Netherlands-based architecture, urban planning, and research firm Waterstudio.NL in collaboration with Dutch Docklands and the Government of The Maldives have revealed the design of Maldives Floating City (MFC), a first-of-its-kind “island city” that offers a new approach to modern sustainable living on the Indian Ocean. The project has been in development for over a decade, and will feature thousands of residences, floating along a flexible, functional grid across a 200-hectare lagoon.
Local communities have always shaped their lifestyles to be around the water, whether it being perched atop lakes, streams, the ocean, or the sea. And while “floating islands” have long been commended for their utility, ingenuity, and sustainability, translating them into modern, scalable, commercially-viable real estate has always appeared beyond reach. Maldives Floating City is based on the local culture of this sea-farers nation, where locals celebrate their strong relation with the sea. The project is characterized by the boating community, using the canals as main infrastructure for logistics and gateways, and reducing land-based movements to walking and biking on natural white sand roads.
MFC is set to be the first development of its kind, a city with a nature-based structure of roads and water canals resembling the efficient way in which real brain coral is organized, emphasizing the responsibility The Maldives takes as a center for coral protection in the world. The architects conceptualized a "next-generation sea-level rise-proof urban development" with a mix of green technology, safety, and commercial viability, transforming the Maldivians from climate refugees to climate innovators. Situated only ten minutes by boat from the capital Male, MFC homes will also be accompanied by hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and a world-class marina.
The project will also feature a smart grid that can respond to dynamic demand, weather, and climate change. The system uses innovative sustainable development technologies, and applies ecological practices to protect, preserve, and enhance the marine eco-system. The units are constructed in a local shipyard, and are attached to a large underwater concrete hull, connected to the seabed on telescopic steel stilts. Underneath the water surface, artificial coral banks will be attached to the underside of the city to project and stimulate coral growth. The submerged coral reefs will provide a natural wave (reduction) breaker that, along with the interrelated grid of floating structures, will provide comfort and safety for the residents.
Following a similar approach to combatting rising sea levels, UN-Habitat and blue tech firm OCEANIX unveiled the design of the world’s first prototype for a sustainable floating city, to be hosted by Busan. With a population of 3.4 million people, Busan is the second-largest city in the Republic of Korea and, at the same time, one of the most important maritime cities, making it a suitable environment for deploying the floating city prototype. The floating community of OCEANIX will feature a total of 15.5 acres of interconnected platforms, which would accommodate 12,000 people. Each neighborhood contains low-rise buildings defined by soft lines and various terraces for indoor-outdoor living.
In 2019, and as part of UN-Habitat’s New Urban Agenda, Bjarke Ingels Group proposed the vision for the world’s first resilient and sustainable floating community, designed to accommodate 10,000 people. “Oceanix City” was a response to the prediction that by 2050, 90% of the world’s largest cities will be exposed to rising seas, resulting in mass displacement, and the destruction of homes and infrastructure.
