Introduction

The construction of the floating kingdom involves constructing islands and surrounding walls.

The islands will form a triple spiral coming out from the center. The central strand has a through highway, with road and bridges. The islands either side can be bridged to islands around them including the one with a highway. 

The triple spiral provides 3 routes or channels to the center, one of these is used for inward boat traffic, one for outward, and one we call the processional way, and is both used for special events, and also can be used in short sections as a way around construction or repair work. Bridging units and common interfaces will be over the shipping channels. The boats within these channels will include delivery vehicles, water taxis and water busses. They will be powered by hydrogen engines or be electrically propelled.

The wall units protect the kingdom from the waves, but are also containers, into which housing, services, power generation, storage and a whole range of other items can be constructed. Just inside the walls is one or more circles of islands.

The whole lot is held together, and stopped from moving about within the kingdom by ties between islands and out to the outer walls, forming a large flat disk, with a lot of strength, similar in many ways to a bicycle wheel with spokes.

Generally the height of construction on islands is lower towards the front of the kingdom (facing into the weather) and higher to the rear. Islands will generally start smaller and get larger as they go outwards and technology develops.

Material

The islands and other structures have to be constructed of material that is either permanent or can be repaired where it is, islands once in the spiral will not be able to be economically removed and replaced.

Generally heavy materials will tend to be used lower and lighter materials higher so as to keep down the center of gravity.

Ferrocement will most likely be the main material used to construct most islands. Seacrete is very much the material of the future and may in some cases prove a very attractive alternative. Pods or sub assembled rooms or buildings can either be used to build on or to be a part of the structure.

Pages on the left above and sub pages from them gives a great deal more information. Information under Ferrocement is not repeated in other sections so should be seen first.

Points to remember

Islands can be built within as in a ship, or built on or both.

Some items such as homes require natural light (ie windows), while some items like shopping centers and supermarkets, as well as most entertainments facilities do not. Some combinations are possible where some parts have windows and some do not.

All islands have a common interface for services and pass these through, even islands that may not need the service has to pass it on to others.

The contents inside and on top can be separated as can the structure of an island at any point, therefore islands could have multiple uses, ie services with housing over, housing under and vine for wine growing on the surface, or whatever you chose. The highway on the center strand has to pass through at a common height, however this can go through an island, as generally the surface will want to be used. All vehicles within the kingdom run on electric and hydrogen engines so they produce no exhaust, or pollution.

Access to an island or section of an island can be secured, for example at a set time at night, so security is much better than with land estates.

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Last updated: October 09, 2002.