What once looked like ambitious and highly controversial urban development projects in the near future may become a solution to some of the main problems of modern society.
During a UN roundtable, a group of builders, engineers and architects presented the concept of a floating metropolis. In the past, such projects were put forward more than once, but the level of technological development and the incredible cost of the enterprise made them just beautiful fantasies. However, now it is worth throwing away skepticism: the executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program Maimuna Mohd Sharif said that the UN would support and support this project. He was supported by the CEO of floating structures company Oceanix - he confirmed that this time it was "not just theories."
The team believes that the city on water project will both solve the problem of a massive shortage of affordable housing and neutralize the threat in the event of rising sea levels. The structures themselves will be designed to effectively withstand all kinds of natural disasters, including floods, tsunamis and Category 5 hurricanes.
The concept, known as Oceanix City, was designed by renowned architect Bjarke Ingels in collaboration with Oceanix. Although the project still needs funding, it is essentially a toolbox for investors brave enough to take on such a global idea.
The Floating City of the Future is a set of hexagonal platforms, each of which can accommodate 300 residents. Hexagons were chosen as the main shape for its aesthetic beauty, mechanical resistance and minimal material consumption.
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Designers conventionally call a group of six such platforms a “village”. At the moment, the project of the city implies 6 such villages, which will total about 10,000 inhabitants.
Ingels is best known for his bespoke projects such as the Superkilen public park in Copenhagen or the pair of undulating towers in New York. In an interview with Business Insider, he stated that designing an entire city gives him the opportunity to broaden his vision.
The new type of urban environment does not imply the use of cars. There won't even be garbage trucks - all the garbage will be fed to the sorting station through pneumatic pipes for recycling and partial reuse. However, the designer mentioned that perhaps the unmanned vehicles of the future are best suited for such an environment, and the city can become a platform for experimenting with new technologies.
Of course, like the vast majority of modern projects, the city is primarily focused on ecology, or to be more precise, on the new concept of "oceanic farming", which involves growing food above the water's surface. In addition, fishing and other seafood fishing will be organized in the floating city. Waste from fish production and the life of sea creatures using aquaponics will turn into fertilizer for plants, and filtration systems will turn salt water into fresh water. Thus, the city on the water is turning into an independent, almost autonomous unit that can support people's lives at an acceptable level even during natural disasters.
Vasily Makarov