A floating office constructed using Strongwell’s COMPOSOLITE^® building panel system and EXTREN^® structural shapes is a unique sight on the San Francisco Bay. The structure was completely designed and built by businessman Peter Hogg as an alternative to a houseboat, which would face restrictions in the Bay area. The floating office uses COMPOSOLITE^® building panels for the floor, walls and roof. Hogg used EXTREN^® angles and channels to finish the corners and tops of the walls. Two EXTREN^® I-beams were also used under the floor to minimize deflection. Additional features of the floating office include window sills that were created by filling the hollow areas of the COMPOSOLITE^® panels with sand below the window line. As an added benefit, the structure needs no buoyancy other than that created by the displacement of the lightweight COMPOSOLITE^® hull. An environmentally-friendly sod roof further adds to the interest of this building. Hogg chose to use Strongwell’s pultruded fiberglass products because the materials were less expensive than building a steel or concrete barge and a conventionally-framed superstructure. The FRP materials were also easy to assemble and Hogg was able to do all the work himself. Additionally, the unfinished slate gray appearance met aesthetic requirements will require minimal maintenance as no exterior paint or marine bottom paint was needed. “I am very happy with the result,” says Hogg. “This project has generated significant local interest from persons who are interested in similar structures.”