It is the start of August and you go to the mailbox to find an acceptance letter to your dream education. You couldn’t be happier and life seems perfect until you realize, “where am I going to live?”
You start your search for affordable student housing only to find out that you are number 6753 on the waiting list…

 

Affordable student housing has become a major problem in Denmark and as many as 24,000 students are without residence annually. I experienced this first-hand last year, where I had 1 month to find a home in Aarhus 200 km away.

It was impossible and I ended up having to live on a mattress in my brother’s kitchen for the first 2 months.

Awesome start to your new life right?

This issue is expected to keep growing, but what can be done to solve this problem?

Almost all of Denmark’s student cities are located near the water and a Danish company called Urban Riggers has taken some untraditional methods in use to combat the student housing problem of the future by building sustainable houses on the water.

 

These floating houses are made out of second-hand shipping containers, electricity is powered by solar panels and heating comes from the water by using hydro pumps. In other words, these houses are almost 100% sustainable and environment-friendly!
The monthly rent is only around 600 $, which is a bargain in a city like Copenhagen where prices are an average of 1200 $.

Take a look at this video to see how awesome these homes are! A more educational video here tells you how they are made.

This innovation doesn’t just help students with finding a home at a reasonable price but also helps the environment. This is a really cool idea in my opinion and I see why this has caught the attention of other European cities.

Who wouldn’t want to be able to dive head first into the water from your own house in the summer? I certainly would!

Do you think this idea will last and would it work in Canada as well?

Would love to hear your opinion on the project.