FLOATING CITY IN THE MALDIVES EVOLVING DUE TO RISING SEA LEVELS
Architecture firm Waterstudio has collaborated with Dutch Docklands to develop a floating city that will effectively respond to the threat of sea level rise in the Maldives. According to APE-MPE, the project, which was created in collaboration with the local government, will be implemented in a lagoon with high temperature water, which is a few minutes away from the capital of the Maldives. It is the first “island city” and will consist of 5,000 floating units – including homes, restaurants, shops and schools – with canals between them. It is estimated that residents will start moving into the complex in early 2024 while the entire city will be completed in 2027.
Maldives Floating City marks the inauguration of a new era in which Maldivians will return to the ocean through sustainable, environmentally friendly floating structures. The project features a unique, nature-inspired road and canal system modeled after the coral itself, known as brain coral. In this way, the project boosts coral growth by creating marine ecosystems that trap greenhouse gases both above and below the sea surface. Artificial coral benches will connect to the underbelly of the city, encouraging natural coral growth. Submerged and protected coral reefs will act as a natural breakwater, offering residents, in combination with the network of interconnected floating architectural structures, comfort and safety.
The project seeks to provide a risk-free and development space in the Maldives as well as a mix of green technology, security and commercial feasibility and a healthy new lifestyle that will be the foundation for future floating cities. Consequently, the future of Maldivian citizens will be rewritten: from would-be climate migrants to climate innovators.
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