The water lily-shaped floating city is more than 1,800 hectares wide

The floating city off the island of Penang, Malaysia will include three giant artificial islands, each of which can hold 15,000 - 18,000 people.

Design of the floating city off the coast of Penang. Photo: Dezeen

Danish architecture and design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has announced plans to build a floating city called BiodiverCity in collaboration with engineering firm Ramboll and renowned Malaysian architect Hijjas bin Kasturi, Sun. news. If completed, the massive project will include three artificial floating islands with a total area of ​​1,821 hectares, equivalent to the size of 2,550 football fields.

The islands are shaped like water lily leaves, covering many districts with 5 km of public beaches, 242 hectares of parkland and 25 km of water. Each island can hold about 15,000 - 18,000 inhabitants. Most of the building is built from bamboo and green concrete produced from recycled materials. The islands will be connected via an automated transport network of self-driving cars and unmanned helicopters. This leaves the floating city completely free of cars, with a focus on pedestrians and cyclists instead.

BiodiverCity's goal is to create a global destination that brings visitors and jobs to Penang without destroying the island's unique coastline and natural landscape. This is part of the local government's vision strategy Penang 2030.

The first built island, Channels, includes the "Civic Heart" area for government and research institutes. Along with that is the Cultural Coast district designed to simulate George Town, the capital city of the state of Penang. At the center of the island is a 200-hectare digital park, for local residents and visitors to explore the world of technology, robotics and virtual reality.

The second island called Mangroves is located in the center of BiodiverCity. The island will include commercial areas and in the center of the island is the Bamboo Beacon, a huge square for major events and conferences. The counties will be located around a series of swamps and mangroves.

The last island is The Laguna which is like a mini archipelago consisting of 8 smaller islands arranged around a marina. Residents will live in a complex of floating houses, stilts and townhouses, surrounded by breeding grounds for marine life, helping to protect native wildlife.

The ray-shaped 'floating city' can hold 7,000 people
A French architect introduced the design of a 900-meter-long manta ray ship specializing in marine research.

Meriens floating city design. Photo: Jacques Rougerie

The manta ray-shaped ship called Meriens City looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, designed to travel around the world with thousands of people living on deck, the Sun reported on December 18 . This model ship can accommodate 7,000 people with many scientific and research facilities. French architect Jacques Rougerie says he designed the City of Meriens in the shape of a manta ray because it is the best shape to accommodate such a large community. The vehicle will serve researchers, scholars and students who want to explore marine life.

"The ship will revolutionize underwater research because people will be in permanent contact with the ocean," emphasized Rougerie.

Once built, Meriens City will be 900 m long, 500 m wide, and can hold many small 90 m long research vessels. Rougerie also plans lecture halls, classrooms, laboratories, living, recreational and sports areas on board. In addition, he considers the living environment and chooses renewable marine energy according to the principles of sustainable development. The ship will not create waste. In addition, at the end of the stingray wings are placed hydroponic greenhouses.

The city of Meriens is being assessed by UNESCO through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Council. Rougerie started planning the design 13 years ago and is confident that the ship can be operational by 2050. Before that, similar designs included a floating city off the coast of the Maldives with a capacity of 5,000 households, 20,000 residents along with homes, hotels, bars and shops.