Spend a night in a boat on top of a London concert hall

Thanks to A Room for London design contest, the city's visitors will be able to stay at a temporary one-bedroom apartment on the roof of the Southbank Centre.

The winning design is a draft by London-based David Kohn Architects and the artist Fiona Banner of a 'houseboat' on top of the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Commissioned by Living Architecture and Artangel, the unusual shelter will be part of the London 2012 festival, with bookings opening September this year.

"The brief was to create a room on one of the most visible sites in the British capital, where up to two people at a time could spend a unique night in an exemplary architectural landmark," a spokesperson for Living Architecture explained.

"Kohn and Banner's winning design is for a boat which ...will appear to have come to rest there, grounded, perhaps, from the retreating waters of the Thames below. From the lower and upper 'decks' of this beautifully crafted timber structure, there will be extraordinary views of a London panorama that stretches from Big Ben to St Paul's cathedral."

Apart from charming perks - such as a flag that will be raised when the boat is occupied or a 'logbook' for visitors to record their memories in - the room will also host a number of 'special guests' including writers and artists that are expected to use it as a workshop for new texts, images, and other works of art.

The boat can be booked (for only one night at a time) all through 2012, with advance bookings going live on September 8.

More information on the project can be found here.

The project comes as part of a trend that has seen public structures being turned into temporary hotels, such as the Everlast hotel on top of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris or the Merlion statue in Singapore that opens for overnight stays for the city's Biennale on March 9.

http://www.living-architecture.co.uk