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Floating City concept by AT Design Office

features underwater roads and submarines


Flip
13 May 2014 | 21 comments
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lidesho!s

"ities that float on !ater could offer an alternati#e to destroyin$ the earth%s #aluable
countryside accordin$ to architecture studio A& 'esi$n (ffice) !ho has de#eloped a concept
for an ocean metropolis *+ slidesho!,-
A& 'esi$n (ffice) !ho has offices in .n$land and "hina) !as commissioned by "hinese
construction firm """"/F0'I to desi$n a floatin$ island !ith an area of four s1uare miles 2
utilisin$ the same technolo$ies that """"/F0'I is usin$ to build a 31/mile brid$e bet!een
the cities of 0on$ 3on$) Macau and 4huhai-
56art of that brid$e is an under!ater tunnel) !hich is 7oined by a 180/metre/lon$ precast
concrete bo9)5 e9plained architect la#omir is:a-
5&he me$a bo9 is cast on a nearby island and floated to site before bein$ connected- ;e !ere
appointed to !or: !ith the en$ineer to come up !ith a masterplan for a 10/s1uare/:ilometre
floatin$ island that can be built !ith the same technolo$y)5 he said-
.ntitled Floatin$ "ity) the team%s proposal in#ol#es a series of prefabricated he9a$onal
modules that tesselate to create all the infrastructure needed for a city on !ater 2 from a
transport net!or: of yachts and submarines) to a floatin$ hotel and entertainment comple9-
<ecreational $reen spaces !ould be located both abo#e and belo! the !ater%s surface) !hile
farms) hatcheries and rubbish collection facilities !ould allo! the community to produce its
o!n food and sustainably dispose of !aste-
5&he pro7ect offered an opportunity to de#elop a ne! urban nucleus of !orld/class
residential) commercial and cultural facilities) as !ell as to promote a =ero/carbon) ener$y/
efficient and self/sufficient city)5 said is:a-
&he modules used to construct the island !ould be prefabricated in a factory then floated out
to a site- A cruise doc: !ould be an inte$ral feature of the city) allo!in$ these ne! deli#eries
to be easily recei#ed-
A system of under$round tunnels !ould also be included) creatin$ a net!or: of roads and
!al:!ays bet!een buildin$s and islands-
&he proposal is no! bein$ re#ie!ed by one of "hina%s lar$est property in#estors- 5"hina
&ransport In#estment "o is re#ie!in$ the proposal and is li:ely to start to test this ambitious
pro7ect from a smaller scale ne9t year)5 said is:a-
0ere%s a more detailed description of the proposal from A& 'esi$n (ffice:
AT Design Office release design for the Floating City
(ur e9istin$ landmass on earth has been built up so e9tensi#ely that the remainin$ free land
is under e9treme pressure and needs to be preser#ed as much as possible- >e! settlements
should be planned in such a manner that important social and en#ironmental conditions are
impro#ed and can pro#ide for better 21st century li#in$- .n#ironmental impact and the
impro#ements of health and social conditions for human habitat should be the main concerns
of ne! urban desi$n and de#elopment- .n#ironmentally adapti#e measures) hi$her densities)
mi9ed uses and efficient) smart desi$n and infrastructure strate$ies need to be considered-
?????
&he basic construction unit is a prefabricated bloc: 2 180 metres len$th and and 30 metres in
section- (n plan) the $rid can be an e1uilateral trian$le and a penta$on- &he prefabricated
parts can be o#erlapped #ertically- 'urin$ construction) the modular parts are floated to the
site after pre/fabrication in the factory-
&he floatin$ city has a perfect internal and e9ternal traffic system) lin:in$ it !ithin but also
!ith the outside !orld- A cruise doc: ser#es $iant ships) a yacht doc: ser#es pri#ate #essels
and ci#ilian submarine traffic- ubmarines and electric #ehicles are the main means of
transport on the island 2 :eepin$ the island free from air pollution and con$estion caused by
automobiles- &he main traffic flo!s are facilitated #ia the !ater canals abo#e and belo! the
!ater surface- &he peri/urban area house farm) hatchery and $arba$e recyclin$ centre-
???&here are t!o public $reen belts one on the !ater surface and one under !ater- &he
upper one can pro#ide public space usable for sports and recreation in a fresh air
en#ironment- &he under!ater $reen can be used for recreational tours-
???@ertical $ardens are interconnected !ith the public $reenery system abo#e and belo!
the !ater- A chimney in the centre of the #ertical $arden pro#ides natural #entilation and
li$htin$ to the under!ater city- Mean!hile the #ertical $arden is also a public traffic hub)
!hich pro#ides a traffic platform for submarines and inter/bloc: passa$es-
???&he harbour centre is used for par:in$ submarines and also has a #ibrant floatin$
entertainment area at its centre- &he amusement city has a hotel at its bottom and an open
sta$e on its top- &he lar$e commercial and entertainment centre is located under the sta$e-
&he entertainment city can be connected under!ater !ith ad7acent buildin$s throu$h an
Archimedes buoyancy brid$e) enablin$ people to reach the entertainment city con#eniently-
&ourists can e9perience the fabulous under!ater !orld !hilst passin$ throu$h the under!ater
hotel and comin$ up to the harbour city-
???All li#in$ spaces in the floatin$ city ha#e ocean scenery in all directions) and !ith
con#enient traffic connections !ithin its 180/metre radius) en7oyin$ pro9imity to local
facilities) ser#ices) public transport and $ardens- A club located at the top of each bloc: and
an e1uipment room and $ra#ity re$ulation system located at the bottom-
???Ander!ater tunnels !ith !al:!ays and roads permit hori=ontal communication and
access bet!een the islands and buildin$s that comprise the floatin$ city-
'ia$rams sho!in$
masterplan concept
&he peripheral area houses farms and hatcheries as !ell as a modern $arba$e collection and
!aste con#ersion centre- A production base and manufacturin$ factory is located in the upper
part of the trian$le plot) !hilst a tidal po!er $eneration de#ice is located in the lo!er part-
&hese facilities are the basis of a sustainable food and ener$y supply chain-
???
????&he Floatin$ "ity !ill pro#ide !orld class facilities) as !ell as additional supplies
of ne! areas to satisfy the lon$/term demand for human habitable land- >oise) !aste and
other en#ironmental impacts !ill be mana$ed #ia inno#ati#e strate$ies- (ur proposed
de#elopment and the associated infrastructure !ill brin$ positi#e chan$e to the community
and its economy- &he desi$n !ill meet lon$term infrastructure and sustainable de#elopment
needs but also brin$in$ ne! opportunities to education) recreation) employment and business
acti#ities- uch opportunities !ill create a #ibrant) di#erse and sustainable social and
economic platform-
Module si=es
dia$ram

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