This solar-powered floating house can withstand Category 4 hurricanes
Arkup is a solar-powered luxury houseboat made to survive the climate crisis.
Although it looks more like a floating two-story condo than anything resembling a boat, the Arkup stands on retractable hydraulic stilts that can erect the home up to 20 feet into the air during storms and can withstand waves and Category 4 hurricane winds of up to 155 miles per hour.
“It’s more like a house than a boat but you never lose the unmistakable feeling that you’re on the water,” Nicolas Derouin, managing director of Arkup, told the Miami Herald.
The 4,350-square-foot yacht has hardwood floors, a slide-out sun deck, sea pool and floor-to-ceiling windows. It includes all the basics like a living room, dining area, several bathrooms, three bedrooms, two balconies and two kitchens. Meanwhile, its solar-paneled roof powers the Arkup, making it both decadent and eco-friendly.
The Arkup couldn’t have come at a better time with weather in Florida — where the company is based — becoming all the more extreme due to climate change.
“South Florida sea levels are projected to rise 6 to 12 inches by 2030, 14 inches to nearly 3 feet by 2060 and 31 inches to nearly 7 feet by 2100,” according to the Miami Herald.
While the yacht will cost you a cool $5.5 million, Derouin says the goal is to make eco-friendly, floating homes more accessible.
“We want to design small apartments on the water for students, townhouses for families,” Derouin said. “We want to create housing solutions for a broader audience. That’s the vision behind Arkup.”
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