The tsunami that shocked Japan has reiterated to man, for the umpteenth time, if ever it was needed, what water is capable of. And while in the north of the Pacific there are the victims submerged or dragged away by the waves, in the south we are studying how not to be caught unprepared when the water begins to submerge entire parts of the cities already bordering the coast due to climate change. The Australian NSW Government has predicted that by 2050 the sea level will rise by 40 cm, to reach 90 cm at the 2100 appointment.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
The tsunami that shocked Japan has reiterated to man, for the umpteenth time, if ever it was needed, what water is capable of. And while in the North Pacific we count the victims submerged or dragged away by the waves, in the south we are studying how not to be caught unprepared when thewater will begin to submerge entire parts of the cities already bordering the coast due to climate change.
The Australian NSW Government has provided that by 2050 the sea level will rise by 40 cm, to reach 90 cm at the 2100 appointment.
Numbers that, displayed on a ruler, tell little but that inserted in the maps of some of the main port cities of the world are transformed into photographs of entire neighborhoods submerged by water.
It is precisely in view of this future that the Sydney government has launched an international competition intended for collect innovative ideas capable of suggesting housing solutions that allow humans to live on the water. The city itself has proposed itself as a promoter and guinea pig, being one of the western metropolises that over the next few years will have to deal with what scientists predict on paper today.
Taking into consideration the urban fabric of Sydney and the characteristics of the harbor front, the first trench in which the war between man and water will be fought, about twenty studios specialized in urban planning and landscape architecture presented themselves at the end of the competition. .
So how do today's architects imagine the floating cities of the future? The visionary is the first ingredient used by all participants, alongside a good dose of environmental realism and a splash of elitism.
1) The embassy of the sunken cities
Has been winner of a project entitled "the embassy of the sunken cities" . A real one post-apocalyptic refuge in which to give hospitality to people forced to leave their homes due to the rising sea level. But also one platform built according to an interlocking mechanism that allows it to remain anchored to the port and break away on occasion.
2) BOA
GOOD, which stands for Boston Arcology, proposes one instead purely residential solution consisting of a single-block high and massive structure capable of accommodating up to 15.000 people.
3) Green Float
“Green Float” instead, it is a project that involved Japanese scientists and engineers committed to devising a solution that, alongside the contingent need, proposes an idea of negative impact through construction of large vertical farms as opposed to housing structures placed at the water level.
4) Lylipad
“Lylipad” it looks like a kind of Noah's ark. The lower part is immersed in water, the upper one is entirely covered with solar panels. (for more info click here)
5) City of Harvest for Haiti
La "Crop city for Haiti" instead it is a project that refers directly to the most recent news. Imagine you can build artificial islands hosting up to 30.000 autonomous people from an agricultural, industrial and energy point of view.
6) Eco-techno city
La "Eco-tech city" proposed by a young Russian team is based on a system of islands anchored to a power plant where a huge one stands tall tower just under 500 meters high where vertical gardens are set up together with solar panels and basins for the collection of rainwater.
7) Water Scraper City
Finally futuristic yet potential is the green technology applied in the design of “Water Scraper”, a project which, as anticipated by the title, overturns the skyscraper making it descend into the abyss. A complex system of integration between various energy solutions makes it possible to exploit the power of the waves of the sea and the wind and the sun.Alongside all this too vertical farms and residential districts.
Faced with these projects, the eyes widen and the mind runs to the moment when who knows our children will really live on the water. Then a strange scent crosses the soul and we wonder if what we really want is live on isolated floating platforms from meters of liquid surface.
The only real answer we can provide is that we can still intervene on this planet and hope that a change of attitude on the part of man slows down the inevitable progress of nature.
Pamela Pelatelli
