Interior design


and Pullmantur Cruises sold two after becoming insolvent – the 1998 Sovereign and the 1991 Monarch. All of these have now been retired and broken up, piece by piece.


Riches to rags


Furthermore, there are serious concerns about the environmental impact and working conditions in South Asia’s ship-breaking industry, with toxic waste dumping, and job-related fatalities and injuries among staff cited as urgent reasons to rethink this disposal method. But, until recent years, the alternatives – deliberately sinking a vessel or abandoning it at sea – haven’t been as appealing to vendors. In addition to the lack of financial return, ditched ships can create problems with nearby residents, who consider them to be eyesores, as is the case with Society Expeditions’ World Discoverer, which was left off a beach in the Solomon Islands in 2000; and SS United States, which on its maiden voyage in 1952 proudly broke the trans-Atlantic speed record, and now sits decaying in Philadelphia’s Delaware River. Meanwhile, others are renovated to host booze cruises, idling through the seas with their best years behind them.


In recent years, a number of innovative architects have demonstrated there to be another, more creative option for elderly vessels. In a drive to build more sustainably, designers have been repurposing once-seaborne ships for life on dry land as homes and hotels, to museums and restaurants. In December 2019, for instance, the Oakland City Council negotiated to convert a cruise ship into housing for 1,000 homeless people. “These ships have all the facilities for homeless and working poor families,” says Craiker, who also sees potential in reworked cruise ships for those wishing to downsize their homes “in a dignified fashion”. “Many ships could have a second life as living communities with all the amenities and options of a city,” he says.


But, as Joost van Rooijen, the architect and managing partner of the Netherlands’ Studio Komma, notes, the size and proportions of empty ships are not in themselves suited for long-term habitation. “Repurposing retired ships on land creates an interesting architectural challenge,” he says. “To create spaces that feel comfortable to be in, our floor plans consist of closed and open spaces paired with several patios.” To counterbalance the narrow space of a ship, van Rooijen and his team built upwards as well as inwards for one particular project, shrewdly adding a new elevated roof with a large garden, while reworking the inner walls. Because the construction methods for shipbuilding are very different from those of conventional housing, van Rooijen has consulted professional shipbuilders for his projects. “It’s steel and curves instead of concrete and orthogonal


World Cruise Industry Review / www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com


lines, which forces you to think outside of the box,” he reveals. Moreover, cruise ships are not built like homes: the rooms are designed to be much smaller than normal bedrooms, in order to encourage travellers to spend as little time in them as possible. Therefore, old ships that have been stripped bare are naturally more versatile than those whose cabins remain in place. “The empty hulls can be whatever you want them to be, which is the beauty of it,” says van Rooijen. “The exterior structure of the steel hull makes the ship also very flexible, so the function of the ship can change over time. We focus on creating houses, but I can also easily imagine art galleries, offices, shops, restaurants and hotels.”


Project restoration


Both van Rooijen and Craiker agree that the most aesthetic option when repurposing ships is to preserve their original features. However, certain issues are liable to arise, making it difficult to do so – particularly when it comes to insulation. “The best way for insulating the ships is on the inside of the steel hull,” explains van Rooijen, “but this insulation hides the beautiful character of the bare steel structures in the interior. That is why we created outdoor patios that don’t have to be insulated within the hull.” Additionally, Studio Komma has used the thickness of the steel windows as a visual accent to enjoy when looking outside. “This is what gives these repurposed ships a truly special look and feel,” he says. “Each has a different character and a story to tell, which is fantastic to show and be experienced by the viewer.” Craiker echoes that a classic nautical theme is the most appealing route to explore. “Considering how quickly these cruise ships become visually obsolete, a retro look might work,” he muses.


1952 The year


SS United States broke the trans- Atlantic speed record, the vessel now sits decaying in Philadelphia’s Delaware River.


National Geographic 1,000


The number of homeless people housed in a converted cruise ship by Oakland City Council in December 2019.


CBS


“Many ships could have a second life as living communities with all the amenities and options of a city.”


Chris d Craiker


As well as cruise ships, smaller cargo boats are also accumulating at the world’s scrap yards, particularly those of the Netherlands, where beautiful mid-century river cruisers measuring about 70 by eight metres are no longer viable modes of transport because of their relatively diminutive size (as well as the fact that they no longer adhere to the increasingly strict environmental regulations). This, according to van Rooijen, is an enormous loss in cultural and historical value – not to mention those of their materials. “By giving these ships a second life on land, we can retain these values,” he explains.


Opposite page: The green landscape park, Marine- doc Estate, designed by Studio Komma.


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