World's first floating city to be built by 2025 in South Korea

OCEANIX Busan, the first floating city in history, is being built near the South Korean city of Busan, on the Pacific coast, with the support of the UN, according to the Daily Mail. The city will be located on hexagonal platforms connected by bridges with a total area of 75 hectares. Each such island-platform will have a limestone coating, which is two to three times harder than concrete and at the same time holds well on the surface of the water.

The city will be predominantly built with low-rise buildings powered by solar energy, which will be generated using floating photovoltaic panels and solar panels on rooftops. Busan's summers are hot and muggy, so building roofs will be as large as possible to shade indoor spaces, reduce cooling costs, and expand solar panel area at the same time. Houses will be no higher than seven floors - this will help the city stay on the water, not depending on the wind and rough seas. If at the initial stage the city is designed to accommodate 12,000 inhabitants, then in the future, according to the developers, it can be expanded to accommodate more than 100,000 people. Residents will have to eat mainly plant foods - this will reduce the burden on energy and water resources.

The construction cost is estimated at 200 million dollars, and well-known architectural firms, such as Bjarke Ingels' BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, are involved in the project.

OCEANIX Busan is to be the city's pilot project for the people who now live in coastal areas threatened by rising sea levels. Designers and scientists intend to develop universal modules, from which, like cubes, it will be possible to quickly assemble cities in distressed areas.

According to the latest data, due to the warming of the oceans and the melting of ice, sea levels are rising by 3.2 mm annually.