Floating Foundations

A floating project starts long before the structure above the water takes shape. It starts with the foundation beneath it.

Our floating foundations are engineered aluminum platforms designed to provide a stable, long-lasting base for structures built on water. Each foundation is fabricated to project specifications for marine use.

Kelowna Saunas provides purpose-built floating foundation and platform solutions for residential, commercial, hospitality and recreational projects. Each system is developed around the intended use of the structure, its size and weight requirements, site conditions and the demands of the individual project.

Our floating solutions can support stationary applications as well as projects designed for movement on the water. From a private waterfront structure to a fully equipped hospitality concept, the foundation is developed around what the project needs to become.

Event platforms

Restaurants

Dock

Custom waterfront structures

Floating cabins

Floating foundations for a wide range of applications. The same fundamental approach can support very different projects.

FLOATING SAUNAS
Purpose-built foundations for private, commercial and resort floating sauna experiences.

FLOATING CABINS & ACCOMMODATIONS
Create private retreats, vacation accommodations, guest suites and distinctive overnight experiences directly on the water.

FLOATING RESTAURANTS & HOSPITALITY
Develop restaurants, lounges, cafés, guest amenities and destination experiences that make the water part of the environment.

COMMERCIAL & OFFICE SPACES
Create floating offices, sales centres, meeting spaces, recreational facilities and other commercial concepts where a conventional land-based structure is not the objective.

RESORT & MARINA AMENITIES
Add new experiences and usable space to resorts, marinas and waterfront destinations through purpose-designed floating structures.

EVENT & RECREATIONAL PLATFORMS
Create flexible platforms for events, gathering spaces, recreation and other waterfront uses.

CUSTOM FLOATING STRUCTURES
Not every project fits into a category. Docks, observation decks, research facilities and concepts that do not exist yet — if it belongs on the water, we can explore the foundation and project requirements needed to make it possible.

Every floating foundation begins with a purpose-built aluminum structure engineered for strength, stability and long-term waterfront performance, designed around the intended structure, environmental conditions and loading requirements.

Marine-Grade Materials

Fabricated using premium marine-grade aluminum, corrosion resistant hardware and commercial flotation components selected for durability in demanding waterfront environments chosen to minimize maintenance while providing decades of reliable service.

Integrated Flotation System

Engineered flotation integrated directly into the structural frame, providing balanced buoyancy, stability and dependable performance throughout changing water levels and seasonal conditions.

STATIONARY OR MOBILE

Not every floating project needs to stay in one place.

Some projects are designed to remain secured at a waterfront location. Others require the ability to move on the water. Our floating concepts can be developed around either approach.

A stationary platform may become a permanent resort amenity, floating accommodation, commercial space or private waterfront retreat. A mobile concept can be approached more like a vessel, allowing the structure and foundation to be developed around movement, operation and the requirements associated with its intended use. The right approach depends on the project, location and operating requirements.

DESIGNED AROUND WHAT GOES ABOVE

The foundation and the structure work together.

There is no single floating foundation specification suitable for every project. A compact private sauna and a larger hospitality structure place very different demands on the platform beneath them.

Foundation configuration is therefore considered in relation to the structure it will support, including its footprint, anticipated weight, equipment, occupancy, intended use and site conditions. Every platform is engineered to suit its specific dimensions, weight distribution and buoyancy requirements — from private installations to large commercial developments — with anchoring methods, utilities and future expansion accounted for where relevant. Where required, engineering and project-specific technical considerations can be incorporated into the development process.

This allows the floating platform to be approached as part of the complete structure rather than as an unrelated component underneath it.

A floating structure can be more than four walls on a platform.

Depending on the project, a floating structure can incorporate many of the amenities expected from a land-based environment, including washroom facilities, indoor and outdoor showers, changing areas, cold plunges, saunas, lounging areas, rooftop decks, electrical and water systems, mechanical equipment, storage, hospitality amenities, and access and boarding areas.

The final configuration is determined by the intended use, engineering requirements, available space and applicable regulations.

Our existing floating sauna experience on Okanagan Lake demonstrates how multiple amenities can be incorporated into one floating environment, including sauna, cold plunge, washroom and shower facilities, lounging space and a rooftop patio.

BUILT AROUND REAL-WORLD USE

Every project begins with a different set of requirements.

The process starts by understanding what you want the floating structure to do: what will be built above the foundation, how many people will use it, whether it will remain stationary or move on the water, what equipment and amenities it will contain, where it will operate, how people will access it, and what engineering, marine and regulatory requirements apply at the intended location.

Those considerations shape the foundation and the project that follows.

Kelowna Saunas works with project partners, engineers, fabricators and other specialists as required to develop floating solutions around the needs of the individual project.

FROM CONCEPT TO WATER

Built for the project. Delivered for the location.

Every foundation is manufactured using precision engineering and quality-controlled fabrication techniques. From detailed design drawings and structural assembly to welding, inspection and final finishing, each stage is completed to ensure accuracy, consistency and dependable performance before installation.

Floating projects are not limited to the Okanagan. Depending on the size, configuration and destination, fabrication and transportation can be planned around the requirements of the individual project.

Larger structures may require sectional fabrication, specialized transportation, lifting equipment, on-site assembly or other project-specific logistics. For projects outside our local market, including international opportunities, the delivery strategy can be developed alongside the structure itself.

Our objective is not simply to design something that works on the water. It is to develop a practical path for getting it there.

FROM CONCEPT TO WATER

Serious floating projects require serious planning.

Water conditions, loading, stability, anchoring or mooring, access, utilities, intended use and local regulations can all affect a floating project. For that reason, projects are evaluated individually rather than treated as one universal platform.

Where engineering, marine review, permitting or other professional approvals are required, those requirements are addressed as part of the project development process with the appropriate specialists and authorities.

Specific structural specifications, materials, capacities and engineering requirements are established according to the individual project.

ENGINEERING & PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

One foundation. Many possibilities.

A homeowner may envision a private floating retreat. A resort may want an experience its competitors do not have. A marina may want to create new usable space. A hospitality operator may envision accommodations directly on the water. An entrepreneur may have an idea that does not exist yet.

Our job begins by understanding the idea, the environment and what the structure needs to accomplish. From there, we can explore the floating foundation and project approach required to bring that concept to the water.

RESIDENTIAL. COMMERCIAL. HOSPITALITY. INTERNATIONAL.

Tell us what you want to create.

Whether you are planning a floating sauna, accommodation, hospitality concept, commercial platform or something entirely different, talk to us about the project.

Canada and select international projects.

HAVE A FLOATING PROJECT IN MIND?

FINANCING AVAILABLE
Flexible financing options available for qualified customers and projects.