MALDIVES CONSTRUCTING A FLOATING CITY
A floating city, big enough to house 20 000 people at the same time is currently being constructed near the Maldivian capital of Male.
The entire project is due to be completed by 2027, but the first units will be unveiled this month already. Residents will be able to start moving into their units in early 2024.
The project is a joint venture between Dutch Docklands and the Government of Maldives. With the harsh reality of sea-levels rising, the developer and the local government aim to deliver this project as a practical solution to combat the problem.
The island nation of the Maldives comprises 1 190 low-lying islands in the Indian Ocean. This makes the Maldives one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change.
CNN reports that 80% of its land area is less than one meter above sea level, and with levels projected to rise up to a meter by the end of the century, almost the entire country could be submerged.
The city is designed to look like a brain coral and will consist of 5 000 floating units. These units will include houses, restaurants, shops and schools. Canals will run between the units.
The units are constructed in a local shipyard after which they’ll be towed to the floating city. Once there, they’ll be attached to a large underwater concrete hull which is screwed to the seabed on telescopic steel stilts that let it gently fluctuate with the waves.
Image credit: Supercar Blondie