Oceanix City Floating Ocean City
179I’ve been doing so many space videos over past few weeks that I have totally forgot this channel is about future tech, science and green technology, not only space. So when I came across really interesting concept felt it was important for me to share it with you, as story might not get proper coverage it really deserves.
The World we live is changing fast, and as global warming takes hold, many island communities across the globe are facing extinction due to growing sea levels. Maldives, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Nauru are just some of the latest island nations that with increased seal level rises could become extinct with in this century.
That brings me to this really exciting project by Danish Architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group or BIG has designed a concept for a floating city that could house up to 10,000 people, helping populations or above mentioned islands which are threatened by extreme weather events and rising sea levels rises. BIG founder Bjarke Ingels unveiled the scheme at a round-table discussion on floating cities at the United Nations's New York headquarters.
Called Oceanix City, the concept consists of buoyant islands clustered together in groups of six to form villages. These clusters would then be repeated in multiples of six to form a 12-hectare village for 1,650 residents, and then again to form an archipelago home to 10,000 citizens.
Oceanix City is intended to provide a habitable, off-shore environment in the event of rising sea levels, which are expected to affect 90 per cent of the world's coastal cities by 2050.Each of the modules would be built on land and then towed to sea, where they would be anchored in place. The miniature islands are also designed to survive a category-five hurricane. Ideal for Florida and tropics.
BIG intends the buildings atop to be constructed from locally sourced "replenishable" materials such wood and fast-growing bamboo. A number of renewable energy resources, such as wind and water turbines and solar panels are also incorporated. Food production and farming would be integrated and follow a zero-waste policy. Every island has 3,000 square metres of outdoor agriculture designed so that it can be enjoyed as free space.
Structures populating the modules will be low-level – predicted to rise three to five stories – in order to keep the centre of gravity. Renderings show that the buildings will taper out towards the top to provide shading and also extra roof space for solar panels.
Each mini-village will include a community framework for living, including water baths, markets, spiritual and cultural hubs, but BIG intends the Oceanix City to be adaptable to "any culture, any architecture. Another major benefit of the floating city, according to Oceanix co-founder Marc Collins Chen, is that it is an example of an affordable development, which could offer a solution to displaced societies.