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Image: The image above demonstrates the use of terraced buildings to maximize garden and lawn area. Although not shown here is the placement of trees and plant life. Most of the green areas would have soil depths of around 12", in some locations soil depths of 3 feet will be incorporated in the design allowing for the planting of trees.
Platform Usage:
Six Hexagonal platforms will circle a center platform making
7 in all creating a neighborhood. Although the basic platform will be uniform,
composed of cells containing buoyancy and ballast, topped with a 20’ high deck,
the roof of that deck or top deck is wide open for use.
Future Communities and platforms may be designed for
specific purposes, such as a suburban area containing around 45 to 50 houses
each on a 3rd of an acre. Or it may be necessary to devote one
platform to a certain industry, perhaps a boat factory or a processing plant
devoted to processing materials.
The initial platforms will seek to unite and utilize the
limited (although relatively large) surface area of its top deck.
Three main categories of use are considered:
- Residential
units providing space for a sense of home. Although a cell of 100 square
feet may meet the physical needs of an individual, it is well understood
that the ability to spread out and have room for hobbies, cooking, hygiene
and individual pursuits is needed. It is possible to provide space for
around 225 to 300 housing units ranging from1440 to 2750 square feet, a
smaller initial allotment of around 1000 to 1500 square feet per unit will
be needed to provide space for more inhabitants.
- Civic,
Commercial and Industrial business: Commercial interests including stores,
restaurants and the like along with small and medium sized industries is
to be considered. Although mass production of most goods would be
impractical, Oceanic city would encourage small industry composed of craftsmen
and tradesmen. Most likely in the form of hobbyists who would ply what
would be a hobby on land as a viable business. Civic needs such as
schools, hospitals, police and fire departments, offices and control
center needs includes utilities and infrastructure as well.
- Agriculture:
Land based food crops and livestock will be needed. Although Oceanic City
will derive a bulk of its foods from mariculture, it is understood that
humans will desire those foods that we have lived with for countless
thousands of years. Due to the location of Oceanic City, all plant crops
can be grown on the platforms. There are limitations to certain breeds of
animal who require far more feed grown from acreage of plant crops.
Although this could be offset in the production of marine based crops, it
is expected that cattle will be limited or not existent at all. Small
animals such as chickens and goats could be sustained in Oceanic City.
(See Farms)
Considering the three basic needs compared to the initial
design of a platform, it becomes apparent that the platform provides at least
two spaces, the water-line deck and the top deck.
The waterline deck will provide around 750,000 square feet,
or 17.2176 acres. Less depending on how many walls and support columns are
used. It will also be 5 feet above the
water line, making it easy to load and off load goods and people on outside
platforms if necessary. Although most of the platforms will be “land-locked” by
other platforms thus the outer wall or hull will be against the hull or wall of
another platform. Further the locking
mechanisms will be in these walls, pinions and clamps extending from one
platform to the next will use that wall and some floor space.
Industrial needs and utility needs will contain more
equipment per square foot than residential and civic needs. Most commercial and
small industry also requires less equipment per square foot. Equipment should be thought of as mass, the
more mass per square foot the greater the desire to have it lower on the
platform maintaining the center of gravity as low as possible.
Most industry can function within a headspace of about 20’,
less a ceiling and deck, say 18’ in height.
Large industry may use a higher ceiling level that is due to the output
demands they have for mass manufacture. Oceanic City will have few mass
production industries and those that they will have will either have their own
platform or would be readily designed to fit in the water-line level.
Utilities will require far less room height wise. The
largest needs being freshwater storage and sewage treatment. Under Agriculture
I discuss the options for sewage treatment, most of the options could fit on
the water-line deck, some would need to be outside considering that they would
be part of the agriculture and marine culture.
Even some agriculture could be stowed below deck, freeing up
the upper deck for other uses.
Living space and Agricultural space.
Image: This bird eyes view shows the living platforms bottom and sides, with an acricultural platform near the center. Note the Ag Platform is seperated into 6 kinds of crop. The platforms with water at the center are a mix of shallow water (Light Blue) and deep "open" bottomed platforms (With mesh/net to hold marine life inside) (Dark Blue)
Although it is possible to design the platforms to combine
both agriculture and living space into one entity, the difficulty arises when
we consider the needed machinery and support systems for agriculture.
Due to this there will need to be two different types of
platform, one dedicated to residential, civic, commercial activities the other
dedicated to agriculture. Although the Residential platforms will have most of
their roof space devoted to gardens and lawns, thereby increasing the land area
for use in production of some crops, there will be a need for land space to
raise some land based crops.
Although a good deal of the top deck will be covered in soil
as described in the document/page Oceanic Agriculture, a ring around the center
would provide storage for equipment, materials and the support infrastructure
needed for the crops in the center. Further the use of robotics and above
ground tracks for “tractors” and farm equipment would increase the effective
land area of the top side. Most likely
crops such as grain crops would be grown one season, after their harvest and
enriching of the soil with composted material, other crops would be grown. We
would see three platforms dedicated to different crops, once raising a grain
like wheat, while the other two diversify and raise lettuce, tomatoes,
potatoes, etc. With the passing of each season of crop, the three platforms
would switch off what they are growing. Not only to provide a constant year
round source of produce, but also to reduce soil borne pests and disease
harming the same crop grown over and over again.
Again we are provided with double the space with the
inclusion of a lower deck. The most effective use for this would be in the form
of sewage treatment lawn (where sewage water is treated by grasses) being used
as either a source of hay or as pasture land.
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