It's London but not as we know it. These artist's impressions of future Londons are the winners of a competition launched by estate agent Cluttons and Estate Gazette. Will the metropolis of tomorrow be a land of aquacities, sky gardens and huge alien-looking domes?
Here's a pick of the winners, with an explanation from the architects about what they've tried to achieved.
Neil Worrall: AquaCities (overall winner)
“The 'AquaCities' would be located in international waters (territorial waters are waters extending up to 12 nautical miles from a coastal state). A core principle being that standards of living and technology should be consistent and not simply governed by the availability of finance in the nearest territory.”
“[It] would be built on a series of interconnecting plates, which can be easily extended and added to as required. As 3D printing develops, it may be possible in the future to build and fit these plates on site. The plates would be built on a hydraulic jack system which would underpin each plate so that they could move up and down dependent on sea levels with specific consideration for the expected rise in sea levels due to global warming.”
Grey Lacey: Sky Garden City
“My thoughts originally gathered from a childhood PlayStation game, Residential Evil, where an underground ‘Hive’ was envisaged for a future population. The desired effect is to create an inverted pyramid, which would be interconnected to major elements of the existing city. I would want to effectively create new centres of employment, restaurants, leisure and education facilities into the ground, turning cities on their head.”
“This is a similar concept to the ‘earth-scraper’ design of Esteban Suarez who has planned an underground centre in Mexico City. I believe we can further step on the idea by interconnecting the ‘earth scraper’ to the likes of the London Underground or the Paris Metro for example to other connecting underground centres. My idea for this came from my hometown, Liverpool, and the famous St John’s Beacon Tower."
Nicholas Socrates: The Dome
“A great domes construction of vast, interconnected mega-structures: a city above the city, a city in the sky. The Dome would provide mixed-use city infrastructure, able to exist above any city, with offices, living and retail spaces. Inspired by the harmonious, closely integrated communal living of bees, the Done comprises hexagonal structures which allow for a column-free, curved formation enabling the building to span further distances. This curving provides a natural, flowing counterbalance to the Dome’s geometric, hexagonal structures.”
Laurie Chetwood: Green London
Laurie Chetwood’s Green London entry looked to put the River Thames to use with a stretch of farmland running across the river. This solution looks to tackle the problems faced with London’s food chain in light of an increasing population in the city. The farmland will give space to grow food for citizens and the river will also be used to help with the transportation of food.