Located amid a centuries-old floating town that faces extinction, La Balsanera is intended to serve as a paradigm for the conservation and sustainable reconstruction of the community that is being destroyed by the river.
There are currently only 25 floating structures in the village, down from 200 prior to the river’s current closure as a commercial fluvial route.
La Balsanera, according to Bamba and Natura Futura Arquitectura, is intended to assist resurrect “the tradition of living on the river”.
Constructed for a family of three, whose sources of income are mending wooden boats and selling food to the neighborhood. The 70-square-meter layout emphasizes the river’s significance as a socioeconomic asset.
Terraces are made available for their use as “productive environments” by a two-meter-wide expansion to an already-existing platform. Examples of these include cafe seating areas and tourist boat anchor points.
“La Balsanera explores possible floating solutions that recover local artisan techniques. While promoting the active and productive participation of the occupants in vulnerable communities,” Bamba stated to Dezeen.
The gabled truss construction of the house is formed by wooden porticos spaced every two meters. Above this is a colorful hammock and the covered outdoor terraces under a corrugated roof.
Two bedrooms, a communal living room, eating area, and kitchen are located in the center, and a boat workshop, restrooms, and showers are located in each of the two exterior strips at either end.
Made from repurposed wood, slatted openings called “chazas” aid in the interior’s natural cooling and ventilation.
Between the floating house and the mainland is a footbridge made of bamboo and wooden planks.
In the meantime, shutter doors connect the living areas to the patios outside thanks to their widespread use in the architecture.
The bases of Bamba and Natura Futura Arquitectura are in Spain and Ecuador, respectively.
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