Wave Energy! Not only a massive potential for energy, but you could absorb storm energy for protection. Another storm idea is have parts of the city or buildings descend below a safety plate letting waves and high wind pass overhead like a surfaced submarine. I could see a floating data center with a satellite connection built like this.
For eco-friendly option. Submersible container with permanent floating air vents - keep it under brutal surface, while still within sunlight zone. Mentioned wind energy. No hydroponics but aquaponics. However, financially... bed sea mining or MadMax Soviet NeoNazi Europe run away scenario could potentially justify expenditure :D
Old oil platforms are ideal base. Lot of them are sitting unused. Refurbishing old oil rig for living is cheaper than building from scratch. Principality of Sealand is an example of similar idea. Fish and seaweed can be caught from the sea and be the base of food chain onboard.
Interesting topic, I’ve always thought the floating cities in “Waterworld” and “Deep Blue Sea” were really interesting. The Waterworld one specially seemed feasible given they actually built it, of course it probably needs more equipment and it would probably be inefficient but still. What inspired you to cover this topic?
Cities as Sea are a fascinating challenge from a technical perspective. They require a lot of advanced naval architecture and design reliability on a scale that we rarely aspire to. But they also present a fascinating challenge from the economic perspective. From my view, we still need to study the concept more so we can understand the critical constraints and drivers.
Yay! Nick's actually talking about my work! And my lack of money! But to add a little to economic viability and nick's points about low population density; A floating eco resort and marine game reserve are the best bet for an economically viable seastead IMO. As for the structure.. I'd love to hear Nick's opinion on a modular PVC foam cored, concrete shelled platforms
One question of course is “why?”. What does living at sea bring more than living on a yacht? But not being able to move freely from place to another. Would living stationary (or at least semi-stationary) at sea become too boring for adventurous minds? Maybe this concept - as you suggested - should be a network of floating marinas for the “free people” to roam between? There’s some very remote atolls here and there around the world that kind of act as one. Just developing some sort of “services” there could be a start. One thing that really made me think is the way to create that offshore breakwater that would also suppress the big ocean swell. I really can’t imagine anything man made that would solve that. Maybe you can? 🤓
The primary driving reason is scarcity of land. Land scarcity is not a major problem for most of the world, but there are a few island nations where this became a problem. There are a few regions of the world where 90% of their land area is only 1 m above sea level. Rising sea levels greatly decreased the available land area. So those regions are very interested in floating cities.
@@DatawaveMarineSolutions Oh yes. That of course makes it so that these kind of "expansions" are more likely to locate in sheltered bays/areas that wouldn't have swell and/or can be easily protected from ocean swell with underwater structures like artificial reefs etc. But the idea is very interesting! (I'm architect so... ;))
what about floating drydocks for maintenance? I think you could probably design a modular one that can build more of itself and bootstrap to larger sizes. that would solve a lot of the maintenance issues. you would probably also end up building a lot out of magnesium because it's a structural metal you can economically produce from seawater, which avoids shipping costs to the middle of the ocean.
For energy, I would actually expect Ocean Thermal to Electric Energy Conversion (OTEC) to be the ideal power source for a sea stead (at least in a tropical climate) because it's much simpler if you're already far offshore and it provides baseload power with cooling, fresh water, and an artificial upwelling for aquaculture and ocean farming as byproducts. You might supplement it with other power sources and energy storage depending on how much electricity you need, but it seems way too good to ignore for seasteading. open ocean aquaculture with low outside inputs might even be the best case you could make for seasteading given that it would be a net carbon sink if it didn't use any fossil fuels and current aquaculture practices are all expensive, very environmentally damaging, or both.
My man, could you talk a little about building a boat out of steel? I've bought Voyager 495 plans from Bruce Roberts, but where do I actually order the pre-cut and pre-bent steel pieces? Google is absolutely useless, are there even business that do just that? I've seen videos titled "building steel Betty part 481 AD 2024", and it can't be that bad!
You want to find a CNC machine shop. Search for that term. The way it normally works, you provide the cut files to the machine shop. (Hopefully you purchased those with the Voyager 495 plans.) Then the machine shop will use computer numerical code (CNC) machines to cut out the plates to the exact shape. Then the machine shop sends you the completed parts. Some shops can also do the plate bending. It's just a matter of what machines they have in the shop. Each machine is a major investment to purchase, so you need to specifically ask about their capabilities when picking a shop. Some machine shops also require you to purchase the steel plates and deliver them to the shop.
Fascinating thought experiment. I think it might be too limiting to not count structures anchored to the ocean floor, since places sufficiently shallow do exist in international waters and it solves so much? "Offshore" wind turbines are solidly anchored to the sea floor, right? I imagine building one which isn't would be a lot harder! Practically speaking I would expect in the near term anyone living on such a structure to own a boat also. So you already have builtin accommodation and machinery, it acts like a live-aboard dock, and the city only has to provide things like power and perhaps some shelter for the boat. The majority of the city space can be devoted to whatever the economic activity is. That also means you can build it more cheaply and ad-hoc. Just need a reason to do it 😆
I think we could with modern technology. If you want to be a billionaire and make me a millionaire get in touch for the key design elements. Including safe connections to shore, simple passive wave management etc. Any size, a new state? The real question is why? Can they be made safe from the anti-modernity element? Who and how many would like to live without trees, birds, bees, cows, etc? For how long could they keep their composure with just a flat horizon? We originally came from the ocean, maybe it's merely restoring an ancient status quo?
I'd say we have the science but we lack the engineering to build one 😅 to borrow from space vocabulary, the technology readiness level is low and it needs more engineering research
with a cannibalism safety factor of 2, at a replacement birth rate, a population of viable couples would need a built capacity of 8 X the immigrating number. didn't sea that coming , did you? ..........................................................but of course it could be made more affordable; as long as the occupants keep in mind that the anthropological definition of cannibal is synonymous with sub-saharan genetics on small, and not so small, islands...and diligently take measures to prevent being boarded, as such.
More content like this, please!
Isn't this just absolutely GREAT?
DMS = Goat
Subscribed for the kitties.
Wave Energy!
Not only a massive potential for energy, but you could
absorb storm energy for protection. Another storm
idea is have parts of the city or buildings descend
below a safety plate letting waves and high wind
pass overhead like a surfaced submarine.
I could see a floating data center with a satellite
connection built like this.
For eco-friendly option. Submersible container with permanent floating air vents - keep it under brutal surface, while still within sunlight zone. Mentioned wind energy. No hydroponics but aquaponics. However, financially... bed sea mining or MadMax Soviet NeoNazi Europe run away scenario could potentially justify expenditure :D
Great Video, thanks for the information
Old oil platforms are ideal base. Lot of them are sitting unused. Refurbishing old oil rig for living is cheaper than building from scratch. Principality of Sealand is an example of similar idea. Fish and seaweed can be caught from the sea and be the base of food chain onboard.
Patri Friedman has entered the chat.
Interesting topic, I’ve always thought the floating cities in “Waterworld” and “Deep Blue Sea” were really interesting. The Waterworld one specially seemed feasible given they actually built it, of course it probably needs more equipment and it would probably be inefficient but still. What inspired you to cover this topic?
Cities as Sea are a fascinating challenge from a technical perspective. They require a lot of advanced naval architecture and design reliability on a scale that we rarely aspire to. But they also present a fascinating challenge from the economic perspective. From my view, we still need to study the concept more so we can understand the critical constraints and drivers.
Yay! Nick's actually talking about my work! And my lack of money! But to add a little to economic viability and nick's points about low population density; A floating eco resort and marine game reserve are the best bet for an economically viable seastead IMO. As for the structure.. I'd love to hear Nick's opinion on a modular PVC foam cored, concrete shelled platforms
No Extreme weather events are baked in and will only get worse for effectively forever . To have seen a truly big sea is to be humbled .
Ocean thermal would be a potentially useful energy source as well.
Reminds me of 'Escape' movie, that prison built on an oil sea platform
One question of course is “why?”.
What does living at sea bring more than living on a yacht? But not being able to move freely from place to another. Would living stationary (or at least semi-stationary) at sea become too boring for adventurous minds?
Maybe this concept - as you suggested - should be a network of floating marinas for the “free people” to roam between? There’s some very remote atolls here and there around the world that kind of act as one. Just developing some sort of “services” there could be a start.
One thing that really made me think is the way to create that offshore breakwater that would also suppress the big ocean swell. I really can’t imagine anything man made that would solve that. Maybe you can? 🤓
The primary driving reason is scarcity of land. Land scarcity is not a major problem for most of the world, but there are a few island nations where this became a problem. There are a few regions of the world where 90% of their land area is only 1 m above sea level. Rising sea levels greatly decreased the available land area. So those regions are very interested in floating cities.
@@DatawaveMarineSolutions Oh yes. That of course makes it so that these kind of "expansions" are more likely to locate in sheltered bays/areas that wouldn't have swell and/or can be easily protected from ocean swell with underwater structures like artificial reefs etc.
But the idea is very interesting! (I'm architect so... ;))
Great as always
what about floating drydocks for maintenance?
I think you could probably design a modular one that can build more of itself and bootstrap to larger sizes. that would solve a lot of the maintenance issues.
you would probably also end up building a lot out of magnesium because it's a structural metal you can economically produce from seawater, which avoids shipping costs to the middle of the ocean.
For energy, I would actually expect Ocean Thermal to Electric Energy Conversion (OTEC) to be the ideal power source for a sea stead (at least in a tropical climate) because it's much simpler if you're already far offshore and it provides baseload power with cooling, fresh water, and an artificial upwelling for aquaculture and ocean farming as byproducts. You might supplement it with other power sources and energy storage depending on how much electricity you need, but it seems way too good to ignore for seasteading.
open ocean aquaculture with low outside inputs might even be the best case you could make for seasteading given that it would be a net carbon sink if it didn't use any fossil fuels and current aquaculture practices are all expensive, very environmentally damaging, or both.
My man, could you talk a little about building a boat out of steel?
I've bought Voyager 495 plans from Bruce Roberts, but where do I actually order the pre-cut and pre-bent steel pieces? Google is absolutely useless, are there even business that do just that? I've seen videos titled "building steel Betty part 481 AD 2024", and it can't be that bad!
You want to find a CNC machine shop. Search for that term. The way it normally works, you provide the cut files to the machine shop. (Hopefully you purchased those with the Voyager 495 plans.) Then the machine shop will use computer numerical code (CNC) machines to cut out the plates to the exact shape. Then the machine shop sends you the completed parts. Some shops can also do the plate bending. It's just a matter of what machines they have in the shop. Each machine is a major investment to purchase, so you need to specifically ask about their capabilities when picking a shop.
Some machine shops also require you to purchase the steel plates and deliver them to the shop.
@@DatawaveMarineSolutions Omg thank you, you're the best!
Fascinating thought experiment. I think it might be too limiting to not count structures anchored to the ocean floor, since places sufficiently shallow do exist in international waters and it solves so much? "Offshore" wind turbines are solidly anchored to the sea floor, right? I imagine building one which isn't would be a lot harder!
Practically speaking I would expect in the near term anyone living on such a structure to own a boat also. So you already have builtin accommodation and machinery, it acts like a live-aboard dock, and the city only has to provide things like power and perhaps some shelter for the boat. The majority of the city space can be devoted to whatever the economic activity is. That also means you can build it more cheaply and ad-hoc.
Just need a reason to do it 😆
Alternatively: embrace waves, accept rolling furniture)
It would need to be attached to the bottom to keep it from moving or it would need propulsion for station keeping.
I think we could with modern technology. If you want to be a billionaire and make me a millionaire get in touch for the key design elements. Including safe connections to shore, simple passive wave management etc. Any size, a new state?
The real question is why? Can they be made safe from the anti-modernity element? Who and how many would like to live without trees, birds, bees, cows, etc? For how long could they keep their composure with just a flat horizon? We originally came from the ocean, maybe it's merely restoring an ancient status quo?
I'd say we have the science but we lack the engineering to build one 😅 to borrow from space vocabulary, the technology readiness level is low and it needs more engineering research
Crypto bros will just ignore this and end up like Oceangate.
That's not going to be a loss.
@@ptonpc 🤣👍🏻
"How do we build cities at sea?" Badly.
A floating city is like a flying city -- anything goes wrong, everybody dies. God put us on land for a reason.
with a cannibalism safety factor of 2, at a replacement birth rate, a population of viable couples would need a built capacity of 8 X the immigrating number.
didn't sea that coming , did you?
..........................................................but of course it could be made more affordable; as long as the occupants keep in mind that the anthropological definition of cannibal is synonymous with sub-saharan genetics on small, and not so small, islands...and diligently take measures to prevent being boarded, as such.