Japanese construction firm Shimizu Corporation, a company with a history of over 200 years and one of the rare world corporations that thinks about future generations, has presented its vision of the world of tomorrow with a series of mega-projects under the name Shimizu’s Dream.
Shimizu’s incredibly detailed proposals of eight futuristic architectural plans are based on the idea of building sustainable structures that would allow future generations to live in a comfortable and non-toxic environment.
1. Project LUNA RING: Lunar solar power generation
In response to the increasing demand for energy, this concept proposes transforming the Moon into a gigantic power plant by building a wide belt of solar cells around the lunar equator. Such a belt would generate clean energy continuously, producing enough power to supply our entire planet.
The lunar belt would be constructed using lunar resources which can produce materials such as ceramics, glass, oxygen, concrete, solar cells and water (by reducing lunar soil with terrestrial hydrogen). Robots and vehicles, operated from the Earth and supported by a team of astronauts, would play a vital role in construction on the lunar surface, performing tasks like ground leveling and excavation of hard bottom strata. Machines and equipment from the Earth would be assembled in stations in space and landed on the lunar surface for installation.
The belt of solar cells consists of:
1. An array of lunar solar cells for 24/7 continuous power generation, placed along the entire lunar equator that spans 11,000 km (6,835 miles).
2. Electric power cables to transfer the electric power from the solar cells to the transmission facilities.
3. The 20 km-diameter (12,5 miles) microwave power transmission antennas to transmit power to the receiving antennas on Earth.
4. Laser power transmission facilities with powerful lasers to beam power to the receiving facilities on Earth.
5. Transportation route along the lunar equator allows vehicles to transport materials for construction and maintenance. Electric power cables are installed under the transportation route.
More about this project
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2. Project TRY2025: The environmental island “Green Float”
The project proposes building “botanical cities” that would float on the water like giant lily pads in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, a region where sunlight is plentiful and the impact from typhoons is minimal.
Individual island city with a diameter of 3 km (1.8 miles) and 40,000 residents would contain a mixture of forests, fields, waterways, grasslands and reservoirs. A portion of the land would be set aside for agriculture and seafood cultivation, creating the islands 100% self-sufficient.
The islands would rely on various natural energy sources: waves, wind, sun, thermal energy from the ocean and recycling of waste. Interestingly, the concept also proposes using today’s polluted “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” as a source of materials and energy.
The primary structural material used for buildings would be magnesium alloy. Magnesium is extremely strong, can be extracted from seawater and can be melted and recycled.
Temperature in these floating cities would stay around 26°C to 28°C (78°F to 82°F) all year long.
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3. Project TRY2004: The pyramid city in the air
This concept proposes a huge, self-contained pyramid city for about one million people. The basic 2000 meters (1.2 miles) tall pyramidal structure is assembled from a skeleton of 350-meter (1,149 ft) long shafts of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber. This type of construction allows for a flexible, unrestricted structural arrangement of the facilities within the city without the need to build massive foundations.
The pyramid city acts as a giant complex of residences, offices, research institutes, shopping and entertainment centers and other facilities. The shafts used in construction contain the city’s plumbing, electrical and communication systems and also function as a network of trains, escalators, elevators and corridors.
The multipurpose structure has a footprint of about 8 square kilometers (3 square miles). Its open-air construction allows sunlight to reach the interior. A network of optical fibers serves the purpose of transporting sunlight into areas that are poorly lit.
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4. Project INTER CELL CITY: A sustainable, eco-friendly city
The Inter Cell City concept proposes building a sustainable urban system that is made up of a network of small self-sufficient units, or cells. A city is first divided into small-scale urban units (Community Cells). Next, green areas (Green Cells) are created for each Community Cell. Each pair of these urban and green cells forms a small-scale circulation system that allows for the recycling and reuse of materials and energy.
Cell development process
The independence of each pair of cells allows for development of unique characteristics in each cell. Interactions among adjacent cells lead to diversity for the entire city.
According to Shimizu, this scenario would reduce fossil fuel consumption by 90% within a period of 100 years. This process calls for a gradual shift towards natural energy with a transition period during which LNG (liquid natural gas) serves as the primary source of energy.
Inter Cell City after 100 years.
In order to promote the creation of this sustainable urban system, Shimizu proposes a basic “Trust Triangle” concept which includes three distinct groups: citizens, businesses and government. This idea suggests establishing a number of Trust Triangle formations that is equal to the number of cells which would allow each Trust Triangle organization to determine the future of its own cell.
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5. Project SPACE HOTEL: Tourism in space
For the purpose of the coming boom in space tourism, this project proposes a space hotel in low-Earth orbit where even non-trained tourists could enjoy staying. The hotel consists of four main zones:
- Energy supply area which controls and supplies energies from solar cells and battery.
- Platform which serves for arrival and departure of space transportation vehicles.
- Public area in the shape of octahedron which consists of several modules, such as a lobby, restaurants and an amusement hall.
- Guest rooms are arranged in a large, 140-meter (460 ft) diameter ring which rotates at 3 rotations per minute. This rotation produces an artificial gravity of 0.7G which makes tour participants feel comfortable and relaxed in the guest rooms.
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6. Plan of lunar bases
According to Shimizu, lunar bases will serve as one of the most important components of space infrastructure in future space programs. This project proposes building lunar bases of a modular design of interlocking hexagonal units that allow for horizontal or vertical arrangement. The modules would be built using concrete made from lunar soil.
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7. URBAN GEO-GRID PLAN for efficient and orderly urban spaces
To meet the growing demand for efficient and orderly urban systems in Tokyo, Shimizu proposes placing a variety of city functions underground to ease the city’s urban congestion.
This plan, covering an area from central Tokyo to Boso peninsula across the Tokyo Bay, calls for building of a large-scale network of points (grid points) and stations (grid stations) underground which would serve as shopping centers, exhibition halls, public bathhouses, offices, hotels and stations for new underground transportation systems.
A large portion of area above the ground would be set aside for building of urban parks.
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8. DESERT AQUA-NET PLAN: Making deserts habitable with a network of lakes and waterways
Desert Aqua-Net is a concept that would allow people to inhabit deserts by building a wide network of artificial lakes and water canals.
The plan proposes creating artificial lakes with islands in low-lying desert areas. Individual lakes with about 30 km (18.6 miles) diameter are located 150 km (93 miles) apart and are interconnected by canals filled with seawater.
Introducing sea water into the lakes will make it possible to cultivate and use marine resources, including fish and biomass resources, such as algae and seaweed.
The lakes would lower the temperate and increase humidity in neighboring areas, creating favorable living conditions on the islands and around the lakes. The canals also serve the purpose of transporting people and goods.
Water is recirculated. Pumps are used to transport sea water to lakes. Gravity moves water to neighboring lakes and back into the sea.
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What do you think about Shimizu’s vision?
Would such projects benefit humans and the planet in the future?