Floating city with 10,000 inhabitants, resistant to hurricanes and tsunamis

The United Nations presents a floating city design that helps solve housing shortages and withstand all kinds of natural disasters.

The idea of ​​​​building a floating city on the water Oceanix City was announced on April 3 at a round table of the United Nations (UN) with the participation of many construction companies, engineers and architects. Unlike similar ideas that have been suspended for decades, the Oceanix City project, developed by architect Bjarke Ingels in collaboration with Oceanix Inc., is likely to become a reality.

Last month, Oceanix signed an agreement with Busan and UN-Habitat, the United Nations' urban development agency, to develop the first floating residential area off the coast of South Korea.

Maimunah Mohd Sharif, executive director of the UN's Human Settlement Program, supports the idea of ​​a floating city. "A flourishing city has a symbiotic relationship with the sea. While the climate and marine ecosystems are changing, the way cities engage with the sea needs to change too," stressed Sharif.

People living in Oceanix City will be self-sufficient.

Oceanix City is built in the form of a series of hexagonal floors that can accommodate about 10,000 people. Cars or trucks are not allowed on the island, although the designers have left space for driverless vehicles. Delivery of goods via drones may become an option in the future.

The southern coast of Korea, where Busan is located, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of rising sea levels. Greenpeace Korea last year announced that the city's famous Haeundae beach could disappear by 2030. A study in the journal Sustainability found the city experiences more damage from flooding than any other place. another in Korea between 2010 and 2020.

People living in Oceanix City will be self-sufficient. Each hexagon can hold 300 inhabitants, acting as a village. The city will generate its own electricity, clean water and heat, and develop a marine farm, using cages below the floor to help harvest shellfish, seaweed and other seafood. Fish waste will be used as crop fertilizer and year-round vegetables will be grown on the vertical farm. Every building will be 4 - 7 stories tall to maintain a low center of gravity for the island.

Disaster resilience is a key element of the island's design. In addition to maintaining a low center of gravity, an ultra-durable self-healing material called Biorock will cover the floors, making the island resilient to Category 5 storms. Since Oceanix City is always anchored off the coast of a major city 1.6km, rescue service can come immediately. In the event of extreme weather, the entire city can be safely pulled out of the path of the storm. Thanks to its ability to float on water, Oceanix City also has an advantage in dealing with rising sea levels.

For waste disposal, everything in Oceanix City is designed to be repairable and reusable. Garbage generated by residents will be sealed in reusable bags and transported via pneumatic tubes to the sorting center.

Oceanix City floating city model. 

The plan proposed by BIG also includes fresh water production through an on-site treatment plant and a rainwater collection and storage system. The architects also put into use a tram system from hydrofoil taxis to solar ferries connecting the residential area with other areas of the city and the mainland. Itai Madamombe, co-founder of Oceanix, said that Oceanix's first prototype residential area in Busan will be completed and inhabited by 2025. Currently, the project is in discussion with 10 government agencies. on technology deployment in Busan.