Floating Cities

[Libertine]

Pictured: The floating cities that could one day house climate change refugees | Mail Online

Pictured: The floating cities that could one day house climate change refugees

An architect has come up with an innovative answer to rising sea levels - a city that floats around the world.

The self-contained 'Lilypad' city will be home to around 50,000 'climate refugees' from the worst hit areas - including London.

Latest research predicts that sea levels could rise by up to 88cm - nearly 3ft - by the year 2100, putting many islands in the Pacific Ocean in danger.

The 'Lilypad' cities would be powered by renewable energy sources

This dramatic rise of close to one metre would threaten huge areas of low lying coastal land, as well as major cities such as London, New York and Tokyo.

But now a visionary architect has found a solution which will see people in the affected cities making a new home for themselves on the futuristic-looking Lilypad.

The Lilypad has been designed by award-winning Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut who says the 'ecopolis' offers a long term solution to the looming problem of rising sea levels.

As land-based cities flood, the Lilypad will be able to float around the world like a giant ship.

He said: 'The design of the city is inspired by the shape of the great Amazonia Victoria Regia lilypad.

'Some countries spend billions of pounds working on making their beaches and dams bigger and stronger.

'But the Lilypad project is actually a long term solution to the problem of the water rising.

'And it has the other objective of providing housing for refugees from islands that have been submerged.'
Enlarge lilypad city

The Lilypad city would house climate change refugees

Centred around a lake which collects and then purifies rain water, the Lilypad will drift around the world following the ocean currents and streams.

It will be accessed by three marinas and will also feature three 'mountains' to offer the inhabitants a change of scenery.

Power will be provided through a series of renewable energy sources including solar, thermal, wind energy, hydraulic and a tidal power station.

The city will actually produce much more energy than it consumes and be entirely 'zero-emission' as all the carbon-dioxide and the waste will be recycled.

Mr Callebaut added: 'It's an amphibious city without any roads or any cars.


'The whole city is covered by plants housed in suspended gardens. The goal is to create a harmonious coexistence of humans and nature.

'I think trying to accomodate the millions of people left homeless by environmental changes will prove to be one of the great challenges of the 21st century.'

Neither the cost of building the city or the cost of living there have been revealed.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global sea level is expected to rise between nine and 88 centimetres by 2100, with a 'best estimate' of 50 centimetres.

This is due to global warming which is causing the ice caps to melt.

In many places, 50 centimetres would see entire beaches being washed away, together with a significant chunk of the coastline.

On low-lying Pacific islands such as Tuvalu, Kiribati or the Maldives, the highest point is only two or three metres above current sea levels.

If the sea level was to rise by 50cm, significant portions of these islands would be washed away by erosion or covered by water.

Even if they remain above the sea, many island nations will have their supplies of drinking water reduced because sea water will invade their freshwater stocks.

There are also tens of millions of people living in low-level coastal areas of southern Asia, such as the coastlines of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Burma, who would be in danger.

[Big Red 11]

Sounds like the inhabitants will be eating a lot of fish...

[E. Writer]

That is ****ing awesome.

But, it doesn't(unless I missed it) say anything about how it would deal with hurricanes, and things of the sort...

[PhysX]

Originally Posted by E. Writer

But, it doesn't(unless I missed it) say anything about how it would deal with hurricanes, and things of the sort...

thats exactly what i was thinking. what if it runs into a hurricane, or a typhoon. what if it drifts into one of the poles. people wouldnt like that too much

[Cylon]

It's very innovative, although I would think that there needs to be some type of control over the movement of the island. Sure, you're fine if you're drifting in a calm area, but as Writer and PhysX mentioned, the oceans of the world are not always friendly.

I'm curious to know the dimensions of the floating city. I know it says it can hold 50,000 people, but I wonder how comfortably they will live with all the other essential items packed aboard.

[E. Writer]

Originally Posted by Cylon

It's very innovative, although I would think that there needs to be some type of control over the movement of the island.

I'd imagine that there'd be either a massive propeller on the bottom of it, or there would be paddles mounted on the sides, and everyone would do work..

[DSHFilut]

That sounds like a great idea but 50,000 people? The amount of people they listed that are going to be in trouble in the year 2100 by the rising sea levels is far greater than 50,000. Either they are going to mass produce this thing or their are only going to be a few of these floating cities and only the rich will get on. Either way it sounds good but I am not sure how well it will do in practice?

[Libertine]

As long as theres a lot of hot chicks on board is all that matters.

[strictlystyles]

how the hell is society going to function with groups of people form different contries on it, and what are they going to do about crime, diplomacy, and language barriers? Eh, maybe im overthinking this a bit, but at least ill be gone and my children in canada.

[SkandaL]

Im with Strictly on this. Its not as easy as just making a damn floating city and hoping people live in it in floating city peace.