How can we live on water?
In 2015, the United Nations drew up an agenda for the sustainable development of member countries, thus agreeing a shared blueprint for promoting a climate of peace and prosperity for people and the planet. The heart of the program is contained in 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) which are the urgent call for participation in this partnership. They recognize that the ending of poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
Of these, the eleventh point addresses the sustainability of cities and communities aiming at “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.
The purpose of this project is to illustrate how one of the most devastating consequences of the greenhouse effect, the rise in sea level and the consequent subsidence of the land, can provide a creative starting point for rethinking the concept of life and the city, through a slow migration of settlements and communities on the sea. This will be possible through the engineering of artificial floating platforms capable of hosting people and services and guaranteeing the autonomy of primary resources such as food, water and energy by exploiting sustainable and avantgarde technologies.
With a proportional disappearance of the mainland, is the transition of cities and societies on the water possible?
The challenges of tomorrow
How to be resilient for climate change
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group predicts that sea level rise of at least half a meter will affect 800 million citizens by 2050. By 2100, sea level is likely to rise from half to one meter, but two to five meters is not ruled out.
The space for urban development is scarce and expensive
Cities close to the sea currently need more space to build on and better defences from coastal erosion.
“Globally, over 50% of the population lives in urban areas today and about 40% lives within 100 kilometres from the coast. City leaders must move quickly to plan for growth and provide the basic services, infrastructure, and affordable housing their expanding populations need.”
Our solution?
Sustainable modular floating platforms
ZERO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.
“The goal is to create a resilient floating infrastructure that merges expertise from engineers to marine ecologists to imagine a floating ecosystem of the future that can exist productively with its surrounding environment.”
MODULARITY.
The project can be easily translatable in different contexts.
The platforms can be connected and easily pass from the block size to the floating city dimension. The buildings’ structure can be easily demounted and re-used. The project can be easily transportable.
Lowers construction and maintenance costs.
SELF-SUFFICIENCY.
Smart manufacturing + Net zero energy + Food production + Waste management + Water treatment aim to make the platform completely autonomous.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY.
Systems-focused approach.
