The Private Islands Blog » Man made islands

Underwater Ocean Dwelling

The Islomaniac® — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:51:47 +0000

Although living on a private island is the ultimate way to live on the open seas, in the not too distant future people may be living on private islands but man made structures located below the water. One new proposal by UK-based designer Phil Pauley envisions a biosphere set in the ocean that would create a self-sustaining underwater habitat for aquanauts, tourists, and oceanographic life sciences. Made up of submersible spheres, the structure dubbed Sub Biosphere 2 would maintain and support life while acting as a secure underwater seed bank.

The large self-sustaining system can float on top of the water or submerge and travel along rails all the way to the ocean floor.

Futuristic Floating City

The Islomaniac® — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:32:19 +0000

If global warming continues and scientists predictions are correct are many of our children and great grand children may find themselves living on self-sustaining floating island cities.

One of the newest floating islands is a complex proposed by the Shimzu corporation. This completely self sufficient floating ecotopia that is covered in vegetation, generates its own power, grows food, manages waste, and provides clean water.

Designed for the equatorial pacific, presumably near Japan, the island is a concept for a series of floating islands with eco skyscraper cities, where people live and work. The islands are connected together to form modules and a number of modules grouped together form a “country” of roughly 1 million people.

A 1,000 m tower in the center of the island acts as both a vertical farm as well as a skyscraper with residential, commercial and office space. The green space, the beach, and the water terminal on the flat plane of the island are all within walking distance. Energy for the islands would be generated from renewable sources like solar, wind, and ocean thermal.
Read more: Futuristic Floating City is an Ecotopia at Sea | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Fake Islands to Fend off Oil

The Islomaniac® — Thu, 20 May 2010 05:12:37 +0000

Artificial islands are being proposed as a means to help halt the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. As news surfaced that the giant cap meant to contain the spill failed, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced his own plan to save the coastline from mass amounts of incoming oil. Jindal is proposing “strengthening” a line of delicate barrier islands 10 miles off the coast of Louisiana by dumping dredged materials in the gaps of water that stretch between the small pieces of land. He hopes his plan would stop oil from reaching the marshlands on the coast of Louisiana.

Floating Islands in the Maldives

The Islomaniac® — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 05:52:35 +0000

Floating Island in Maldives

A low lying island nation, the Maldives is at the front line in the fight against global warming. Already facing damage from rising sea levels, the Maldives is facing a grim future if action is not taken immediately.

Refusing to go gently into the good night, Maldives is fighting back with plans to build a series of man-made artificial islands. Maldives government and Dutch Docklands/Dutch Watervalley recently signed an agreement to develop several floating facilities for the islands, including a convention center and golf courses.

Designed by architect Koen Olthuis or Waterstudio.NL, the renderings for the amphibious mini-cities appear depict star-shaped, tiered islands with indoor spaces hidden under lush green-roof terraces, complete with interior pools and beaches. While exact design details of these new floating islands are still unavailable, Dutch Docklands does have a history of creating water developments using methods and procedures that reduce impact on underwater life and minimize changes to coastal morphology.

Underwater Skyscraper: A Self Sufficient City

The Islomaniac® — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:10:27 +0000

Upside down, self sufficient, floating island cities. The future will no doubt be an interesting place to be, where potentially millions of people will be pseudo-islomaniacs.

Touted as a self-sufficent floating city, Sarly Adre Bin Sarkum’s Water Scraper utilizes a variety of green technologies. It generates its own electricity using wave wind, and solar power and it produces its own food through farming, aquaculture, and hydroponic techniques. The surface of the submerged skyscraper sustains a small forest, while the lower levels contain spaces for its inhabitants to live and work. The building is kept upright using a system of ballasts aided by a set of squid-like tentacles that generate kinetic energy.

The architects “envision a future where land as a resource will be scarce; it is only natural progression that we create our own. Approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface is ocean, even more if climate change has its way, hence it is only natural progression that we will populate the seas someday.”

Source: Inhabitat.

: Underwater floating sky scraper

Become a Castaway: How to Rent a Private Island

The Islomaniac® — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:07:51 +0000

It seems like every day there is a new article on island ownership somewhere in the world. Similarly there are often travel articles on unique island destinations. Rarely however is there an article written about renting your own Private Island. The Sydney Morning Herald recently published an article about the joys of renting your own island

The article notes that there are islands available all over the world from Canada to the Mediterranean to the South Pacific, and each island is unique, some are affordable, some are economical, some are environmentally friendly and some are truly unique (i.e. islands with castles, lighthouses and prisons). Here is what the author has to say.

Others are celebrity-friendly. At the Mayan-themed Nygard Cay in the Bahamas, famous guests have included Sean Connery, Robert De Niro and Oprah Winfrey and the nightly rate of $US42,000 ($46,000) includes Hummer or limo transfers from Nassau.

To read the full article and learn more about island rentals visit The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Gyre: An Upside Down Floating Skyscrapper

The Islomaniac® — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:08:12 +0000

I remember when a simple floating building was the avant guard of design. Now engineers are pushing the limits with even more outrageous designs. Can you imagine living in a high-rise apartment building where the 360 degree views are of fish and saltwater?

Although still just a concept, this upside-down, underwater eco-skyscraper (say that five times fast!) could be the future of building, especially if sea levels rise and we are forced to spend our lives living on floating islands. Designed by Victoria BC-based firm Zigaloo the Gyre is a floating eco development meant to be both a research station as well as an off shore resort complete with shops, restaurants, gardens and recreation.

Powered completely by the sun, wind and ocean, the Gyre would offer a zero emissions stay for both tourists and researchers hoping to gain a better understanding of the ocean’s ecosystem.

Source: Inhabitat

Zoo Island

The Islomaniac® — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:32:18 +0000

It’s sounds like something out of Jurasic Park, but if a plan for the south Korean island of Dochodo comes into fruition it will be one of the most impressive zoo’s in the world.

Designed by JDS architects the island’s peaks and valley’s are ideal for the development of a zoo. The flat valleys could host animals, while more mountainous areas could be protected and treated as nature reserves. The island would be self sufficient, all transportation, energy sources and building systems would be housed in a so-called “infrastructural green belt” located at a height of 20 meters.

Nurai Island Development: Dubai

The Islomaniac® — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:38:43 +0000

Nobody does island development like Dubai, from the Palm to the World, Dubai is without a doubt the capital of man made island development. However, the Nurai Island development is taking luxury to a whole new level, even by Dubai standards.

The 130,000-square-meter island is about to be transformed into a luxurious resort and exclusive private residential estate. In total the development will be comprised of one boutique luxury hotel resort with 60 suites, 31 beachfront estates and 36 water villas.

The project is a collaboration between New York based Studio Dror which is led by Dor Benshetrit. The homes are situated over the clear waters which surround the island and include three bedrooms and four bathrooms occupying 5,540 square feet. These contemporary villas indulge the fortunate few with every amenity one could wish for in a home.

Source: Cubeme

Water Purification Island

The Islomaniac® — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:34:43 +0000

Man made islands are just for business and pleasure, they can serve a wide variety of functions including giving you a work out and purifying the water.

A new man made island design allows eco-conscious exercisers to synch your workout with a little river detox, then rehydrate with a cup of the fresh water you just filtered. This people-powered water purification island is designed by Jakub Szczesny as part of the synchronicity architecture and art festival in Warsaw, Poland. The premise of the poject is that it hooks up basic exercise machines to kinetically pump polluted water through four filters into overhead tanks that spill into a large drinking fountain at the end of the cycle.

This floating platform located on the Vistula River aims to empower citizens toward environmental clean-up, and apparently would work on any body of water with enough local bodies willing to pedal for their potables!

Source: Inhabitat