Fancy owning a floating private island? Dutch developers create a luxury secluded getaway
Details have emerged about a new luxury man-made private island, which can give owners a secluded taste of paradise almost anywhere in the world.
Dutch company Amillarah Private Islands has created the concept with architect Koen Olthuis and floating technology specialists Dutch Docklands. The islands will be sold to wealthy buyers by Christie’s International Real Estate.
“Various studies conducted by different well-established institutions show that the trend in ultra-luxury real estate over the next 10 years is private islands,” said Amillarah Private Islands vice-president Jasper Mulder, in an exclusive interview with CLAD.
“People are looking for more privacy, intimacy and freedom to reflect their lifestyles, and we are going to meet that demand.”
Olthuis and Dutch Docklands – who last year revealed plans for a floating snowflake-shaped hotel – are designing the structure of the islands. Buyers will then be invited to customise the size, shape and style of their personal residence from scratch and choose where they are to be located.
"Custom means starting every project literally with a blank page,” said Mulder. “It entails designing a bespoke island that is entirely individual and unlike any other in the world, reflecting the character and purpose of the owner.
“However, all will be well-designed. Most private islands are isolated and difficult to reach, construction and maintenance is expensive and their rarity means demand outweighs the supply. We will make those disadvantages a thing of the past.”
Amillarah Private Islands has reached an agreement for the first 33 private islands to be located in Dubai, as part of The World Islands project, while separate developments will follow in the Maldives and Miami. Mulder told CLAD that no waterside locations are being ruled out.
"The islands can be go almost anywhere. A combination of unique technology and craftsmanship – based on working on the water in the Netherlands for many decades – and detailed location studies will determine the exact methods we will use for creating the islands and mooring them. We will use either piles or cables, always with a minimum impact to the sea bottom.
"There is no environmental impact because we have used a scarless approach and each island is completely self-sufficient and equipped with state-of-the-art green technology. Living with the water creates sustainable long-term solutions which have zero impact on the environment.”
The developers have partnered with the Ocean Futures Society – established by French conservationist Jean-Michel Cousteau – to protect and enhance marine habitats under the islands.
The social impact of the islands is also being considered, and floating schools, purification plants, housing and agriculture plots will be created alongside the luxury properties. Amillarah Private Islands has pledged to build one of these ‘social’ islands for every private luxury island it creates, and is currently working on one to be located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
A clear trend is emerging for resorts that float on the water. Serbia-based architects Salt & Water have designed their own floating hotel with detachable catamaran apartments; London’s AT Design Office have released their concept for a floating city in the South China Sea; and MPD Designs have designed a solar-powered resort, also in the Maldives, sat atop floating pontoons.
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