The future of human abode may be underwater cities, and not in the distant future either. It sounds like science fiction, but it is certainly quite possible, as we have already seen underwater hotels, aquariums and railways. A Japanese firm is trying its best to make it a reality by the year 2030. Instead of skyscrapers towering into the sky, we’d have huge buildings underwater, where people would work, live and entertain themselves. Check out this surreal underwater city being planned by the Japanese, as well as a peek into homes of the future:
The Shimizu underwater city project
Image Source : japanesestation.com
Japanese construction company Shimizu has announced an approximately $26 billion underwater city plan, which it has named the ‘Ocean Spiral’. The city would be able to house 5,000 people and draw the energy required to run it from the seabed, thousands of meters under the ocean.
The need for the underwater city
Ocean Spiral’s blueprint was revealed in Tokyo. The company claimed that the underwater city would take advantage of the deep sea’s infinite possibilities to sustain human life, and that it was an important step ahead, as the rising levels of the sea would put island communities in danger. The blueprint features a huge residential and research station approximately 10 miles long, which began just beneath the surface of the sea and burrowed down under the floor of the ocean.
It’s not a dream
According to the company, the futuristic city is not just a dream, but an actual goal. The technology needed for the project will be available soon, which is why the company estimates Ocean Spiral will be completed in the next 15 years. After completion, the city would offer not only innovative housing solutions, but new insights into underwater life as well.
The unique design
The project, which is supported by numerous research firms and government agencies, would look like a spiral comprising of three main sections.
First section
Image Source : static4.businessinsider.com
The first section would be a floating surface, topped by a huge 500 m sphere.
Second section
As shown in the blueprint, the second or the central section would be a spiral, which would be 15 m in length. There would be space here for business areas and residential areas including apartments and hotels, which could house in total 5,000 people.
Third section
The last section of the structure would be 3,000-4,000 thousand metres underneath the seabed, where the spiral will connect to the ‘earth factory’. It would be a one of a kind research centre which would be used for developing energy sources.
Ocean Spiral would be using a concept called the ‘ocean thermal energy conversion’. According to this concept, the structure would derive power from the difference in water temperature at the various levels of the structure. Shimizu was earlier in the process of developing plans for a floating metropolis, and a 250 miles wide solar panels belt going round the Moon.
This ambitious futuristic company’s latest concept seems to be the one that might soon become a reality.
What do the experts say
Image Source : shimz.co
Experts are of the opinion that ‘techno-utopias’ like Ocean Spiral are a result of global crises like rising levels of the sea and climate change. These might be beneficial in the future, but corporations have to be more inclusive in giving citizens more say as to how their future cities (over or under water) should shape up.
Other futuristic home concepts we might see in the near future
Homes which would be 3D printed, super skyscrapers, ‘earthscrapers’ and underwater cities are going to be real in another 100 years.
Not only shall you see super high skyscrapers, but be prepared to live in ‘earthscrapers’, which might be 25 storeys under the ground. These homes will not need any decorating or repairing, they will have LED surfaces which will adapt to our moods by changing pattern whenever we want.
Care should be taken that futuristic projects such as Ocean Spiral and ‘earthscrapers’, and so on, do not amplify the problem of climate change due to the heat generated during their construction and maintenance, as this might create a vicious cycle from which humanity will not find a way to escape.
