At a United Nations roundtable on Wednesday, a group of builders, engineers, and architects debuted a concept for an affordable floating city. And unlike instances in the past when these futuristic designs have been met with skepticism, the executive director of the United Nations Human Settlement Programme, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, said the UN would support and shepherd this project to fruition.
"Everybody on the team actually wants to get this built," said Marc Collins, the CEO of Oceanix, a company that builds floating structures. "We're not just theorizing." The company believes a floating city project would address both dire housing shortages and threats from rising sea levels. The structures themselves would be designed to withstand all sorts 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 it still needs funding, it's essentially a toolkit for investors brave enough to take on the project.
The city would essentially be a collection of hexagonal platforms that can each hold around 300 residents. The platforms would be bolstered by Biorock, a material created by exposing underwater minerals to an electric current. This leads to the formation of a limestone coating that's three times harder than concrete, but can still be made to float. The substance becomes stronger with age and can even repair itself as long as it's still exposed to the current. This allows it to withstand harsh weather conditions.
The concept calls for "ocean farming," which would involve growing food beneath the surface of the water. Cages underneath the platforms could harvest scallops, kelp, or other forms of seafood. Aquaponic systems would use waste from fish to help fertilize plants, while vertical farms would generate year-round produce. Both of these technologies could also help the city remain self-sufficient during a hurricane or other natural disaster. In addition to ocean farming, the city would not contain any garbage trucks. Instead, pneumatic trash tubes would transport garbage to a sorting station, where it could be identified and repurposed. "This doesn't look like Manhattan," Collins told the UN. "There are no cars." The designers are looking to utilize driverless transportation and experiment with drone delivery services. Overall, the goal is to reduce waste and produce all the food necessary to feed the city's inhabitants.
Not everyone would be open to living on water, of course, but those who can't afford high rents in major cities or who want a living situation that's less vulnerable to natural disasters could benefit from the concept.
