``` FLOATING CITY : ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN CONTEST 01-June-2015
No. 1055 DESIGN CONCEPT Place Making: At the core of the
Seasteading Project all aspects of design should pay respect to the
ocean as a fundamental element of all life and the planet. The
design should seek to embody and celebrate the pioneering spirit of
exploration. It must be equally unique in its approach to both
development program and physical environment as each must be
flexible with the ability to adapt as site, cultural and economic
conditions change. A modular approach will allow the project to
expand, contract and morph in response as necessary. As a self-
contained environment the floating city must provide it inhabitants
a variety of opportunities to live, work and play to support their
quality of life. The overall place making goal must be to create an
environment that appeals to those with the adventurous spirit
willing to engage in this frontier experiment. Social Dynamic:
While the design of the Floating City cannot and should not try to
dictate a specific social pattern the urban planning concept must
consider the uniqueness of the endeavor. The planning principles
may aspire to emulate the basic tenets of the Burning Man
philosophy as they relate to organic community building through the
promotion of radical inclusion, self-reliance, self-expression,
communal effort, civic responsibility, participation and
environmental conscience. The governing principles will also likely
share commonalities with Arcosanti, the integrated self-sustaining
urban laboratory in the desert developed by Paolo Soleri with its
focus on innovative approaches to design, construction and
community building. Both of these philosophies can be conducive to
creating a dynamic that engages the mind, body and soul and may be
appealing to the artisan community. Design Inspiration: In
diagrammatically exploring the patterns to be extracted from the
standardized platform shapes established by the Seasteading
Institute a simple pattern emerged. The interlocking of adjacent
hexagons forms a pattern reminiscent of a sea turtle shell.
Applying this to the organizational layout of the city core this
pure geometry provides an inherent structural integrity that is
modular while creating an interesting edge that allows for
expansion. Continuing to evolve that basic layout of site creation,
referencing the efficiency of the form of a common hardware nut
show the contrast and interest of a circular form set atop a
hexagon to create a continuous perimeter space that takes on a
fluid form in lieu of a parallel offset. Given that the floating
city will be constructed of man-made shapes with relatively open
views in all directions to the horizon it is important to apply
some contrast in the geometry and layout that diffuse long
uninterrupted views and lead the eye away from such rigid
sightlines. In addition to the aesthetic benefits of this
combination the surfaces also provide functional thermal and wind
load benefits. This base level departure from the standard land
based vehicular dictated orthogonal grid will set the tone for the
finish spaces that follow. Lastly in seeking the most efficient
modular geometry within the circular structure a radial overlay of
a Trivial Pursuit game piece shows the manner in which
interchangeable shapes can fit into the same superstructure. In
defining the construction methodologies and economic feasibilities
these wedge shapes could be viewed as opportunities for
pre-fabrication or internal spatial build out without impacting the
primary structure.
Slide 2
FLOATING CITY : ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN CONTEST 01-June-2015 No.
1055 DESIGN CONCEPT Architectural Character: The intent of the
architectural design is to convey an iconic style using clean,
simple forms with sleek technical finishes that are modern
bordering on futuristic. The goal would be to evoke the attitude of
the space race of the 60s combined with the ocean exploration and
educational work of Jacques Cousteau. Applying those somewhat
nostalgic ideals of perceived future to the massing and execution
of the architecture influences can be drawn from the industrial
fusion work of Eero Saarinen and his use of sweeping, arching
structural elements into a neo-futuristic style. The resulting
forms and space can create a dynamic energy and the feel that the
development is grounded in a higher purpose of exploration and
experiment. To reinforce the connection to the sea there should be
no interior bays so all habitable spaces have direct views to the
open water. Glazing should be used extensively on facades
throughout and the roofs of the central atriums and gallerias to
promote the views to the water, sky and natural light. The roof
surfaces of the primary structures should utilize green roofs as
much as possible to maximize the amount of public open space. These
green areas may be used for a recreation and/or small scale food
production while providing a thermal insulation benefit. Site
Master Plan: The master plan is based on a creating the central
core necessary to achieve an initial critical mass. This City
Center would have a central hexagonal form that serves as a hub to
link in the abutting six hexagons on each perimeter facet. The hub
is intended to be the main public open space that has its purpose
symbolically linked to its physical placement at the origin of the
geometry. As the initial development the structures in this mass
will be mixed-use both vertically and horizontally. There will be
two non-standard configuration pods to accommodate the specific
municipal needs, one will contain the welcome center, educational
center, security, emergency services and administrative offices and
the other would contain the required back of house services that
will include sanitary collection, trash collection, chilled water,
potable water, power, communications, fuel storage and maintenance.
The standard hexagon development pods will comprise the majority of
the development. These pods will be linked periodically with square
shaped connector pods that allow for elongation of the structure
and inclusion of open water into the clusters. All adjoining pods
have connecting portals that would allow people to move throughout
the entire complex without ever being exposed to inclement weather.
The site plan should incorporate the use of wind turbines and photo
voltaic cells as often as possible to assist in supplying the
Floating City power needs.