LILYPAD: Floating City for Climate Change Refugees

I love conceptual design skills that can conceive great-looking architecture such as this ecocreation. Designed by by Vincent Callebaut, its the Lilypad – a concept for a completely self-sufficient floating city intended to provide shelter for future climate change refugees.

Waterlilic aesthetics aside, the Lilypad is intended to be a zero emission city that floats in the ocean – hence adapting to ocean swell caused by global warming.

Through a number of technologies (solar, wind, tidal, biomass), it is envisioned that this would not only produce it’s own energy, but also be able to process CO2 in the atmosphere and absorb it into its titanium dioxide skin.

Designed to hold around 50,000 people, the Lilypad has a mixed terrain man-made landscape, provided by an artificial lagoon and three ridges.

Even if this concept goes into development tomorrow, it sounds like it won’t be realised in our lifetimes. Shame, I’d love to see one in real-life, let alone live on one that travels around the world!

More images on Vincent Callebaut Architectures

Seen on Inhabitat

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