Inside a luxury floating home that elevates during storms

What does aspirational living look like in the age of global warming? According to Arkup, it’s a floating double-decker yacht that doubles as a glassy modern house.

The Miami, Florida-based company recently showed off its floating home concept, a posh, off-grid yacht that comes loaded with high-end features. The company’s vision is a part-boat, part-house, and nothing like the cramped and scrappy maritime living you’ve maybe experienced.

The houseboat stands on retractable hydraulic pilings that can raise the structure 20 feet into the air during storm surges. Details include a solar panel roof to power onboard batteries, sleek wood floors, a sun deck that dips into the water to become a sea pool, and a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that let you look out onto the ocean in case weather requires you to be indoors.

According to the designers, the 4,350-square-foot yacht is “as stable as a house” but can scoot along at seven knots, impervious to bad weather and waves, including 155 mph winds.

Photo: Craig Denis courtesy Arkup

Photo: Craig Denis courtesy Arkup

The first built Arkup home was unveiled at the Miami Yacht Show in February. According to the Miami Herald, the model comes with a $5.5 million price tag, and currently has one buyer and a list of potential buyers.

Arkup’s designers Nicolas Derouin and Arnaud Luguet told the paper that their larger vision includes “an affordable model,” as well as floating neighborhoods and eco-hotels.

Photo: Craig Denis courtesy Arkup

Photo: Craig Denis courtesy Arkup

Photo: Craig Denis courtesy Arkup

Image: Arkup