No Land in Sight

Leaving the everyday world behind and leaving on a global adventure is a daydream that most of us have had at one time or another. How many of us would be brave enough to leave behind not only the routine of every life, but the very land on which we live?

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No Land in Sight Future houseboat

No Land In Sight is a student project from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. It explores the relationship between adventuring humans and the sea, examining exactly how a long-term sea journey would play out practically and technologically.

Houseboat concept
houseboat renderings

Sustainable power has a starring role in the design. Wind and solar power are two of the obvious choices for renewable energy on an ocean-bound houseboat, and this design features several large solar panels and a retractable wind turbine.

houseboat propellers

The turbine powers a desalinization system that makes ocean water potable for the humans on board. That system also allows the substantial on-board garden to have a constant supply of fresh water.

Futuristic houseboat deck
Futuristic houseboat interior

Far from being simply a novelty for those who enjoy living on a lake, this design was meant for the serious ocean-lover who needs to get away from civilization for long periods of time. With ocean levels rising, we may one day all seek out floating, sustainable houses like this one.

“No Land in Sight began as an exploration in how a self-sustainable environment could be fitted in a seaworthy houseboat, providing to its two users (persons with flexible jobs that don’t need a fixed address to perform them) the possibility of exploring the world without boundaries or, if they wish, stay away from civilization for long periods of time (up to 3 months). By delivering solutions that meet the users’ basic needs, the ties that hold them to shore could be diminished, making them less grid dependent.”

“The final result was a 50” hydrofoil, kite sailboat inspired by marine life (manta rays and hammerhead sharks) as well as stealth vehicles. Using renewable energies (solar and wind) to power its different systems, the houseboat is fitted with a hydroponic garden that provides enough vegetables for a healthy subsistence during a long period offshore when integrated with fishing and provisions brought from shore; a retractable vertical wind turbine provides mechanical power for the mechanical-vapour-compression desalination system that produces drinkable water for the garden’s nutrient solution and to the users needs, as well as h eat in the cold seasons, electric energy and aeration for speeding the biological waste breakdown managed by a compost reservoir, enabling up to 4 times more space than conventional waste reservoirs.”