The floating house designed by TiggColl is built using a prefabricated, modular system on a 4m x 20m plot. This new benchmark features contemporary spaces defined by a living room, kitchen, a master bedroom, two secondary bedrooms, and a shared bathroom. The exterior walls have large, expressive windows that incorporate ventilation and sunshade panels.
For the construction of the house, a unique structural system was developed using 10 interlocking, independent steel shells for the floating base, joined together by a gantry crane. The exterior facades are clad with horizontal Accoya wood slats, while the interior features an exposed timber structure, understated materials, oak flooring, and a black color scheme in the kitchen.
"The float house" by TiggColl. Photograph by James Retief.
Project description by TiggColl
TiggColl architects has completed The Float House, an innovative modular floating home on the Grand Union Canal in Ruislip, northwest London. The spacious and accessible family home combines contemporary design with advanced technology, pushing the boundaries of sustainable, water-based living.
TiggColl was approached by the client to design a new bespoke home on the water to replace their existing canal barge, which lacked the living space and accessibility requirements for a growing family with changing health needs. Allowance for future level access was central to the brief, as was having a property which sits above the water – unlike traditional canal barges, where the internal floor level is below the water line, leading to cold and damp conditions. Crucially, the family wished to remain within a co-operative of 35 houseboats at a private residential mooring at Hampton Hall Farm, in a beautiful but confined location.
Creating a spacious family home with a connection to nature
Inside, The Float House offers contemporary living spaces, thoughtfully designed to maximise the use of space and natural light. Expansive windows provide stunning views of the water and surrounding landscape, creating a serene and inviting atmosphere, giving the family an immediate connection to the water while maintaining privacy and security.
The Float House’s external elevations are clad with horizontal Accoya timber slats, a sustainable and durable material selected for its waterproofing qualities, and its ability to weather naturally with the adjacent bank, providing a dynamic appearance that works in harmony with its surroundings.
An exposed timber internal structural frame provides continuity and combines a contemporary and pared back aesthetic with a warm, calm and natural feel. The home is fitted out with high quality, understated materials and finishes, including engineered oak flooring, a sleek black painted kitchen with Dekton worktops and appliances by Hacker.
The ambitious brief was to create an open-plan family living space, a main bedroom suite, two children’s bedrooms and a shared family bathroom, all within a plot size of 4mx20m – dictated by the canal width, passing distances and the length of the mooring. The design team used cantilevered window bays to create additional worktop spaces within the kitchen, and bed spaces within the children’s rooms. Along with integrated ventilation panels and solar shading, the expressive window bays define the bankside elevation of the home.
Designing on the water: Prefabrication and a modular design
Access to the Grand Union Canal in this location is restricted by low bridges, both upstream and downstream. Due to the absence of a dry dock or quayside, traditional methods of maintenance, such as removing the houseboat by crane, were not feasible. In response, TiggColl collaborated closely with a marine and structural engineer to develop a unique system of 10 interlocking steel hulls secured together by a gantry. Each hull section can be individually floated away from the gantry and lifted to the canal bank, making maintenance straightforward and manageable, without the need for extensive infrastructure.
Working with Bucklands Timber, TiggColl created an expressed structure throughout the boat, following a similar systematic approach to construction. Once the floating chassis was assembled and launched onto the water, the skeleton structural frame was quickly installed on site, minimising the need for construction on the water, and disruption to this canal boat community.
“The Float House is testament to how creative thinking and innovative technology and engineering can overcome natural constraints, and meet a family’s specific needs. We hope that it will become a prototype for creating enjoyable and sustainable living environments in difficult-to-reach canal, river, or lake locations.”
David Tigg, founding director, TiggColl
“Our ambition was to create an accessible family home that maximises the limited space available, while making sure that the houseboat touches the surroundings with a sense of lightness – bringing nature, reflectivity and sunlight as close as possible. It is a home designed for embracing nature, and facilitating modern family life, on the water.”
Rachel Coll, founding director, TiggColl
“We wished for a home that was beautiful and practical for a family of four, that would also accommodate my future health needs. Starting this new build was a huge leap of faith, but we never gave up hope that our vision was achievable. Thanks to the unwavering commitment of TiggColl and the team of engineers involved in this project, we have a home that has surpassed our dream: peaceful, surrounded by nature, with breathtaking views out across the water.”
Narinda Desrosiers, owner of The Float House
