Ah, love. Everyone wants to believe that theirs will last forever. Until — usually after an extended stay on a friend’s couch — it becomes painfully clear that it won’t. At which point, the unhappy couple is faced with a battle over real estate.
Or are they…?
The floating “Prenuptial House” designed by Amsterdam-based Studio OBA aims to provide an alternative to this historically messy process of domestic uncoupling. The concept is the brainchild of self-proclaimed “pop culture expert” Omar Kbiri, who noticed that divorce rates around the world were on the rise, along with the attendant resettlement issues.
Kbiri’s concept home has two components which can be locked together indefinitely. In the case of a breakup, they can easily detach and go their own separate ways. They float because, well, there’s a lot of canals in Amsterdam.
Is it a little cynical? Maybe. Or maybe it’s realistic, considering divorce (or breaking up) can sometimes be the healthiest choice for a couple.
Says Kbiri: “I especially like the fact that we can stabilise the home front during an otherwise very hectic time. With this concept you namely don’t need to relocate after a breakup.”
The project is still in testing phase, but the team expects to start taking orders for the Prenuptial Housing in 2017. For now they’ve got their eyes on the countries with the highest divorce rates, Portugal (68%), Belgium (71%) and Hungary (67%) among them.
As for who gets to keep the puppy, you’ll still need to hash that out in arbitration.
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