简体中文
Dutch researchers unveiled on Tuesday a model of what could become within two decades a floating mega-island to be used as a creative solution for accommodating housing, ports, farms or parks.
Made up of 87 floating triangles of different sizes, the huge, flexible island made of concrete or steel would eventually stretch 1.5 to 2 kilometers, or a total of 3 square kilometers.
Squeezed for space in this tiny northern European country, "some cities are starting to look into floating solutions, like a floating park on the river for example, where they want to have an area for recreation close by the city center," Olaf Waals from the Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands (MARIN) said.
Floating cities tests remain at the early stages.
If plans for floating islands go ahead, it would be a twist in the history of this low-lying country, much of which down the centuries has been reclaimed from the sea and which is protected from the waters by an intricate system of dykes and canals.
"In these times of rising sea levels, overpopulated cities and a rising number of activities on the seas, building up the dykes and pumping out the sands is perhaps not the most efficient solution," said Waals, referring to common methods to reclaim land.
The model, which measures roughly six by eight meters and is made of wood and polystyrene, was laid out on Tuesday in a huge water tank to simulate wind, waves and storms, in a presentation for several potential investors.
the Netherlands currently uses dikes and storm surge barriers to keep out water.
The project remains at the early stages, the institute said.
The islands would be anchored to the sea bed and also moored to the shore.
But tests still need to be carried out on how they will withstand weather conditions and tidal movements and how to make them self-sufficient in energy and resources, as well as on the effects on marine life – and the cost.
"Technically it could be feasible in 10 to 20 years from today," Waals said.
(CGTN)
