71 percent of the Earth's surface is water, the world's already overcrowded population will grow from 7 to 9 billion in the next 20 years, 75 percent of the world's megacities are on the water ... the numbers all point towards greater utilization of water as the basis for housing in prime locations.

Throw in the spectre of global warming submerging the most valuable terra firma first, and the fact that there are countless architects exploring the possibilities of sustainable living environments on land ... and houseboats make more sense with every passing day.

Perhaps because of the deeply personal nature of one's home, housing design is one of the great engineering art forms and the combination of designer Maxim Zhivov and the Baikal Yacht Group has been comprehensively exploring this area for some time.

It's not often that naval architects think way outside the box, and even less common for major shipyards to follow that lead, but when Zhivov and Baikal Yacht Group came up with the HydroHouse, they were clearly exploring new boundaries.