H2OSTEL: Mobile Infrastructure for MIT Roboat

2017

Authors:

Ignacio Cardona, Researcher

Advisors:

Carlo Ratti, Ricardo Alvarez, Newsha Ghaeli, Teaching Staff and Research Guidelines

Institutions:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Senseable City Lab;

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Roboat explores autonomous waterborne mobility as a new infrastructure for Amsterdam’s canals. Developed within this research context, H2OSTEL investigates how autonomous boats could extend beyond transportation to become mobile and adaptable urban architecture.

The proposal transforms Roboat into a flexible and incremental accommodation system capable of navigating between Amsterdam’s historic center and the surrounding landscape. By combining mobility, inhabitation, and tourism, H2OSTEL explores water as an extension of the urban fabric, where architecture is no longer fixed to a site but can reconfigure its location and relationships within the city.