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Colourful houseboats anchored along the Nile have been fixtures of Cairo since the 1800s. Last month the government ordered their removal, saying the boats were unsafe and lacked permits—no surprise, since it stopped renewing the permits two years ago. It has recently begun towing them away.
Officials are coy about their plans for the riverbank. If the past is any guide, the boats will be replaced by restaurants and cafés, their lush gardens buried under concrete.
— The Economist
As the New York Times pointed out recently, the houseboats carry quite a bit of cultural significance as the site where Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz wrote his seminal 1966 novel Adrift on the Nile and several other classic tomes. Egypt is pursuing an aggressive redevelopment of its ancient... View full entry
A historic houseboat in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood is getting new life thanks to a 3-year renovation project from local firm Best Practice. The firm’s effort expanded the houseboat’s original 1,200-square-foot footprint with an 800-square-foot black metal facade addition that will... View full entry
Their design featured two double cabins, bunk beds for guests, a sitting area, chart table, kitchen, composting toilet and a shower. A wood-burning stove would provide some Scandinavian hygge on those chilly arctic nights...Small wind turbines were fitted and the roof was covered with solar panels...The original tarpaulin was replaced with curved windows while the rear superstructure of the boat was cut away, making way for a new plywood and fibreglass cockpit. — BBC Scotland News
Calum Watson profiles two young architects who bought a retired Scottish lifeboat, converted it and set off on a 5,000km (3,100 miles) journey to Norway and beyond. Clansman Lifeboat No.1 after conversion and upgrade | photo by DavidSchnabel h/t @ c.c. o'hanlon View full entry
Airbnb is sailing a full-size floating house along the Thames this week to celebrate new rules to support home sharing in London.
The publicity stunt follows the passing of the Deregulation Act last month, which means Londoners are now free to rent their homes for up to 90 days a year without risk of fines or having to secure planning permission before doing so.
— theguardian.com
For more information and your chance to stay in the floating house click here. View full entry
