FLOTING CITY CONCEPT DESIGN BY AT DESIGN OFFICE
FLOTING CITY CONCEPT
DESIGN BY AT DESIGN OFFICE
Cities that
float on water could offer an alternative to destroying the earth's valuable
countryside according to architecture studio AT Design Office, who has
developed a concept for an ocean metropolis.
AT Design Office,
who has offices in England and China, was commissioned by Chinese construction
firm CCCC to design a floating island with an area of four square miles –
utilising the same technologies that CCCC is using to build a 31-mile bridge
between the cities of Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai.
"Part of that
bridge is an underwater tunnel, which is joined by a 150-metre-long precast
concrete box," explained architect Slavomir Siska.
"The mega box
is cast on a nearby island and floated to site before being connected. We were
appointed to work with the engineer to come up with a masterplan for a
10-square-kilometre floating island that can be built with the same
technology," he said.
Entitled Floating
City, the team's proposal involves a series of prefabricated hexagonal modules
that tesselate to create all the infrastructure needed for a city on water –
from a transport network of yachts and submarines, to a floating hotel and
entertainment complex.
Recreational green
spaces would be located both above and below the water's surface, while farms,
hatcheries and rubbish collection facilities would allow the community to
produce its own food and sustainably dispose of waste.
"The project
offered an opportunity to develop a new urban nucleus of world-class
residential, commercial and cultural facilities, as well as to promote a
zero-carbon, energy-efficient and self-sufficient city," said Siska.
The modules used to
construct the island would be prefabricated in a factory then floated out
to a site. A cruise dock would be an integral feature of the city, allowing
these new deliveries to be easily received.
A system of
underground tunnels would also be included, creating a network of roads and
walkways between buildings and islands.
The proposal is now
being reviewed by one of China's largest property investors. "China
Transport Investment Co is reviewing the proposal and is likely to start to
test this ambitious project from a smaller scale next year," said Siska.
Here's a more
detailed description of the proposal from AT Design Office:
AT DESIGN OFFICE
RELEASE DESIGN FOR THE FLOATING CITY
Our existing
landmass on earth has been built up so extensively that the remaining free land
is under extreme pressure and needs to be preserved as much as possible. New
settlements should be planned in such a manner that important social and
environmental conditions are improved and can provide for better 21st century
living. Environmental impact and the improvements of health and social
conditions for human habitat should be the main concerns of new urban design
and development. Environmentally adaptive measures, higher densities, mixed
uses and efficient, smart design and infrastructure strategies need to be
considered.
The basic
construction unit is a prefabricated block – 150 metres length and and 30
metres in section. On plan, the grid can be an equilateral triangle and a
pentagon. The prefabricated parts can be overlapped vertically. During
construction, the modular parts are floated to the site after pre-fabrication
in the factory.
The floating city
has a perfect internal and external traffic system, linking it within but also
with the outside world. A cruise dock serves giant ships, a yacht dock serves
private vessels and civilian submarine traffic. Submarines and electric
vehicles are the main means of transport on the island – keeping the island
free from air pollution and congestion caused by automobiles. The main traffic
flows are facilitated via the water canals above and below the water surface.
The peri-urban area house farm, hatchery and garbage recycling centre.
There are two public
green belts ‐ one on the water surface and one under water. The upper one can
provide public space usable for sports and recreation in a fresh air
environment. The underwater green can be used for recreational tours.
Vertical gardens are
interconnected with the public greenery system above and below the water. A
chimney in the centre of the vertical garden provides natural ventilation and
lighting to the underwater city. Meanwhile the vertical garden is also a public
traffic hub, which provides a traffic platform for submarines and inter-block
passages.
The harbour centre
is used for parking submarines and also has a vibrant floating entertainment
area at its centre. The amusement city has a hotel at its bottom and an open
stage on its top. The large commercial and entertainment centre is located
under the stage. The entertainment city can be connected underwater with
adjacent buildings through an Archimedes buoyancy bridge, enabling people to
reach the entertainment city conveniently. Tourists can experience the fabulous
underwater world whilst passing through the underwater hotel and coming up to
the harbour city.
All living spaces in
the floating city have ocean scenery in all directions, and with convenient
traffic connections within its 150-metre radius, enjoying proximity to local
facilities, services, public transport and gardens. A club located at the top
of each block and an equipment room and gravity regulation system located at
the bottom.
Underwater tunnels
with walkways and roads permit horizontal communication and access between the
islands and buildings that comprise the floating city.
The peripheral area
houses farms and hatcheries as well as a modern garbage collection and waste
conversion centre. A production base and manufacturing factory is located in
the upper part of the triangle plot, whilst a tidal power generation device is
located in the lower part. These facilities are the basis of a sustainable food
and energy supply chain.
The Floating City will provide world class facilities, as well as additional supplies of new areas to satisfy the long-term demand for human habitable land. Noise, waste and other environmental impacts will be managed via innovative strategies. Our proposed development and the associated infrastructure will bring positive change to the community and its economy. The design will meet long‐term infrastructure and sustainable development needs but also bringing new opportunities to education, recreation, employment and business activities. Such opportunities will create a vibrant, diverse and sustainable social and economic platform.
The Floating City will provide world class facilities, as well as additional supplies of new areas to satisfy the long-term demand for human habitable land. Noise, waste and other environmental impacts will be managed via innovative strategies. Our proposed development and the associated infrastructure will bring positive change to the community and its economy. The design will meet long‐term infrastructure and sustainable development needs but also bringing new opportunities to education, recreation, employment and business activities. Such opportunities will create a vibrant, diverse and sustainable social and economic platform.
Architect: AT Design
Office
Design team: Anthony Phan, Siska Slavomir, Anna Kowal, Zhu Lixiang, Wang Rukai, Feng Yinhui, Liu Kun
Co Designer: CCCC‐ EHDI engineering Co.,LTD
Design team: Anthony Phan, Siska Slavomir, Anna Kowal, Zhu Lixiang, Wang Rukai, Feng Yinhui, Liu Kun
Co Designer: CCCC‐ EHDI engineering Co.,LTD
AT DESIGN OFFICE
ATDesignOffice Ltd headquarter office locates in London,
providing high quality design services including Architecture, Urban Design,
Interior and landscape. The office has built up excellent portfolio on a
diverse range of projects from masterplan to interior, from public to private
development.
The energetic and creative team consists of talented designers and
graduates from UK, Europe and other countries. The office offers extensive
training to ensure every team member gains experience from a rich mix of
projects and meets the highest challenges from both practical and academic
levels.
The practice benefits from the headquarter office location in
London with easy access to the most dynamic and creative resources as well as
diverse cultural inspirations. We place the quality at the centre of the
creative process and provide distinctive design for every client.
PHILOSOPHY
ATDesignOffice holds a belief that the quality of our surroundings
has a direct influence on the quality of our lives. We acknowledge that design
is generated by the needs of people – both material and spiritual – and a
concern for the physical context and the culture, climate and ambience of
place. Equally, excellence of design and its successful execution are central
to our approach. The current atmosphere is placing nature at the heart of
everyday life and erasing the borders between indoors and outdoors is one of
our focuses. We believe that a strong sustainability focus is vital in ensuring
the longevity of our projects.
A cross-pollination is combining the urban, the natural and the
technological requirements for design and creates a multi-faceted,
multi-dimensional project outcome. In a time of extensive urbanization of the
planet, the city and nature are being reconciled in order to soften urban
manners. For too long we have been sprawling across the natural landscape
without thought of the degradation it may cause to natural habitats for flora
and fauna.
We believe that by reducing our urban footprint and working with
the current restriction of the built environment, we may re-build and
re-generate those outer environments which are so vital for our planets
survival. We believe this cohabitation is producing new dimensions of design,
creating opportunity for detailed site responsive outcomes that respond to the
immediate environment yet positively affect the surrounding.
This holistic approach is augmented by a strong commitment to the
clients we serve, and also to the public domain and the many users involved. We
provide a high degree of personal service, coupled with respect for the
precious resources of cost and time, characterizing our strong client
relationships.
We work in the spirit of enquiry, challenging preconceptions and
testing conventions. The process of ‘reinvention’ distinguishes all of our work
– past and present – and rests on a duty to design well and to design
responsibly.
PROCESS
In practice, the design direction is guided by the design
directors. The team structure ensures personal service and close contact
between the design team and the client, from the first meetings to the
hand-over of the finished building. As part of this process, key members of the
design team may move with the project to the building site, wherever that is in
the world, and can maintain a local office until the project is complete.
The design of each new project is reviewed regularly, both formally
and informally by the design directors. From the initial stages of reviewing
the brief and concept design, the team is open in discussion of ideas for all
aspects of the project. A main concept design or a couple of options may be
chosen and put forward for formal creative review where the design is tested
amongst the team to ensure all facets are considered. The team leader will then
take forward the project to develop the detail and work on plans, sections,
elevations, and many other graphics to support the ideas. The leader may select
a team to help prepare these documents for the client review. These processes
of design and review are very important as they keep ideas flowing and place
the projects intent, creativity, purpose and function at the forefront of our
minds. We work closely with the client to ensure all targets are met through
setting out a clear strategy of design and delivery of the project.
Our hands-on approach within the studio helps to enhance our
creativity. All our designers use trace paper to draw over plans and overlay
ideas and concepts. The simplicity of hand drawing generates an organic
approach that computer aided drafting may not be able to display. This also
brings together the designers as they are able to physically manipulate paper
and thus ideas together in meetings. We pride ourselves in our ability to
convey information and project concepts to detailed drawings with our hand
drawing skills. However we understand the importance of delivering in a wide
variety of formats and therefore have a strong digital understanding of
processing ideas.
The arrival of digital technologies has allowed us to design and
build structures with complex geometric forms. The practice has an advanced 3D
computer modeling capability which allows our ideas to be brought to life. One
of the most important features of this technology is the ability to allow us to
trial and test the scale and quality of our design. While new technologies have
transformed the way we work, traditional model making still plays a crucial
role.
In presenting our works, we rely on our exceptional graphics to
convey the ideas. We’re skilled in a number of presentation aiding programs and
we’re able to generate plans and details in Microstation and provide full
detailed design packages when required. Through our virtual design platform,
our headquarter office can work remotely with our site offices and client
remotely.
Our thorough processes from concept design to design documentation
prove our complete knowledge and understanding of design process. We provide
the most efficient and responsive service possible and relay back to the client
with confidence and assurance that we can deliver the best service.
