SAF04 - Harnessing the Power of the Ocean with Prefabricated Coastal Communities

Problem:
Many cities are challenged with sea rise and coastal floods. Community heritage, economies and daily activities are harmed but so is the ocean and marine life with the pollution that it implied.

Situation & idea:
Prefabrication, and offsite construction combined with drone mapping, laser scanning and BIM data can help overcome the global challenge of sinking cities. Yet, prefab structures can reduce carbon footprint while providing adaptable, agile structure designs that can support coastal communities’ growth with minimal impact on the ocean and marine life and overcome the global challenge of sea rise and coastal flooding. Coastal community spaces that grow with the environment rather than taking from it.
Reality capture and Building Information Modelling (BIM) can capture highly detailed info of existing sites and help support the prefabrication and execution of adaptable prefab structures. The structures could include many innovative features such as surrounding purification systems with oyster to recycle used-water, shallow areas of mangroves and suspended reef below the community structure to attract fishes as well as tidal power technology to leverage structure movements to generate power towards energy self-sustained communities.

Prefab structures will be designed and digitally prefabricated using leading-edge technologies such as additive manufacturing and cold-formed steel with zero waste and efficient energy use. Structures will be designed to fit in any environmental and topographic site conditions globally on sea and coastal shores and in harmony; adapt to local existing site conditions.