-powered motor, even regular homes are built to be self-sufficient for at least a week.
Port X — Prague, Czech Republic
This houseboat comes courtesy of the ambitious Port Moldavian. The sleek, modern design also serves as a wonderful contrast to the city's surrounding Romanesque architecture, while its intuitive design allows for easy assembly, relocation and deconstruction. You can even tow the amphibious house down the river.
ParkArk — Utrecht, Netherlands
ParkArk is the brainchild of BYTR architects, a Rotterdam-based architectural firm. Unlike the prototypical houseboats out there, this model really is like a family residence. The owners of ParkArk previously lived aboard a steel ship and asked the company to try to recreate the feel of their last home while incorporating an updated, modern aesthetic. The copper sheets that make up the lower part, allowing a design parallel to the channel. Light floods the house naturally.
Villa Näckros — Kalmar, Sweden
Located in the town of Kalmar on Sweden's east coast, this contemporary houseboat offers incredible views, a spacious floor plan and an incredible upstairs deck ideal for viewing the scenery. With six bedrooms, about 1,900 square feet of living space, and a technologically advanced kitchen, this home exudes luxury and wealth. The residence weighs 165 tons, ensuring zero movement from wind, waves, or floating ice. Homeowners also have access to approximately 1,000 square feet of rooftop garden space.
The Exbury Egg—Beaulieu River, UK
The Exbury Egg doesn't look like a houseboat when placed next to some of the other houses on the list. The Exbury Egg is an efficient and sustainable collaboration between the Copa group and the studio of artist Stephen Turner, a work that remains anchored in the Beaulieu River in the south of England. Rising and falling with the tide, the egg appears to be a unique, zen place that invites you to reflect on life's most perplexing questions.
Ar-che — Lusatian Lake District, Germany
The German architecture company Steeltec 37 has designed this charming place, which is located on a chain of artificially created lakes called the Lužické Lake District. Steeltec 37 had fun and imagination with the production process, creating an apartment fit-out with a curved roof, giving the impression of an inflated sail on a sailboat. Although it is able to withstand the harshest conditions, its robust aluminum exterior also blends perfectly with its surroundings. Moreover, because it is a vacation rental, any wandering soul has the opportunity to enjoy this place the next time they travel to the southern part of Brandenburg, Germany.
Butt’s Clermont Houseboats — Lake Dal, India
I could write an entire article on the beautiful houseboats on Dal Lake in Srinagar, India. Beyond the intricate woodwork and stunning Himalayan views, there's a long list of past famous guests who have come to these houseboats, from Vice President Nelson Rockefeller to George Harrison. Really, they are houses with a very traditional, folkloric and interesting touch.
Watervilla De Hoef — The Netherlands
Dutch architecture firm waterstudio.nl focuses exclusively on the planning and design of projects on or near some form of water, and their Watervilla De Hoef is no different. With an incredibly modern two-story design, this houseboat fits perfectly with its surrounding suburban neighborhood. The upstairs bedrooms allow you to look over the spacious, well-lit living room, which features stunning floor-to-ceiling windows for a beautiful outside view.