Tag Archives: island

Self-sustaining island cities in the middle of the Great Pacific garbage patch are designed to clean the ocean

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Some people probably dream of living in a self-sustainable eco-system near the ocean where they can swim whenever they want or just marvel at the work of nature. But have you ever thought of actually living in the middle of the ocean and not on a boat? Or have you imagined yourself living within the infamous Great Pacific garbage patch, surrounded by all the plastic and debris that has been floating around that area for decades? Probably that last one is not something you dream of but it can be a reality in the near future.

Designer: Estudio Focaccia Prieto

Polimeropolis is a project conceptualized to create urbanized self-contained cities in the middle of the Garbage Patch. While that doesn’t sound so appealing, the idea is to be able to create habitable spaces and use recyclable trash and other sustainable means to power the cities and create renewable systems within them. The visualization shows several of these habitable rings in the North Pacific Ocean, looking like cities that we see in sci-fi and dystopian movies and books, enclosed in an oceanic lagoon that is currently just swimming in garbage.

The floating cities will be constructed using recycled plastic residue that has been polluting the ocean for years now. Instead of just lying around there and creating havoc on the ecosystem, they will be crushed and compacted into situ and then recreated into an entirely new construction ecosystem. Each island will be a mixed-use urban city that can house up to four thousand residents. Eventually, they will also be able to add things like airports, resorts, parks, and other recreational and eco-tourism spaces.

Polimeropolis is also designed to be self-sustaining. They will use tidal movement to generate electricity, reverse osmosis to create drinkable water, flora and fauna cultivation for food production, creating basically what can be called a circular economy. The idea for this project, while seemingly fantastic for now, is to get people thinking of how we “produce, consume, and dispose of things”. Hopefully, we’ll get more details if the project does get developed over the next few years or decades.

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The world’s first floating island city can help coastal communities survive climate change

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Coastal communities are one of the first to be impacted by the rising sea levels due to the ongoing climate crisis. A lot of architects are coming up with innovative solutions to protect the coastal communities and we might just see the first fully floating island city in the Maldives! The government officials of the island nation officially announced plans to build this ambitious yet sustainable urban project which could be a blueprint (or an experiment!) that could be replicated on a global scale.

According to NASA, Maldives is arguable the lowest-lying country with an average elevation of just 3.3 feet above sea level which means the island republic will soon have to rely on sustainable housing alternatives. The archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean has a total of 1190 islands and 1000 would be submerged at the current rate of sea-level rise. This project is called Maldives Floating City (MFC) and will be constructed just minutes away from Male which is the capital. The team comes from a Netherlands-based studio Dutch Docklands which happens to be a world-renowned leader in floating infrastructure. MFC’s shape will be series of honeycomb-like hexagonal maze rows inspired by the Brain

The system of floating rows is anchored to a ring of islands that form the base and also the stabilizing breaker wall for all the structures—the primary reason for placing MFC in an ideally suited small lagoon. More from the press release:

While MFC floats up top, island barriers around the lagoon will serve as breakers down below. This ingenious configuration lessens the impact of lagoon waves while stabilizing the structures and complexes on the surface.
The whole city is about three-quarters of a square mile, or 200 hectares, with low-slung residential buildings and commercial amenities built on separate structures. The designers say the MFC complex hearkens back to the history of seafaring culture and local architecture in the Maldives.

Thousands of homes will float on the hexagonal coral clusters, starting at $250,000 for about 1,000 square feet, plus a roof terrace. While that price point isn’t laughably low, it’s perfectly reasonable for the context of an island vacation wonderland.

It’s easy to imagine these units filling up as people’s winter homes, but hopefully, there will be some locals in the mix as well. In the press release touting MFC, the designers say their goal is to have local traditional fishing families live in the floating city. It’s not clear if the $250,000 price point is realistic for these families, or if there will be subsidized housing.

If the idea of a modular floating city makes you think of, say, Waterworld, you’re not alone. There are also traditional floating cities scattered around the world, and the Maldiveans are careful to say theirs is the first to combine the housing and other structures in this particular way, surrounded by a barrier lagoon and with an array of amenities.

The floating city will break, uh, sea in 2022. Eventually, the complex will include those thousands of homes, plenty of commercial space for stores and necessaries, and a hospital and school for locals to use. While the complex is anchored to the barrier islands, this will likely be a modular connection that can be extended as the sea level rises—perhaps even submerging the barrier islands in the future.

If MFC succeeds, the officials are likely right that it will be influential around the world. While inland territories have a lot more time to avoid the most literal effects of the rising sea level, the Maldives’ peer island nations like Nauru or Micronesia will have to act quickly to preserve their territories and cultures.

Designer: Dutch Docklands

These floating island parks could be a part of our new normal!

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Have you heard that phrase “Whatever floats your boat”? If you are in Copenhagen, you might even hear “Whatever floats your park!” and that would be in reference to the world’s first “parkipelago” (a portmanteau of park and archipelago) which are a cluster of artificial floating island parks. Designed by a Danish design studio, Studio Fokstrot, and Australian architect Marshall Blecher, these islands were a part of urban development along the waterfront. They are officially called the Copenhagen Islands and each module is created with a flexible public program to keep the interest of the urban dwellers at its core.

Considering the accelerated rise of global sea levels, Copenhagen Islands are only the beginning of how urban design will adapt to the changing climate by optimizing the water bodies as sustainably as possible. “To renew the proud traditions of the Danish harbor life, by strengthening the social cohesion and awareness of the maritime life in and around the harbor,” says Studio Fokstrot as they explain the idea behind the floating parks. The islands are activity-friendly and enable visitors to enjoy boating, swimming, kayaking, picnics, performances, events, and more which could also boost tourism or simply make things better for citizens with travel being on the down-low this year. These programs can also be customized for seasons – summer is when the islands will be docked away from each other to create space for water activities while during winter the islands will huddle up closer for more engaging performances.

Thes first island to be tested on-site is called CPH-Ø1. The structure was built using thin strips of wood + steel and recycled boating material. The CPH-Ø1 was crafted with traditional boat-making techniques and it is approximately 215 square feet with a single linden tree – just like an island drawing a child makes! Each module will have different features but will be in harmony with one another. Architect Marshall Blecher mentions how careful landscaping and green patches will welcome new wildlife. Even the submerged portion of the islands are built in a way to be habitable for seaweed and small marine life which will encourage other animals to also get comfortable near these modules which aim to be symbiotic. The conceptual product wants to create a stronger focus on an improved harbor environment, the effects of climate changes, and the increased water levels, adapting to the new normal – some of the biggest problems the world is facing today.

Designer: Marshall Blecher and Studio Fokstrot

Be socially distant and still use public transport with this driverless tram!

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Is anyone else feeling trapped because they are scared to use public transport? I don’t have a car because I have lived in a city all my life, so I could get everywhere using public transport but now with the pandemic going on I have been only going to places that are at a walkable distance and that really limits me. A design studio understood this problem and took it upon themselves to come up with an innovative solution for a crowded city like Hong kong – how can you make people comfortable with public transport again?

Answer: Island! This is a conceptual a double-decker driverless tram designed for the city of Hong Kong to be used in the post-pandemic era. Island is an exemplary blend of industrial design, transportation design, public design, urban mobility, and sustainability. Using public transport is crucial to keep pollution levels low especially when the virus going around attacks your respiratory system first. Making sure that public transport facilitates social distancing was also given the utmost importance during the design process. “We wanted to reimagine public transport in the post-COVID era from a prevention perspective. Especially in the densely populated city of Hong Kong, where social distancing is hard to achieve. The idea of designing a tram is no coincidence: trams are one of the city’s landmarks and the tramways celebrate their 115th anniversary this year. The concept of social distancing, which limits people’s freedom to move and interact became the design challenge and focal point for the new concept,” says the design team as they explained the process and challenges.

The driverless technology optimizes the interior space of the tram, making it easier to manage travel times and increase onboard safety. The design was named Island as the interior of the tram hosts large circular benches that let passengers practice social distancing and sit facing outwards in a radial pattern. The charcoal black walls and wooden floors add a luxurious touch that makes you want to use the public tram and feel comfortable while doing so. Its exterior aesthetic is inspired by the urban landscape of the iconic city that is known for its tall glass buildings. The curved windows and domed top allow plenty of natural light inside during the day while giving an unobstructed glimpse of the views at night while large vertical LEDs provide visibility in all weather conditions. It includes a retractable connector for rapid charging at tram stops. Even the stops have been created to replicate the minimal design with sleek and clean lines. It has been kept open on both sides to allow passengers to maintain more distance, move freely, and have natural ventilation for a healthier environment. Let’s rethink public spaces and use design to make them great (and safe) again!

Designer: Ponti Design Studio