Proposal for a Ph.D. research project
Bob Harle
June 2009
Title: Towards the Development of a flexible, sustainable floating Habitat
Aim:
There are many concepts for the creation of a floating habitat. Most of these are “floating city” or “floating island” concepts based on a single, very large structure – needing a big, high-risk investment and lacking flexibility.
The concept here is of a floating “village” where every resident invests only in their own module, which will normally be part of the floating community but can operate independently or move between floating communities.
The aim of this study would be to examine the technical, economic and sociological viability of this “floating village”.
Objectives:
To investigate the concept of a modular “floating village” for long-term, sustainable habitation. This would involve:
· A study of the forces and relative motion between a number of linked modules.
· Determination of an appropriate size and hull form for these modules considering such factors as cost, capability of safe independent operation, stability, working area and appeal to potential users.
· A study of the construction, lifetime and disposal costs (financial and environmental) of different structural materials and combinations of materials.
· An evaluation of the space requirements for long-term floating habitation, including personal space, power generation, food production and storage.
· An examination of those technologies for sustainable power generation, food production and water management appropriate to installation on a small boat.
· Preferably to construct and operate a prototype “floating village” with perhaps three modules. This would involve identifying a potential site, investigating sea and weather conditions at the site, as well as communications and safety issues and the need to monitor everything consumed and discarded by the “village”.
· Research into the economic, psychological and sociological aspects of living in such a floating community.
Much of this work could be considered as marine engineering, but would also include psychology, economics, sociology, marine biology and ergonomics.
Background:
A number of ocean-based habitations have been proposed, with varying aims. Some are effectively long-term cruise ships, perhaps offering security or tax avoidance. Others aim at self-government and the establishment of alternative forms of government. Still others aim at the creation of a sustainable community, for which floating habitations have the advantage of freeing up land area, which might potentially be used for agriculture. They can therefore be expected to attain a lower carbon footprint than a land-based habitation.
While the establishment of safe,
viable, sustainable floating communities would seem to be desirable, few of the
latter type of habitation have gone beyond the early design stage. A possible
reason is that many of these habitats are based on large, monolithic structures,
requiring a large initial investment which would be essentially lost if the
venture fails. Those that are of
modular design permit much smaller initial investments, but, again, if the
venture fails these modules have little value outside the habitat for which they
are designed. Another barrier to
progress on these proposals is the untried and sometimes uncertain nature of the
scientific, economic and sociological ideas on which they are based.
The “floating village” concept,
which it is here proposed to explore, is modular, with the modules being of a
cost within reach of potential residents/investors. Should the venture fail or the resident/investor wish to
withdraw, it is intended that the module be capable of independent use, and
therefore have a value independent of the floating community.
The proposed study is intended to explore many of the theories on which a
floating community will be built and operated, and hence contribute to
initiatives to establish such a community.
The projected floating habitat allows prototyping and development of habitations which could be used in flood-prone areas, or which might be needed after a significant rise in sea level, as well as helping in a small way to reduce the imbalances leading to a rise in sea level. Such a habitat would also allow study of the self-sufficiency and isolated social units implicit in extended space exploration.
This proposal is prompted by a personal interest in small craft, in sustainable habitations and in any possible reduction of the use of green-field sites for home-building. It is hoped that knowledge gained in a Masters degree in Marine Technology, specialising in small craft design, recently completed by the author will facilitate the performance of the tasks set out below.
Tasks:
1 Hull material, acquisition, operating life, disposal
Review the costs and benefits, concentrating on lifetime environmental costs, for (e.g.) reinforced plastic, wood/epoxy, steel, aluminium, ferro-cement, sandwich and composite construction.
2 Hull form, mobility habitability and optimum size
Discuss the advantages of different raft, multi-hull, monohull hull forms, a fixed or floating structure (e.g. oil platform) or some combination of these. Examine the factors in the choice of vessel size, such as cost, seaworthiness and living/working space. Work has been done e.g. by NASA on the long-term habitability of habitats.
3 Absolute and Relative motion of modules, potential forces between modules
Examine how variously coupled vessels of different mass/buoyancy profile will respond to expected wave spectra.
4 Waste handling/treatment
Study the possible disposal and recycling strategies for “black water”, “grey water”, food waste and other domestic wastes.
5 Food and water supply
Study the viability of distillation technologies, rain water collection, aquaculture (including algaculture), hydroponics, fishing, farm animals (eg chickens), etc.
6
Powering/energy storage
Considering
for example diesel, biodiesel and the production of biodiesel, diesel/electric
hybrid, fuel cell, wind turbine, solar furnace, photovoltaic, wave and tidal
power, battery technologies (such as vanadium redox), conventional screw
propeller, surface piercing propeller, linear propeller, etc.
Significant
wave height and wave spectra, wind, ambient temperature, accessibility, other
marine traffic/safety
8 Income-producing and leisure activities
Related
previous work:
Landamore, M.J.;
Birmingham, R.W.; Downie, M.J.; Wright, P.N.H. Sustainable
technologies for inland leisure craft. Proceedings of the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers, Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime
Environment 2007, 221(3), 97-114.
Proposals
and discussions on:
http://www.tdrinc.com/nexus.html
http://www.bgiedu.org/wiki/index.php/Hexagon_City
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/06/16/lilypad-floating-cities-in-the-age-of-global-warming/