East Ocean Spiral: Japan Planning Underwater City

Trending News: Those Crazy Japanese Are Planning To Build An Underwater City

Why Is This Important?

Because humans may be about to create Atlantis.

Long Story Short

Japanese firm Shimizu Corp plans to sink a city into the depths of the ocean that could be ready for human residents by 2030. The futuristic dome city would be powered by generators dug into the seabed.

Long Story

A city under the sea may be the stuff of legends and science fiction at the moment, but Japanese construction company, Shimizu Corp, are taking significant steps to making it a reality.

Japan has always struggled for space, so the idea of an underwater city for 5,000 people called East Ocean Spiral has been proposed. Stunning plans were unveiled in Tokyo this week show the domed structures that will spiral into the depths of the ocean and contain office space, hotel and entertainment facilities.

Shimizu Corp believes that the first of its underwater cities will be ready for residents by 2030 and, if successful, more may follow. It would have a vast floating dome at the surface that could be retracted in bad weather.

The spiral would go down nine miles to the seabed to an ‘earth factory’ that would produce methane from carbon dioxide using micro-organisms. Generators would also create energy thanks to the different temperatures in sea water. Resin will be used instead of concrete and 3D printers will create the components.

An underwater city is sure to capture the imagination, but it won’t come cheap. The cost is estimated at £25.5 billion and there are sure to be some interesting challenges involved.



Own The Conversation

: Would the structure be in danger from an earthquake or a tsunami?

Disrupt Your Feed: Isn't living in the ocean a step back, evolutionarily?

Drop This Fact: This isn’t Shimizu Corp’s first ‘out there’ idea: the company has suggested creating a 250-mile wide belt of solar panels around the Moon to gather energy sent to Earth via lasers or microwaves. (We’re still waiting on that one.)