Plans For a Massive ‘Floating City’ Begin To Take Shape

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"Oceania promised much more than just a neat place to live; it offered an entirely new way to live, and a new way to think. Unfortunately, like many other would-be Waterworlds proposed both prior and since, it just wasn’t to be. In hindsight, we now know that the primary reason for the failure of the Oceania concept was its shape. Specifically, its design was not modeled after that sleek and mysterious denizen of the deep — the manta.

Fortunately, French architect Jacques Rougerie has been able to spec out a massive floating city capable of housing some 7000 “ocean scientists,” and yet still hold the strict tolerances of the manta form factor. That, he says, provides the “best possible correlation between space and stability needs.” Practically speaking, that translates into the ability to resist turbulence and severe weather. Rougerie’s City of Mériens would be 900 meters long and 500 wide, while extending to 120 below the surface, and rising to 60 above."

Considering rather a few important people are claiming our sea level is about to rise somewhat over the next century technology such as this seems to be the way forward.

Your thoughts on the subject please fellow members?

a reply to: andy06shake

Very cool, but not so sure I would want to live on a floating capsule with 7K other people...talk about claustrophobia. These ideas are really interesting, but they never take into account rogue waves or underwater obstructions that can take them out in a heartbeat. If the world is ending because of flooding you can bet there will be a lot more of both to take craft like this out of commission.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Would it really be any more claustrophobic than say living in a large city or working in an office building? And i suppose anyone working and living there would have the ability to step on to one of the many observation decks and be surrounded with more space than they would know what to do with.

End of the day should our oceans rise by any significant degree, technology such as this will be the only way of sustaining a portion of humanity, short of finding a way of this rock or at least being able to launch construction materials in to low earth orbit at affordable cost and building habitats there that is.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Would it really be any more claustrophobic than say living in a large city or working in an office building? And i suppose anyone working and living there would have the ability to step on to one of the many observation decks and be surrounded with more space than they would know what to do with.

End of the day should our oceans rise by any significant degree, technology such as this will be the only way of sustaining a portion of humanity, short of finding a way of this rock or at least being able to launch construction materials in to low earth orbit at affordable cost and building habitats there that is.

I think so. Just the thought of living on a cruise ship for the rest of my days is not my cup of tea. Sickness would run through this ship like wildfire, no sustainable food source could possibly be kept up for 7K people floating on the ocean either. While it may be able to afford 7K people some more time, it would take years for them to figure anything out once the world was swallowed by water. They would have no materials for repairs and if they did, they would be limited because they would not be able to manufacture new ones. I can think of any number of things that could go wrong with this, and that is coming from years of sailing 50-70 ft boats. Power would be a major obstacle for this ship. I don't think many who haven't been at open sea can understand just how violent things can get very quickly. I have had a 60' sailboat's mast tip touch the water while on board in a storm and can say I NEVER want to do that again.

Think of the movie "The Perfect Storm" then visualize this thing trying to make it through that....there are plenty of storms like that that hit in the open ocean. Imagine the terror of 7K people trapped in a floating coffin and what they would do. If the world was indeed flooded, then maps and charts would no longer be accurate and this ship would be floating blind with no reference points. The ease with which it could run aground or hit an underwater obstruction has to be realized as well.

It is a neat idea in theory, but there is no boat that would last with 7K people on it in the open ocean with no chance of port. It would end, likely in more misery than those that died from a flood I think.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Thing is if the sea level increases to any significant degree our whole Earth will essentially be a a coffin that's filling with water. The movie "The Perfect Storm" featured fishing vessels not a large habitat designed to resist turbulence and severe weather thats 900 meters long and 500 wide, and extending to 120 below the surface.

I get what you are saying, the Titanic was considered unsinkable and that did not end to well for the poor souls involved but its not like it stooped us building bigger and better ocean going vessels.

As to where they could obtain resources and food stuffs, im thinking the ocean and her floor could possibly be tapped or utilized.

All sounds interesting, but I cannot help thinking it's a tad impractical. Can you imagine the condensation!

A more practical "city on the sea", for houses on stilts, rather than something that floats.

Mind you. China could build one, park it off the coat of Madagaster and claim Africa is their territory. They're doing something similar in the South China Sea, but this may be off topic!

a reply to: paraphi

I have been on cruise liners where condensation has not exactly been a major issue that i noticed. I imagine the thing will have some form of internal environmental control system to alleviate such issues.

Yes China does appear to be getting rather wide regrading there artificial island creation and other such projects.

Topic already being discussed here.

Thread closed.