“We are increasingly confident that the concept we have developed for urban infrastructure can accommodate a wide range of building types,” said Daniel Sundlin, Partner at BIG. (The company also developed a community of 72 floating apartments in Copenhagen near an uninhabited island that served as a shipyard as part of a project called Urban Rigger.)
The shape of the Busan platform, which is essentially a rounded hexagon, maintains stability. It won't rock with every wave like a houseboat. BIG also worked with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an ocean engineering company to ensure the platform could withstand the waves and winds associated with a hurricane.
“We have been thinking about the scale of the building and the materials we use to keep it as light as possible,” said Sundlin. “Treated wood is a great material because it is very light.”
“Steel is lighter than concrete or masonry,” he added.
These structures are also unique in their ability to increase the biodiversity and ecological health of the harbors in which they are anchored, for example by providing a place for oysters and mussels to grow. “These types of floating structures attract sea life and essentially help with ecological restoration,” Sundlin said.
The floating city is the Wild West in terms of international regulations and standards. So projects like Busan are setting these standards with the help of the United Nations. Naomi Hoogervorst, head of program management in UN-Habitat's Planning, Finance and Economic Department, said it was the organization's role to ensure that sustainable development goals were implemented at all levels.
Mr Hoogervorst said Busan was chosen because it strongly embraces technological innovation, particularly in marine engineering, and because Korea promotes smart marine cities in general. Mr. Madamombe added, “The mayor is committed to making Busan the No. 1 smart maritime city.” This allows them to move faster than people working on similar projects in other parts of the world.
“I think people are seeing this as absurd and futuristic,” Sundlin said. But he added that floating markets, houseboats and houses on stilts have been around “since the dawn of civilization.” He noted that this type of architecture is still “a very common way of living next to or on the water.”