‘Floating’ the idea of ‘water’ home
dubai — Residents across the UAE are eager to embrace a floating home on the sea, especially now that the units have been classified as a villa and offer the option of highly customisable interiors, experts at Kleindienst Group said.
Offering an update on the homes, Josef Kleindienst, founder and chairman of Kleindienst Group, the developer of The Heart of Europe, said that the first Floating Seahorse Villa was deployed as per schedule in 2016.
Several key improvements have been implemented since then, he noted, significantly adding value to the investors.
“Through the improvements, we can now offer a dual licence, a 100year lifetime, an increased underwater garden experience, improved layouts, optimised finishing and more. It was therefore decided to hand over all 78 Floating Seahorses, which form Phase 1, in 2019,” he said. “The Floating Seahorse Villas are further a part of the island ecosystem and benefit from the infrastructure and services from the neighbouring countries. Phase 1, which include Germany, Sweden, and 78 Floating Seahorses, will therefore be handed over together in 2019.”
Kleindienst also disclosed that over 80 Floating Seahorse Villas have been sold, with the first handover to start in the first quarter of this year.
Marco Bolzoni, senior architect at The Heart of Europe project, said that each individual Floating Seahorse boasts three levels, one underwater, one at sea level, and an upper deck.
The master bedroom and bathroom will be totally submerged underwater and will command views of the surrounding coral reef and marine life. The sea-level accommodation offers floor to ceiling windows, with uninterrupted sea views, a fully-fitted kitchen with a dining area, an open plan living area, and sun deck.
The upper deck features an informal bed, a kitchenette, a glassbottomed Jacuzzi and can be converted into a winter bedroom with retractable drapes.
Currently, The Floating Seahorse Villas come in two editions: The Signature Edition, and the Bentley Edition. The two editions have the same structure and layout with different interior designs in terms of materials, colour, and loose furniture. The Bentley Edition interiors are designed by A++ — a Swiss architectural studio licenced by Bentley Home — and furnished with items from the Bentley Home collection. The Signature Edition interiors are designed by The Heart of Europe and loose furniture is chosen from different brands, according to the client’s specifications.
Bolzoni said that it was important for the developer to let clients know that they have a lot of choice when it comes to how they want their interiors to look like.
“Of course, we envision them to look almost exactly the same from the outside, since they will be placed in cluster groups across different locations in The Heart of Europe, but our designers are happy to work with clients on customising the interiors. At the end of the day, these are floating homes, and we want residents to be happy with what their home looks like. You have all the comforts of home along with a unique ocean living lifestyle.”
“The Signature Editions are sold out,” said Kleindienst. “The Floating Seahorse Villas sell for Dh20 million, which will include the title deeds to the ocean plot pending approval from the authorities.”