Book your vacation for this floating island made of plastic waste
Pitching your tent on a plastic dump in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, anyone? A British architecture firm has imagined a concept of a floating island built from plastic waste collected in the ocean. An ecological structure inspired by mangroves.
[IN VIDEO] Follow the astonishing epic of plastic in the ocean Every year, eight million tonnes of plastic are thrown into the sea. This material evolves with the currents, is eaten by plankton and marine organisms, until contaminate the entire food chain. The Tara Mediterranean expedition is studying the phenomenon. Discover in video how these scientists track plastic in the oceans.
The landscape is heavenly: in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 2,700 km from the Australian coast, the Cocos Islands form an archipelago of 27 islets of fine sand bordering a turquoise blue lagoon populated by multicolored fish and sea turtles. It is in the middle of this piece of postcard that the British architect Margot Krasojević wants to install... a plastic dump. But a somewhat special landfill since it is artificial islands built from plastic waste. The project, called Recycled Ocean Plastic Resort, should welcome its first tourists in 2025 with a campsite and a hotel.
The wooden walkways will form the central structure from which floating arms will collect plastic waste which will form new bridges. © Margot Krasojevic Architecture
Collect plastic waste according to the currents
The Cocos Islands are facing increasing plastic pollution: according to a study by the University of Tasmania, the territory is covered with 141 million pieces of debris from bottles, bags, shoes or toothbrushes, i.e. 238 tonnes of plastic accumulated on the beaches. . Waste that poses a major risk to local flora and fauna and spoils the landscape. Margot Krasojević therefore had the idea of using all this plastic in the form of a floating structure. The island would be built from wooden walkways attached to the bottom of the water, to which would be connected sorts of articulated arms which would pick up the plastic waste floating around. These will be transported to large bags and then covered with biodegradable concrete fiber to form a mesh structure. "On contact with water, these 'tentacles' will swell and expand, absorbing sediment and preventing the water from flooding the island or causing it to capsize," describes the project site.
The plastic “tentacles” swell on contact with water and act like the roots of a mangrove by absorbing sediment. © Margot Krasojevic Architecture
The architect then imagines growing mangroves around the plastic structure which would "cement" and stabilize everything. The architectural firm has studied ocean flows to understand where the plastic waste transported by the ocean comes from and to position the island accordingly. Thus, the island will grow as the waste accumulates "within the limit of its capacity to evolve".
Artificial islands: the new ecological Eldorado?
The hotel will offer a series of “canopy rooms” with showers using filtered seawater pumped by solar panels; it will be surrounded by campgrounds. The architectural firm was commissioned for this project by a South African mining company which funds initiatives aimed at building ecosystems and managing pollution from the mining industry. But it is not at all certain to see the light of day.
Because, unfortunately, the concepts of ecological islands are multiplying like hot cakes, without materializing most of the time. In Polynesia, off Tahiti, an American foundation has been trying for years to obtain a building permit for an archipelago of autonomous artificial islands covered with solar panels and wind turbines, and powered by aquaculture. In 2019, a project for an ecological and hurricane-resistant “floating city” was presented to the UN. The Italian architect firm Pierpaolo Lazzarini has, for its part, imagined "floating Mayan pyramids" while the South Sea Pearl eco-island intended to be established off Haikou, in the China Sea, has never seen the day.
It is therefore very likely that in 2025, the Cocos Islands will still have 27 islets and even more plastic waste on its beaches.
Photos: Walks in the bionic cities of the future by Vincent Callebaut
Taiwan's Bionic Arch: Nature Upright In Gateway Park in Taichung, Taiwan, this tower is like a forest in the city. Meadows and gardens spread out over 390 m in height in a self-sufficient building, thanks to solar and wind energy. We walk there to appreciate nature and to find a panoramic view of the megalopolis. The tower is also used for telecommunications relays. © Vincent Callebaut
Taiwan's bionic ark: a self-sufficient tower In addition to solar panels, three wind turbines with vertical axes provide electrical energy. The windows, by greenhouse effect, ensure a thermal contribution to the interior spaces. © Vincent Callebaut
Taiwan's bionic ark: a lung in the city The Gateway Park tower does not accommodate homes, offices or shopping malls. It is a garden in the city which emits oxygen, absorbs carbon dioxide and where one walks in front of the urban landscape. © Vincent Callebaut
Taiwan's bionic ark: an exoskeleton to shelter greenery The exoskeleton structure is designed to withstand earthquakes, winds, and even terrorist attacks. The horizontal levels are double decked for ease of maintenance. © Vincent Callebaut
The pebbles of Shenzhen: a foretaste of the city of the future With the six “Asian cairns” towers of the Chinese city of Shenzhen, the architect Vincent Callebaut proposes a “biomimetic” concept for the overpopulated cities of the future. Each is an urban ecosystem, with agricultural production, energy self-sufficiency and waste recycling. It houses homes, offices and places of leisure. © Vincent Callebaut
The Shenzen cobbles: an autarkic district The cobbles of each tower, which shelter agricultural farms, are organized in a triple spiral around a central space which is also a communication channel between all levels. The consumption of local products is favored and the vertical tiering densifies the dwellings, which limits urban sprawl. In 2030, one billion Chinese will live in cities and we must anticipate the problems of transporting food and waste, transporting people and pollution. © Vincent Callebaut
Coral Reef: a new village for Haiti After the disaster of the 2010 earthquake, Haiti needs to be rebuilt and the Coral Reef project began in 2011 to build a thousand prefabricated homes by the sea, self-sufficient in energy. From a single module, the whole takes the form of two waves, inspired by coral reefs, creating a central space that shelters a natural environment. © Vincent Callebaut
Coral Reef: modular housing but with multiple points of view Each dwelling is a duplex module, with a metal structure and tropical wood facings. Arranged in staggered rows, they offer a multitude of viewpoints and green facades. © Vincent Callebaut
Coral Reef: an evolving project, designed for renewable energies The whole is designed for renewable energies: wind, tides, sun, temperature difference between surface water and depth. The project is flexible and can evolve as needed. © Vincent Callebaut
Dragonfly: a bionic project for New York These two dragonfly wings form a complex of living, working and agricultural production. Designed for New York and its strong temperature fluctuations, this prototype has at its center an immense volume closed by a veil of glass and steel. The inhabited places are on the circumference of the wings and the space between the two constitutes a greenhouse where various cultures take place. Half of the energy comes from the photovoltaic shield on the south bow and the other half from three wind turbines. © Vincent Callebaut
Physalia: a flagship for the battle for water At the World Water Forum held in Istanbul in 2009, a consensus was reached around the imperative need to grant heavy resources so that every human being has access to drinking water. A billion people lack it, but very little is done. This ship in the shape of Physalia (a curious animal cousin of corals and jellyfish), this “living piece of land”, according to Vincent Callebaut, is a project to promote the good management of water and waterways. © Vincent Callebaut
Physalia: a showcase of good water management practices Physalia is intended for navigation on the great rivers of Europe and elsewhere. It would be a technological showcase. Autonomous and non-polluting, this "floating agora" would welcome researchers from all over the world and the public could discover there the most cutting-edge technologies for recycling domestic water, desalinating seawater or depolluting the soil. © Vincent Callebaut
Lilypad: a floating city for rising seas Prototype of an amphibious city, Lilypad could shelter 50,000 people, for example the inhabitants of the coast cut off by the rising waters or the ultramarine climate refugees who will have had to abandon their native islands. It has a central lagoon of fresh water from the rain. Three marinas and three mountains are dedicated, respectively, to work, commerce and leisure. © Vincent Callebaut
Lilypad: a clean and autonomous city This "Ecopolis" is completely autonomous, using all the energy sources available around it: sun (thermal and photovoltaic), wind, tidal currents, osmotic pressure, biomass... It must be able to produce more energy than it consumes. It carries agricultural land and aquaculture ponds. It can follow ocean currents. © Vincent Callebaut
Lilypad: a depolluting paint The structure of the floating island is made up of a double hull made of polyester fibers. A layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2) covers it. Under the effect of ultraviolet rays, this material can absorb atmospheric pollution by photocatalytic effect. © Vincent Callebaut
Solar Drop: a flower in the Arabian Sea In Abu Dhabi, this dome is installed in the bay and houses a spa center and a swimming pool. The seven dwelling places are located outside, as close as possible to the water, on a circle 350 m in diameter. The dome is surmounted by two ellipses bearing what, seen from a distance, appears to be an Arabic-inspired motif. In fact, a series of sixteen spirals, on the top, are made of photovoltaic cells. Around, sixteen spirals are planted with plants that promote freshness. © Vincent Callebaut
Solar Drop: a vegetated photovoltaic dome The central dome is divided into three zones, the “petals”. The first is the reception area (the “Majlis”) and its reception hall. The other two are the spa, with the spa treatment center, and an indoor pool (there's also an outdoor one). © Vincent Callebaut
Solar Drop: a swimming pool-lagoon One of the petals of the dome houses a swimming pool with a view of the Arabian Sea and is surrounded by green plants. © Vincent Callebaut
King's forest: leafy chalets in Morocco These three chalets are luxury residences near Fez, Morocco, in the Louajriyine forest. Built on a slope, they offer a panoramic view of almost 360° over the Atlas Mountains, from a balcony surrounding all the living spaces. They take the form of a sheet, moreover the structure of the wooden frame imitates the ribs. © Vincent Callebaut
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