Imagine what life would be like floating around the world on a giant island capable of holding 50,000 people and completely sustaining itself. Well, welcome to "Lilypad City."
Designed like a lily pad, the innovation by award-winning Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut could be used as a permanent refuge for those whose homes have been covered by water in the future, London's Daily Mail reported.
"I think trying to accommodate the millions of people left homeless by environmental changes will prove to be one of the great challenges of the 21st century," he told the Daily Mail. "Some countries spend billions of pounds working on making their beaches and dams bigger and stronger. But the Lilypad project is actually a long-term solution to the problem of the water rising. The goal is to create a harmonious coexistence of humans and nature."
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A lake in the middle of the island will collect and then purify rain water, while power will be provided through a series of renewable energy sources including thermal, solar, wind energy, hydraulic and a tidal power station, the Mail reported.
It will produce more energy than it consumes and would be considered "zero-emission" because all the carbon dioxide and waste will be recycled, according to the Mail report.
"It's an amphibious city without any roads or any cars," Callebaut said.
The island, covered in plants housed in suspended gardens, will have three cities and three mountains.
• Click here to read more on this story from the Daily Mail.
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