The Arkup 75 Livable Yacht, with a Häcker kitchen on board, can move around independently like a yacht and so can take its passengers on their own personal cruise.
Kitchen ahoy!
Häcker is heading out to sea. The first exclusive Arkup yachts have been launched in Florida. On-board: high-quality kitchens from Rödinghausen.
Last year, the Häcker representatives in the US were approached by a company with an unusual task. The Arkup development team wanted them to design kitchens for their luxurious, floating homes. Arkup created their signature liveable yacht, a mix between a yacht and a floating house, in collaboration with Dutch architect Koen Olthuis. While they may look like a villa from the outside, the self-sufficient liveable yachts from Arkup have their own drive unit and can move in¬dependently without having to be towed.
„It was something new and really interesting for us. We had to take a lot of unusual features into account, like the access hatches in the floor.“
A villa with an engine
With the Arkup 75 Livable Yacht prototype, Koen Olthuis, who is a pioneer in the field of floating constructions and is currently working on building an entire district of a town with around 5,000 houses on the water in the Maldives. He created an elegant, light and airy €2.5 million luxury villa with an engine that the inhabitant can use to putter around. “As part of this project I was able to develop a sort of stilt system that lifts the yachts out of the water but still rests on the ground and so is very stable. And now this principle can be scaled.” Thanks to the retractable stilt system, the Livable Yachts can even be moored in shallow coastal waters, like those near Miami, so that they are not exposed to the waves.
Two companies with the same values
“It was a tricky task for us,” confides Andreas Gommeringer, Director Sales Overseas for Häcker in the US. “The job was actually passed onto us by a Häcker retail partner in the Netherlands. The founders of Arkup had already worked with Häcker when design¬ing the kitchen for their Arkup 75. And they were very happy with the quality, the fitting and with Häcker products in general. Now they asked us to come up with a concept for the smaller Arkup 50 Livable Yacht. We
took a look at the project and quickly dis¬covered that both companies, Häcker and Arkup, shared the same values: sustainability, modernity, technology and innovation. We recognised ourselves in these values and im¬mediately established a rapport.”
Plenty of storage room
So Häcker USA designed a kitchen for this floating home that takes up little room but offers plenty of storage space and fits in perfectly with the minimalist elegance and modern feel of the yacht. Since then, the Arkup yachts have gone into series production and the first ones have already been launched, complete with kitchens from Häcker equipped with appliances from Miele.
Despite the limited space, the planners opted for a double kitchen – a working kitchen near the stairs and a stylish open kitchen with an island at the front.
Two kitchens on board
“The space available on board was very limited,” explains Andreas Gommeringer. “There was a lot that had to be accommodated. For example, Boat 2 had a hidden TV in the wall unit. And the unusual designs for Boats 3 and 4 included two kitchens. One is hidden and is where the hired chef prepares the passengers’ meals. The second takes the form of open living space equipped with a kitchen island.
The sliding island
Julia Klinge, the person responsible for the project, adds: “It was something new and really interesting for us. We had to take a lot of unusual features into account, like the access hatches in the floor. As such, we built a sliding island which makes the space even more flexible. With the kitchens for Boats 3 and 4, both of which had these two kitchens, space was a major issue. When it came to the cooking area for the personal chef, we had to check whether we had left enough space to open all the cupboard doors properly. And we had to make sure that there was enough room for the fridge door to open fully. Space was really, really tight. We even used some corners that could be accessed from the other side, the hallway. We added hidden cabinets by fitting the walls with panels that can be opened.”
The guests on board the Arkup 75 Livable Yacht can enjoy stunning views of the horizon from the open-plan systemat kitchen.
„For most customers, the yachts would remain stationary, but they are still mobile. This means that they can be moved around and must be able to cope with a certain amount of movement, which is something that normal kitchens don’t have to do.“
The importance of stability
Now, contrary to what you might think, weight wasn’t a massive issue. In fact, the kitchens in the Arkup yachts were fitted with natural stone worktops. A good degree of mobility and access to the appliances was far more important. As Andreas explains: “For most customers, the yachts would remain stationary, but they are still mobile. This means that they can be moved around and must be able to cope with a certain amount of movement, which is something that normal kitchens don’t have to do.” The stability of the structure was also incredibly important, as Julia shares: “To achieve this, we built parti¬tion walls that the kitchen was fastened to. This means that even when the sea is rough, the kitchen will stay secure and stable.”
Kitchens as white as a yacht
What swung the decision in favour of Häcker was their modern designs. So what exactly was installed in the yachts? Andreas tells all: “We chose the systemat range and the AV 4030 model with high-gloss paint in a clean but welcoming crystal white. For Boats 3 and 4, we opted for a combination. In the front area, we chose to install illuminated channels handles, and in the back area, where all the cooking actually happens, we used standard handles.”
