Global climate change leaders work from energy-neutral, floating offices

The self-sufficient office space uses seawater for heating and cooling and is constructed almost entirely of timber

Spotted: Opening in the later months of 2020, the Floating Office Rotterdam is to house the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA). Set in Rotterdam’s Rijnhaven harbour, the three-floor office building includes a living roof, solar power and self-sufficient heating and cooling systems. Large overhangs on all sides shade and cool the building, and the modular, wooden construction means the entire structure can be taken apart, moved and rebuilt at a different location.

Designed by the Powerhouse Company architecture firm, construction will be rapid, with plans for it to take less than a year. Via a heat exchange system, the harbour waters both heat and cool the building. And to assist in creating strong local community connections, the onsite restaurant, terrace and swimming pool are open to the public.

Led by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Bill Gates (co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and Kristalina Georgieva (Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund), the Commission’s goal is to prepare communities for the forthcoming disruption of drastic climate change. The offices will be in situ for five to ten years, at which point they may move to a new location or be repurposed for another organisation’s use.

Springwise has spotted a number of innovations in and around Rotterdam, including a floating park made entirely of recycled plastic in the city’s harbour, and the world’s first electric, autonomous ships working along the Rotterdam/Antwerp/Duisburg shipping corridor.