Netherlands' cardboard floating homes, Wikkelboats, could be a housing solution for areas with limited space

Small floating houses made out of cardboard might not be everyone's cup of tea, but they are being considered as a housing solution in the Netherlands' unused harbours. 

Wikkelboats — or "wrap boats" in English — used for short-term accommodation are an original addition to the Rotterdam landscape, 73 kilometres to the south-east of the country's capital, Amsterdam. 

The floating houses are made of 1.2-metre-long cardboard segments weighing 500 kilograms each.

Rest assured, the cardboard is coated with a waterproof layer and a wooden layer.

The segments are modular, too, so the length of each house can be extended or reduced.

And the use of cardboard offers both excellent thermal and soundproofing properties.

They are positioned on a floating jetty.

Wikkelboat director Sander Waterval said he thought the uniqueness of the "houseboats" was not just the use of cardboard, but also the use of other recycled materials and solar panels. 

"So it's well-thought about the building process, but it's also of the usage," Mr Waterval said. 

"If you have very limited space in The Netherlands and, especially, in Rotterdam as an expanding, bustling city. Then you also look to places where people can go on the water and things like that.

"And it's also the square meters are used in a very multi-functional way.

"So it's not only that it's a floating hotel room. No, definitely not. It's much more."

The houses all feature a bathroom, separate bedroom, wall-integrated folding beds and an unfolding TV set. 

And, in the same space-saving strategy, there is also a hidden hot tub.

"You don't see it in the daytime. You just sit on the terrace on the Jacuzzi because it's under the deck," Mr Waterval said.

Founded four years ago, Wikkelboat — which is also the name of the company — has seven of its floating houses in Rijnhaven harbour, Rotterdam.

There are two more of the floating houses on the River Dieze in 's-Hertogenbosch, the capital of the North Brabant region. 

The Wikelboats could also be part of a planning solution to develop Dutch cities on the water.

A flagship example is the floating Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) building in Rotterdam.

It's the largest floating office in the world, moored in the Rijnhaven harbour, and illustrates the necessity for climate adaptation.

Vera Bauman — who works on the "Water within Municipality of Rotterdam" project — said that, with all its abandoned inner-city harbours, the city wants to connect the water with the areas behind the old harbours.

"So we are now thinking about developing the city in connection with the water," she said. 

For overnight stays, Wikkelboat charges between 250 euros ($370) and 350 euros ($520) per night.

The company is planning new projects in various Dutch and Belgian cities with old harbours that are longing for a new purpose.

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