Creating islands

Historically some large boats have been made in three sections floated into place and then joined while afloat. One approach would therefore be to build sub assemblies on land and float them into clusters joining them up.

In the construction trade large buildings have been made using preformed Ferrocement sections, with rods etc still sticking out, put into place and joined up making solid structures. It therefore follows that the same could be done with an island, small sections made and floated, joined up, and built on up in stages from the solid base, each level and  part of the structure adding to the overall strength.

A multiple stage approach could also be used, start with units, float to clusters, join up and build up, but forming a unit rather than a whole that can be taken to the final location and then joined up, possibly with further structure added on site. Eventually by this method there is no maximum size that could be built. Built from individual units each in their own right water tight, the island is unsinkable.

Making islands mid ocean

It is also possible to manufacture an island in the middle of the ocean, using a machine, that is able to make a section and then move, making the next section etc. This could either be in the form or a rectangle where each new strip is laid in stages down the sides.  A number of machines could be used, working in steps. These machines would have the ability using chambers that could be flooded to move along, forming in effect dry dock sections to work within. 

Another approach is to use a far larger machine that can lay the full width of the island and in some ways this is attractive as the island could be formed by just rolling it out, using a very slow conveyer, more like tank tracks.  As work on higher levels would always be further advances on the earlier sections towards the front, the front end weight would make it float front down, balanced with water tanks removing the need for the island machine to build at below water level.

A third approach is a spiral laying method using any number of machines, starting with either a circle or oval, a spiral is formed at a matching speed to the building going up from the center. In some ways the machinery is simpler and the effect would be to build a structure funnel or saucer shaped adjusting the ballast in the center. The advantages are that the section you are building is out of the ocean, and the operation is continuous where a strip laying machine has to stop and move back. Some suggest that getting this right would produce a stronger and more stable unit.

There are as you might expect other ideas as well. The key requirements are to be able to build the first level, without having to do it in the water, or to build it on or in another craft. In addition to this there is a need to make sure that we do not pollute the ocean so we cannot set up frameworks and just stray large amount of concrete at them.

Pneumatic platforms

In this section we have not mentioned so far pneumatic platforms, which can be made in small sections and joined up. You will find a separate section on pneumatics within this web site and also sections on its application including the VLFS (very large floating structures) and its parent page looking at airport developments. Pneumatics use large tubes or pipes, that are open at the bottom and sealed at the top, so the platform or island sits on an air sandwich trapped under it.

Islands of any size can be made by towing sections into place, or by manufacturing sections to lower into the ocean and expand the island. 

Complete manufacture in the ocean.

One design uses an oval manufacturing island with a rail system and carriages to build on, the carriages move around the island in some cases through construction frames or buildings, for various stages of manufacturing and concrete curing before reaching a lowerable section. The same type of system could be used to make tank systems as sun assemblies to make larger islands with a sealed tank base.

Making mobile islands

A powered island is only really an island with an engine, however it is slightly more complex in that it needs to be able to withstand weather without a protective wall, and needs to have minimum drag and to be steerable.

Clearly it could be constructed either in sections or mid ocean, but another idea being considered would be to look at it as a combination of existing craft. Conceptually if you looked at having two large oil tankers and placing between them a cruise ship, and bolting it all together and Ferrocementing the result into a single structure, with a bit of strengthening and outer doors across the back joining the two tankers, you could have a large mobile platform, with a safe harbor within it. Now suppose you were to use older ships, that were to be scrapped or laid up, and used more of them, many with their engines and guts removed, and that this formed the base on which to build a Ferrocement Mobile island. Under the water you have a multi hull form able to move through the water, above any shape you like, with a runway on the top if you want.

The VLFS page shows another approach and their is more discussion on the airport page. The mobile island could be a pneumatic island constructed as a smaller version of the airport. There are many other options still to be considered.

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Last updated: October 09, 2002.