As China faces large urban populations and the need for new living solutions, a new idea has been floated—literally. AT Design Office has proposed a design for a floating city, which was commissioned by the China Communications Construction Company.
To create the new city, a 10-square kilometer island would be made out of prefab blocks. The same type of blocks are currently being used by CCCC to build a bridge between Hong Kong and Macau. In theory, the new floating city would have all the features of a normal city.
“People won’t need to commute for jobs on land,” Anthony Phan, an architect at AT Design Office, told Fast Company. “Work, apartments, entertainment and parks are all provided in the floating island.”
Green spaces surround the island above and below the water; the two layers are connected by vertical gardens. These gardens will be a place to board submarines to get from block to block in the city, and tunnels will connect buildings with pedestrian paths and roads for electric cars.
AT's design suggests that the island's self-sufficiency will be possible due to tidal energy (which will be used for power), and farms on its edges will provide food for residents. Not only that, the island is set to have its own factory to produce hyper-local goods.
The island, in theory, will rise as the sea level rises with climate change. Some of the components are set to be tested as soon as next year.
Check out the futuristic design below. All renderings courtesy of AT Design Office.
Related Stories
| Sep 16, 2014
Shigeru Ban’s design wins Tainan Museum of Fine Arts competition
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has won an international competition organized by The Tainan Museum of Art in Taiwan. Ban's design features cascading volumes with an auditorium, classrooms, and exhibition galleries.
| Sep 16, 2014
Competition asks architects, designers to reimagine the future of national parks
National Parks Now asks entrants to propose all types of interventions for parks, including interactive installations, site-specific education and leisure opportunities, outreach and engagement campaigns, and self-led tours.
| Sep 15, 2014
Sustainability rating systems: Are they doomed?
None of the hundreds of existing green building rating systems is perfect. Some of them are too documentation-heavy. Some increase short-term project cost. Some aren’t rigorous enough or include contentious issues, writes HDR's Michaella Wittmann.
| Sep 15, 2014
Ranked: Top international AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of U.S.-based design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 15, 2014
Argentina reveals plans for Latin America’s tallest structure
Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announces the winning design by MRA+A Álvarez | Bernabó | Sabatini for the capital's new miexed use tower.
| Sep 15, 2014
Perkins+Will unveils design for Ghana's largest hospital
The new hospital will be home to numerous hospital services including public health, accident and emergency, imaging, obstetrics, gynecology, dental, surgical, intensive care and administration.
| Sep 15, 2014
Gen-Y-focused multifamily development under way in L.A.
The new urban residential community at 1001 S. Olive Street will offer open floor plans consisting of 64 studios, 109 one bedroom units, and 28 two-bedroom units, ranging in size from approximately 500 sq ft to 1,100 sq ft.
| Sep 14, 2014
Ranked: Top Veterans Administration sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
CannonDesign, Clark Group, and URS top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest Veterans Administration building sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
Sponsored | | Sep 13, 2014
5 common questions leaders should never ask
Asking the right questions can help business leaders to anticipate changes, seize opportunities and move their firms in new directions. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Sep 13, 2014
Why CEOs shouldn’t be afraid to ask for outside help
An oven-overlooked factor in assessing the success of a leader, according to organizational development consultant Brook Manville, is his or her ability to go far outside the organization to get help in solving problems. SPONSORED CONTENT