Dutch architecture firm Waterstudio is building a floating city consisting of modular floating platforms ten minutes from Male, the capital of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. When viewed from above, it resembles a brain coral.
Koen Olthuis, founder of Waterstudio, told Business Insider that the project is involving developer Dutch Dockland, a local construction firm and the authorities in Male.
One of the project’s main objectives is to free up more space on land for residential buildings. In addition, floating islands could be a solution to the threat of rising sea levels, Olthuis said.
According to the press release, the city will be made up of modular, hexagonal segments connected to the surrounding natural islands. Platforms are equipped with bottom stabilizers for stability.
“It will be a city with pedestrian and floating streets, cargo and passengers inside the city and in Mali will be transported by boats,” explained the head of Waterstudio. He added that the cost of living on an artificial island would be comparable to housing prices in the Maldives.
For example, a studio apartment costs $150,000, and a single-family house costs $250,000.
“In 2027, we will already have 20,000 residents in 5,000 houses,” he promised. The first modules will open for inspection in June this year. The first tenants will be able to move into apartments and houses at the beginning of 2024.
A similar idea will be implemented off South Korea’s coast by the architectural bureau Oceanix.
The module islands are connected by bridges and can accommodate up to 100,000 people. All electricity comes from solar panels.