VLOØT

Vloøt is a group of artificial islands in Amsterdam that permanently counteract the exclusivity of urban inland waterways. The canals of Amsterdam and the open waters at popular urban beaches are only accessible if you own a (house) boat or rent a boat for hundreds of euros. This results in the exclusivity of urban waterways, which results into segregation within the city. With the current discussion about sea level rise and the need to implement solutions, its important to have the public more involved with the water. To achieve this its crucial to make the urban waterways inclusive. Vloot is taking the first step in the right direction with six recreational islands distributed throughout the city that can be used free of charge by everyone.

(Not taken by me, click on the image for the source)

In addition, the islands are designed in such a way that they can be 'joined together' into one larger island, which can then be anchored at the quay. For example, saunas can be added, so that the islands and the surrounding water can be used even in winter.

One of the major advantages is that the islands are not chained to a permanent location, which makes the concept flexible. In winter, for example, the islands can be used in the canals when they freeze over.

The islands are spread across the city centre as widely as possible. In this way it reaches a maximum amount of people. At each location, the design responds to the right target group and takes into account the identity of the location. The islands are elaborated as a mirror image of the place where the island is located. As such, a subtle look is presented at the possibility of urban life on the water. The individual identities were shown in a scale model.