Underwater architecture

 A human underwater habitat is now a reality. Here humans can live for a longer period of time and also carry out most of their daily functions just as easily as on land. This underwater structure is designed in a way that people living in it can work, eat, rest, sleep and maintain personal hygiene as they would do on land. The term 'habitat' is normally used to understand the interior of the structure of its immediate exterior and fixtures, but does not mean the structure's surrounding water and marine environment.

1. The good

Underwater architects can produce self sufficient food

Underwater architects can produce self-sufficient food

Many of the initial underwater habitats that were build with the same intention of providing a safe and a complete environment to people lacked regenerative systems that included water, air, electricity food and other essential resources. The recent and improved underwater habitats have great features and architectural innovations that allow these resources through pipes. These resources can even be generated within the structure of the habitat.

The future holds great opportunities for people who aspire to live in a self sufficient environment like floating island cities. This aspiration is mainly due to the adverse effects caused by global warming that effect the sea levels, land and the eco system on the coast lines of major cities.

The main aim of underwater structures is to generate and provide clean energy and sustainable production of food. This is an extremely fascinating concept of eco-architecture. A sustainable green technology is the key factor of this wonder habitat design. This will provide the future generation with a sustainable refuge but also encourage generations to utilize clean electricity, wave energy and solar power. This city will also be able to produce kinetic energy by an upright system of ballasts.

The city will be designed in such a manner that it will be able to produce self sufficient food by methods of farming, hydroponics and aquaculture. The structure’s top will be house to a vibrant forest fed by the sun and the lower levels will consist of living and working areas for people.

Can this be better?

Man throughout history has shaped buildings that only consume essential resources. Today’s skyscrapers are an example of this gluttonous consumption. It is an extremely dense space where various activities live play, work, rest have become difficult to perform each passing day. These dilemmas have encouraged humans to create other alternatives like subscrapers, depth scraper and even groundscrapers. But even today humans have struggles to achieve a structure that requires zero input or zero output when it comes to resource production.

The hO2+ scraper promises to function as a self sufficient ambassador under water. It will be an autonomous floating structure that is livable and functional with self sustaining space. It will be able to generate its own power through wind, current, wave and solar, bio etc. It will also produce its own food through aquaculture, farming, hydroponics etc. This self sustained structure will aim to create and provide people an underwater oasis with ‘Zero’ negative impacts to its environment and will also help improve it.

2. The bad

Sea storms problems with underwater architecture

Sea Storms problems with Underwater Architecture

Sea Storms: Naturally this can be the severest hurdle in the face of this design.

Transportation: A whole new transit system would be required, keeping in mind the total economic situation prevailing then. Furthermore, underwater transportation is not that feasible when compared to land transportation.

Can this be avoided?

This structure will be architecturally sufficient and will be able to kept itself upright by using a ballast and balancing tanks system. Its tentacles will offer balace and act as balancing elements while generating power as they constantly move with the tide of the sea water. A proper counter force will be produced by the buoyancy and ballast controls and will help in keeping the building upright.

3. The ugly:

High humidity and cost with underwater architecture

High Humidity and cost with Underwater Architecture

High humidity: The humidity levels would be much higher under water. Moreover there is no definite solution for cramped spaces in case of population increase.

High cost: The same problem plaguing the 'over water' skyscrapers; the cost involved could be huge even if we possess the technology.

Why so critical?

In future land as an essential resource will be extremely scarce and it will be our natural instinct to create our own land. About 71% of our planet consists of water and as land continues to become scarce the human population will gradually move to the seas. HO2+ scrapers's vision is to create a new metropolis which creates natural environment under water.

The bottomline:

Well, it could take years to complete and demand a very high expenditure. The architects need to suggest solutions to psychological problems like living in confined spaces without natural lighting and structural problems like weathering of sea storms as well. Nevertheless, we cannot deny the novelty of this design which aims to make total usage of green, emission free technology, and at the same time provide us with a shelter from the repugnant effects of global warming.