A Sense of Space

Mock-up of ipyum as seen in Google Maps satellite view at the end of 2027

Humans are completely visual animals. It’s funny what an image can do to your brain.

That certainly proved true for me when I recently discovered that Google had updated its satellite photos of ipyum. For the first time, some of the buildings we have already constructed—and the changes we have made to the landscape at our remote location—were visible from above. Seeing that prompted me to mock up what ipyum’s satellite image might look like in 2027.

From targets to something tangible

Until now, we had targets in mind: how many over-water guest houses, how many beach guest houses, and a rough sense of how things might fit together. I had even created a property plan, something close to an architectural blueprint. But it wasn’t the same.

Working directly with a satellite image—cutting and placing buildings, moving them around, and seeing how they relate to the land—was an entirely different experience. It made the plan, which had been somewhat of a dream until now, feel real.

Looking ahead to 2027

What you see at the top of this blog is a rough mock-up. It lacks detail and precision, but it does show the direction we’re heading. By 2027, the plan is to have ten over-water guest houses, ten beach guest houses, two dining spaces, the spring pool, a working farm, and accommodation for around 25 staff.

We will also have an over-water owner’s house (and be homeless no more), along with proper staff accommodation and a robust service area designed not only for daily operations, but to support expansion beyond 2027. We plan to double the size of our current solar system and operate a fully fledged farm, which also means finally solving our tidal ingress problem with a permanent tidal berm.

There will also be Terazza Pizza: a pizza terrace with a proper wood-fired oven. Some priorities are non-negotiable.

Refinements that matter

We will have refinements like a jetty connecting the water system’s solar system and platform with the spring pool. At the end of the main jetty, we will add a boathouse—a covered landing space for guest arrivals and departures, as well as transfers.

Just as important, but not shown in the image, is a remote workshop with its own substantial solar system. This will allow us to build ipyum buildings off-site and quietly reassemble them at ipyum while the property is operating; so construction and guest experience don’t collide.

That’s a lot to achieve in the year and a half between opening in mid-2026 and the end of 2027.

I don’t yet know how we’re going to finance this growth, or exactly how we’ll manage to get it done in that timeframe. But that’s the goal. And as someone who enjoys a challenge, it feels like a sensible one.

As Alanis Morissette put it in her song You Learn:
“I recommend you bite off more than you can chew — I definitely do.”