In early June 2003, Ooms Avenhorn Groep won a competition to construct the first floating residential district in the Netherlands. Construction company Ooms Bouwmaatschappij, one of the Groep's operating companies, will build the new district. The floating homes will be located in the Leeuwarden's Zuiderburen quarter that is being expanded.

The municipality of Leeuwarden organized a competition for project developers and building companies prepared to take on the exceptional challenge of developing "The Blue Heart" floating residential district. The municipality chose the concept of Ooms Avenhorn Groep as the winning design out of a total of eleven entries after an extensive selection procedure. The success was due thanks to intensive cooperation between Ooms Bouwmaatschappij, Ooms Avenhorn, Unihorn, and the De Peyler project development company. These companies will also be involved in building the new district.

"The Blue Heart" will comprise fifty floating homes and aqua villas, including thirty that will actually float on a central landing stage. Ooms Avenhorn Groep will build the homes at their shipyard in Hoorn. When ready they will be towed by tugs across the IJsselmeer and through Friesland's inland waterways to Leeuwarden. The other twenty homes will be built "with their feet in the water." Project partner J. Bokma of Leeuwarden is the construction company that will build these waterside villas.

Earlier Ooms constructed a floating exhibition and information center and eight floating office villas for the municipality of Amsterdam and the "Het Oosten" housing corporation. The project in Friesland marks a breakthrough for the "project development and housing on water" concept developed by the company.

The Ooms floating homes are not houseboats but "ordinary" houses. They have an unsinkable foundation platform made of polystyrene surrounded by a concrete jacket that floats on the water. The floating homes completely meet all requirements of the Netherlands Building Decree and fall under the Netherlands Housing Act and are classified as real estate.

A start will be made in autumn 2003 on readying the site for construction work. Delivery of the first floating homes is expected to take place approximately one year later.

The homes will sell at going market prices ranging from EUR 250,000 to EUR 350,000 depending on size, model and their situation in the plan.

For information on sales please contact Mr J. Duin of DPV Makelaars bv
tel.: +31-(0)229-285185 or by e-mail at info@dpvmakelaars.nl