[p2p-research] Futuretecture: From Sea Cities to Space Colonies

[Ryan]

Interesting that all views of the built future entail large integrated
plans that would call for intensive hierarchies and controls.

Sent to you by Ryan via Google Reader: Futuretecture: From Sea Cities
to Space Colonies via WebUrbanist by Delana on 6/23/10
[ By Delana in Architecture & Design, Environment & Nature,
Technology & Futurism. ]


Are we on the brink of a new era in construction? With commercial space
travel finally within our reach, will we see space colonies within our
lifetime? And with Earth’s resources running low, will we soon be
forced to move into previously uninhabitable areas of the planet?
Japanese construction group Shimizu Corporation seems to think so on
all counts, and they’ve come up with a whole series of architectural
plans for the world of tomorrow. Their bold ideas, which they
collectively call Shimizu’s Dream, illustrate what life on Earth and in
space will be like in the not-too-distant future.
Space Hotel


Space tourism will be big business in the future, so it only makes
sense to start planning the grand space hotels of tomorrow. This low
Earth orbit hotel will be connected to its docking station by a
240-meter (790-foot) elevator shaft. The hotel consists of four
elements: solar energy supply (and battery for storing power), loading
and unloading platform, a public area, and a sleeping quarters section
with 64 guest rooms and 40 staff rooms. The sleeping rooms are arranged
in a ring that rotates at a comfortable 3rpm, providing artificial
gravity of 0.7G. Guests will be free to observe Earth and other space
bodies while enjoying recreation and meals in microgravity.
Urban Geo-Grid Plan


Back on Earth, urban space is running short and it’s time we figure out
how to maximize our city areas. The Urban Geo-Grid Plan would move many
of our essential urban functions underground to ease congestion on the
surface. A vast underground network would be built that would consist
of transportation, communications and energy delivery systems – all
moved beneath the surface and away from the crowded city streets. There
are two different sizes of underground structures: grid points and grid
stations. Grid points are small and will contain community amenities
like convenience stores and exhibition halls. Grid stations – including
some underwater – are larger and will include office buildings,
shopping centers and hotels. The ultimate vision is to create an
integrated city with both above-ground and below-ground elements.
Luna Ring


Fossil fuel stores are quickly becoming depleted and it’s obvious that
future cities will need a cleaner, renewable energy source. What better
source is there than unlimited solar power? The Luna Ring concept would
put permanent solar collectors around the moon’s equator like a belt.
The majority of the solar cells would always face the sun and collect
massive amounts of solar energy, which would then be beamed to Earth
via microwave power transmission antennae. The construction of the Luna
Ring would be handled mostly by robots controlled remotely by people on
Earth, though there would be a team of astronauts on hand to supervise
the robot fleet.
Lunar Bases


Perhaps in conjunction with the lunar solar plant we will one day
finally build the lunar bases that have been predicted for decades.
Shimizu Corporation has developed plans for what they feel would be the
most expandable and easily operable lunar bases. The base will be
constructed of hexagonal modules that will allow for horizontal and
vertical expansion. To greatly reduce the costs associated with
transporting building materials from Earth to the moon, the modules
will be constructed mainly of lunar rocks and soil. Remotely-controlled
robots will do most of the work to minimize the risks that would be
daunting with a human crew.
Green Float: The Environmental Island


According to Shimizu Corporation, our convenient urban lives have
caused us to lose touch with what’s really important and what truly
makes us happy: healthy living, cultural pursuits and contact with
nature. They want to re-shape the cities of the future to help us
reconnect with that healthy, happy lifestyle in an organic way. Their
environmental city concept will have a water-bound base with a top that
extends into the sky – overall resembling a natural plant. Residential
space both at the waterfront and at the top of the tower will house
40,000 people per island, while the tower will provide enough
commercial space for 10,000 people to work. Island communities will be
joined together in modules, making it possible for entire
self-sustaining, carbon-negative cities to be built from groups of the
floating platforms.
Inter Cell City


The Inter Cell City is another future city concept based on living
organisms. The idea behind the concept is to create sustainable urban
systems that integrate natural green spaces with occupied city spaces.
Each urban community unit would operate based on citizen initiative,
with every one being responsible for its own water, energy and waste
management. The cities are designed to be sustainable and to cut down
on fossil fuel consumption by 90% within a century.
The Pyramid City in the Air


As far as self-contained cities go, this pyramid city concept is a
sight to behold. It is meant to house around a million people in just a
3 square mile footprint, all of whom will be able to enjoy ample
sunlight and all the rest of nature’s gifts. The truss construction
consists of interconnected octahedral units, each of which can
accommodate a 100-story building. The building materials are all
lightweight but strong, and the shafts that connect each unit are also
used to carry the plumbing, communication and electrical systems.
Leisure centers, moving walkways, trains and escalators also crisscross
the interior of the vast city, allowing an entire population to live,
work, study and play comfortably.
Desert Aqua-Net Plan


Though changing the ecological structure of a place is generally not
considered very “green,” we may one day find ourselves faced with the
inevitability of living in the desert. Deserts currently occupy around
one-third of the planet, so Shimizu Corporation wants to utilize some
of that currently uninhabitable space. Their plan is to create seawater
canals that will feed artificial lakes in arid regions, then build
habitable islands in those lakes. Putting the living spaces into the
middle of lakes will cut down on the extreme temperatures to create
pleasant living conditions. The canals could also be used for
transportation, making the previously difficult-to-traverse desert much
more easily navigable.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Delana in Architecture & Design, Environment &
Nature, Technology & Futurism. ]

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