In times of biblical flooding, like those affecting Queensland, Australia at the moment or if sea levels rise a few inches due to glacier melting, we may find ourselves needing to reevaluate our housing situation. A structure that floats would be ideal, don’t you think? Which is precisely the reasoning behind Russian architect Alexander Remizov’s blueprints for a prefabricated, environmentally sound floating building.Made from light-weight, pre-fab materials such as timber, steel and high-strength ETFE plastic, the structure could be erected quickly—within 3 to 4 months—and adapted for all kinds of environments. Inside, around 151,000 square feet of space could house up to 10,000 people in between its two giant looped arches shaped like a transparent doughnut. What’s more, the building would rely on energy-efficient means to power itself, using wind generators and heat pumps on the roof, as well as transparent solar panels. An indoor jungle conceived of by scientist Lev Britvin would establish a micro-climate within the structure, allowing it to be completely self-sufficient while floating on the flood-waters looking for land, and no doubt catching the occasional odd fish.
Aptly named The Ark, the tubular building looks like a slinky from the top and could be used for disaster relief or as a huge hotel in a kind of temporary floating city. So, come the apocalypse, would you be prepared to tough it out on a giant plastic slinky?[via CNN]
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