Up, Up and Away: Building an Airship House

"QUANTUM SHOT" #794 Link - article by Avi Abrams H. G. Wells and Jules Verne Would Approve Luke William Grove (originally from Brighton, United Kingdom) is currently building a floating "airship" house in Perpignan, France. This is not a humble abode, tied to Mother Earth with no hope of ever soaring above the mundane troubles. This is a full-blown airship marvel, designed by Timon Sager, a talented visionary from Switzerland - and having every hope of completion within very near future. (all images credit: Timon Sager, used by permission) This is truly inspiring! A creative blend of dirigible and modern house (suspended with durable cables in the air), which looks like it floated out of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. The Wolke 7 model is the whale-shaped zeppelin with highly sculptured air balloons, and a luxury house "gondola" placed right between them: The "house in the sky" includes multiple decks, fully-appointed bedrooms, a state-of-the-art entertainment center... and a swimming pool. (That is if you like to gaze down on helpless earth-bound citizens and pastoral landscapes gliding past, as you luxuriate in a bubble bath). Or imagine taking our a silver spyglass and laying out navigation, while sipping your martini and securing lounge pillows against the stray wind. This all sounds very H. G. Wells and Jules Verne to us. The pilot (or house navigator) must be really careful where he (or she) plans to land, and perhaps be diligent to secure airspace permissions from local air traffic controllers. However, it does not seem like this airship house is going to fly very high, so should not interfere with traditional air traffic. Different countries may have different laws governing air travel, however. (Lockheed Martin's recent awesome blimp HALE-D "high altitude long endurance demonstrator") Check the building and funding progress at Luke's Facebook page. They also have plans to house an avant garde art events, called The 9Tails Performance Art Theater Collective - sort of like a "Burning Man" Art Event in the clouds! ("Smart DOTS + Soft MOBS", designed by Terreform 1 + KARV - giant jellyfish in the sky with dangling seating) Luke William Grove writes to us with the latest updates on the project: "We want to crowd fund the purchase of a desktop 3D printer and enough plastic filament to enable the upgrade to a printer that is big enough to print a house! This is going to be spectacular, and it will only work if YOU get involved, so ignore your inner cynic, open your heart and mind - and come be a part of something extraordinary.... We dare you!" In the spirit of Zeppelin-filled Sky Captain's World of Tomorrow, here is a couple of artistic visions to inspire: Prepare to roll out! (image credit: Don Aguirre) Airships do come with very classy pilots, after all: (image credit: Don Aguirre) Article by Avi Abrams, Dark Roasted Blend. CONTINUE TO "AIRSHIP DREAMS"! -> READ THE REST OF OUR "AIRPLANES" CATEGORY ->