Loed Stolte is the winner in the competition by the muncipality of Delft to design a sustainable floating house for the Harnaschpolder. Loed Stolte’s design Sustainable Shell has its architectonic roots in the art of building ships. A ship hull, a wooden frame paneled with timber planks, is transformed into a shell that determines the main shape of the house. The continuous form makes the interior and exterior naturally merge into each other. An orthogonally outlined glass enclosure works as a geometrical counterpoint to the curved shell. Starting from the S-shaped spine, the house unfolds itself more and more to the water.

In correspondence to the ship theme, in terms of energy and water supply the house is an entirely self-supporting entity – like a ship again. A helophyte filter, placed in one of the floating gardens, filters the rain water and brings it in the circulating water system. The energy supply is provided by 70 m2 photovoltaic cells on the roof, forming a plane negative to that of the water below. The sun lighting is regulated by the shell-form, creating a comfortable climate. Finally, the house is entirely constructed of sustainable, recycled or recyclable materials, such as thermowood and cellulose.

The true value of the house as a floating sustainable construction is symbolized by the three-dimensional, two-parted rotational symmetry principal, creating an equilibrium, both dynamical and harmonious, metaphorical of natural processes.