Underwater cities have been an inspiring notion for scholars, architects, and visionaries for decades.
Furthermore, these cultural or futuristic imaginary habitats prognosticate, as a result, a future when human existence is submerged in water and has to confront problems like overpopulation, fluctuations in climate, and architects,a lack of resources.
Concept and Design
Underwater cities are built to ensure that they offer sustainable living units that are useful and resistant to the factors that are characteristic of underwater habitats. Society is designing buildings with more complex equipment to bear high pressure from the deep sea water, resisted to salt-water corrosion, and to the harsh temperature of the deep sea.
Indeed, such designs are replicas of transparent domes or cylindrical regions that resist the vision of picturesque ocean views, natural light use, and energy-saving solutions.
Advantages
It can be seen that there are apparent advantages to having underwater cities or cities partially submerged underwater. They could help lessen the land deficit, particularly in populated central regions, by delivering new homes to people.
Furthermore, some of the resources found in the ocean, such as wave and tidal energy, would be directly accessible to these ocean cities. It would also mean the emergence of new research possibilities where scientists could study marine flora, fauna, and environments at a level that was previously unthinkable.
Challenges
However, the construction of underwater cities is not devoid of difficulties and problems. The environment demands sophisticated and expensive engineering solutions for the construction of structures and their maintenance.
Provision of safety and health for the inhabitant’s population, consumption of waste, and provision of fresh water are some of the logistic challenges to be solved. Also, the consequences for marine life and the probability of anti-ecological effects must be taken into account.underwater
Current Developments
Despite the fact that underwater habitats are still in a somewhat sci-fi category as far as attainability is considered, there are major developments in the field. For instance, there is the Aquarius Reef Base in Florida that provides for research and live-working environments underwater.
Also, architectural concepts and experiments like the Ocean Spiral by Shimizu Corporation relate to the extensiveness of the underwater living concept.
Looking Ahead
That of underwater cities remains a visionary suggestion and, at the same time, a reality. However, with advancing technology as well as enhancing knowledge in the deep oceans, the dream of having successful societies in the aquatic world may come true in the future.
ASH CK