Lifting cargo ships out of boat yards in the water up onto adjacent land, a Dutch design firm is creating a series of creatively recycled estates using maritime vessels that are no longer seaworthy.

The Dutch firm, Studio Komma, has dubbed their project the Marine-doc Estate. Their process involves matching different ships to ideal lots and landscapes while also maximizing connections between land and water.

The former merchant ships are spacious, lending themselves to large outdoor areas and expansive greened roofs. The original metal will be cut into to create windows and doors, but left sufficiently intact to retain structural integrity. Each ship is different, resulting in a series of unique homes bound together by a shared nautical heritage.

According to the architects, original features such as the stern, wheelhouse and foredeck will be enhanced with “sleek geometric shapes” on the exterior, combining modern features with original details. Measuring up to 200 feet in length, the elongated volume of the interior will be broken up with flexible partitions that will enable future residents to personalize the layout.

Anyone who has seen stacks of shipping containers and the huge cranes that move them at big ports knows they can make for a marvelous sight, but what happens when you overlay those rigid geometries on other landscapes?

Artist Mary Iverson, who lives near one such port in Seattle, combines paint and photographs to explore the results of globalization, intersecting natural and built environments with bright geometric cargo container boxes, ships and infrastructure.

“In following my interests and working to resolve an artistic dichotomy within myself,” she explains of her work, “between my love and nature and my fascination with the shipping industry, I came upon a visual solution that metaphorically echoes what we are facing in the world today.”

Architectural drawings often leave behind traces of perspective, hinted at in pencil before final forms are inked in pen. In her work, Iverson leaves those construction lines in place, then fills in gaps selectively to form containers.

“My paintings are colorful abstractions that spring from the theme of the industrial shipping terminal. The canvases feature mass accumulations of shipping containers and container cranes in various perspectives. My work employs a network of searching perspective lines and layers of interlocking, colorful planes and rectangles that suggest both deep space and flat surface.”

In both artificial and organic landscapes, the boxes introduce depth and scale, juxtaposing existing spaces with perspectives that align with new grids.

Iverson received her MFA in Painting from the University of Washington in 2002 and currently teaches painting and drawing at Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, WA as a tenured faculty member. (via Colossal).

This amazing all-terrain land variant is just the first of three compelling electric vehicles conceptualized with lightweight materials and green technologies and designed, respectively, for overground, aerial and underwater travel.

First of this series by Eduardo Galvani, the Nimbus features an electrical engine powered by a lithium-ion battery that works in parallel with a combustion micro-generator for recharging.

Its structure is composed of carbon-fiber, titanium and aluminium, lightening its load. It also features rooftop solar cells and a regenerative brake mechanism helping it recover and save kinetic energy. Panoramic wraparound windows allow for views out in all directions, while key design elements are picked up in the dramatic sky and sea variants shown below.

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All Terrains 3 Futuristic Land Sea Air E Vehicle Designs

You may have to move rooms when you arrive at your hotel, but has your room ever had to move you? Instead of static spaces, the sleeping areas in this hotel are dynamic vehicles you can use to depart the core structure in which you are staying.

Ivan Filipovic‘s idea is to let people in different physical contexts to do everything from exploring remote surroundings (in regions difficult to reach by land, for instance) to watching races or other city-side events (in more urban contexts).

The core structure provides all of the expected amenities, including a reservations desks, restaurant, cafe, bar, nightclub, rooftop terrace and swimming pool, but the autonomous room modules are equipped with solar power collectors and global positioning systems to allow them to depart and return on demand.

Whether they can be realized in a practical way is up for debate, but the concept is exceedingly convincing from an experiential perspective. The solution is a best-of-both-worlds hybrid of adventurous semi-independent world tours and luxury scripted cruise-ship expeditions.

Portaging in the wild is one thing, but try walking your canoe or kayak down the street (let alone through an airport) and you may smack someone right in the head – hence this city-friendly creation (25 pounds, 25 inches wide, and 12 feet long when deployed!).

Compact, portable and light-weight, the Oru kayak folds in on itself to form a shoulder-ready carrying case containing, well, itself. It then unfolds and assembles in just five minutes – perfect for those living in crowded urban environments with little storage space.

From its creators: “Stash it in a trunk. Check it on a plane. Stow it on a sailboat. Hike it in to remote waters. No garage, SUV or roof racks necessary. The Oru Kayak makes boating simple, easy, and accessible— so you can spend more time on the water.”

But it is not just about mobility and transit – how the Oru works as a water vehicle matters as well: “The Oru Kayak is fast, stable, and handles incredibly well. Its light weight makes it fast and easy to paddle. The hard chines offer excellent tracking. And the 25″ width makes balancing easy, even for beginners. Check our blog for upcoming demos near you!” The catch? You may need to find the perfect flat-pack paddle to match!