Really, Really, Really Off Grid!
How far off grid are you willing to go?
Are you a short-term or long-term planner?
The French acrchitect, Jacques Rougerie, is implementing designs and plans for a giant floating city. This city will be totally self-contained and produce no waste.
His plans are two-fold. A SeaOrbiter which will eventually have a total of 12 floors (half of which are below sea level) which will have the first level completed by sometime NEXT YEAR (2016)!
The second and more ambitious plan is the actual floating city which he is calling the City of Mériens. This city will house up to 7,000 people (scientists and students) from around the world. All there to conduct research on the ocean. And the city is supposed to be totally self-sustainable and autonomous. Projected move-in date… 2050.
While this seems ambitious to some, the fact that the SeaOrbiter is actually to be operational in 2016 would indicate there is real data behind this and not just science fiction.
What I love is that any and all research in this area should benefit all of us who want to live a more sustainable and off grid life style. Check out below for information and video about the City of Mériens and the SeaOrbiter. Not too early to see if you want to participate!
“Considering the dimension and size of the international scientific community – 7,000 people spread on the entire structure – I designed the City of Mériens in the form of a manta ray because it was the best design to accommodate such a community with regards [to] the best possible correlation between space and stability needs,” Rougerie told Weather.com.
The manta ray design was selected because of its ability to resist turbulence from storms and other harsh weather conditions. While the visible structure is just 60 metres tall, it plunges up to 120 metres below the surface of the ocean, which helps to keep the whole thing steady.
The shape also allows for a large lagoon to be hosted in the centre of the facility, into which roving research vessels such as SeaOrbiters – also designed by Rougerie – can be parked, and on either side of its access channels there’ll be space for aquaculture breeding farms where scientists can cultivate and study various marine species. The tips of the vessel’s ‘wings’ would house hydroponic greenhouses for growing all the fruits and vegetables the residents will need right there onboard.
As Noémie Jennifer reports for The Creator’s Project, the whole thing is designed to be 100 percent sustainable and autonomous, running on renewable marine energy and producing zero waste. t
Check out the video below about the Sea Orbiter
</p></div>
source: Sciencealert.com
Images: Jacques Rougerie Foundation
