Male, Maldives (CU)_ The objective of the Dutch architecture group is to construct a floating metropolis in Maldives, located 10 minutes from Male. The Maldives Floating City was planned and designed by the Dutch firm Waterstudio, and is a vast collection of modular floating platforms in the form of a brain coral.
According to Koen Olthuis, the founder of Waterstudio, the architectural company designing the city, the huge project is a cooperation between the Dutch Docklands, a local developer, and the government of Male. One of its goals is to make additional space available for houses on the mainland. According to Olthuis, constructing the floating metropolis will also provide a long-term solution to the threat of increasing sea levels.
Olthuis said, “It will be a walkable city with floating streets, utilizing boats for the transport of goods and people within the city, and to the capital city of Male”. He also noted that the living cost in the city would be equivalent to local land-based projects in the Maldives. Olthius stated, “In 2027, we should have 20,000 people living in 5,000 houses”.
According to media reports, the city’s initial units will be available for viewing this month, with costs ranging from $150,000 for a studio apartment to $250,000 for a family home. The developers anticipate that inhabitants will relocate to the island by 2024, with the completion of the entire city scheduled for 2027.
According to the media statement from the developer, the metropolis would consist of hexagonal modules connected to a ring of outer barrier islands. The bottom part of the city will be secured by stabilizers that support the buildings and structures and protect them from waves. The Maldives Floating Metropolis concept is comparable to Oceanix, a proposal for a floating city consisting of interconnected platforms.
According to Patrick Verkooijen, the chief executive officer of the Global Center for Adaptation, a floating metropolis would be a viable response to rising sea levels. He said, “The cost of not adapting to these flood risks is extraordinary. We have a choice to make: we either delay and pay, or we plan and prosper. Floating offices and floating buildings are part of this planning against the climate of the future.”
