Challenge: An Overpopulated Island with a Growing Economy. (Part 1)
The island is running out of space for homes. The government is thinking about building floating homes. Teens at the Young Writers' Club chose different roles to play in this team activity.
A beautiful island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Small but home to a million habitants and a vibrant economy. They are running out of space as the population is growing and the economy is on a growth trajectory. Could floating homes help shift excess people from the island to the water? Could that pave more space for factories or any other heavy duty venture that cannot float in water? The Government believes that floating homes is the answer to these questions and many more.
But what do floating homes entail? What challenges do they come with?
The team of teens playing different roles ranging from Architect, Engineer, Eco-expert, Advertising agent, Real Estate agent and Society Manager, reported the challenges involved and possible solutions. Of course, after a lot of research!
Designing and building such a home
Designing and building a home requires consideration of the weather patterns in the place. Being located somewhere in the Pacific ocean, the climate on the island is humid and hot. The island is also prone to storms. In this case the teens had to consider all of this and beyond. The homes they build will have to float on water.
Being located somewhere in the Pacific ocean, the climate on the island is humid and hot. The island is also prone to storms. In this case the teens had to consider all of this and beyond. The homes they build will have to float on water.
First and foremost, the material used needs to be able to float. The architect on the group suggested concrete hull with foam core for buoyancy. The engineer suggested green concrete or recycled plastic floats. Further, the engineer suggested use FSC wood, reclaimed timber, fiber cement siding for the structure of the boat. For insulation wool, cork or recycled denim.
Both the architect and the engineer drafted very detailed plans. The two of them agreed upon using marine grade materials throughout.
The architect paid attention to details that would make a floating home not only easy to live in but also have all the basic comforts. It is important to add that a lot more care had to be taken since this home needs to float on water!
He visualized the floating home as 1.5 story design with a main floor and a partial loft. He even had found out the right base size for stability with an adjustable ballast to provide stability. Ample provision for stack ventilation for passive cooling. Windows strategically placed for good ventilation. Minimum 1m freeboard above the waterline. The island being prone to storms, the floating homes will have Outriggers for extra stability. The interior details are absolutely amazing but they will not be revealed yet. That’s something the advertising agent and real estate agent would showcase later.
The engineer looked at other structural and physical aspects in addition to the material recommendations that were made earlier. He made provisions for clean energy, for docking, engine requirements should the resident of the floating home want to go somewhere, rain water management, waste management provisions, detachable anchor points for storm security, etc; to name a few. Even more notable in his plans were provisions for green roofs and natural cooling systems. The floating homes are also to have quick release mooring lines and built in tow points for boat assisted movement.
As dreams get built, a dose of reality is needed! Society Manager Speaks Up!
Stability, functionality and comfort of a home are very important. Equally important is a good community. The Society Manager, made a detailed list of challenges and highlighted the most critical ones which definitely would have to be addressed if this whole idea must work in the long run. She brought to light so many important aspects which are so easy to miss. A selected few have been listed below:
Community requirements
Safety and security (gated access, security personnel, CCTV)
Social inclusion and accessibility - how are they going to constantly move to the land and how are they going to access things on land while being on the coast?
Emergency response services
Basic Amenities
Access to clean drinking water
Sanitation and sewage system - how is this going to work?
Parking facilities
Playgrounds and open spaces
Access to nearby land-based facilities (laundry, groceries, etc.)
Maintenance Requirements
Regular garbage collection and disposal
Inspection and upkeep of safety systems (fire extinguishers, alarms)
Pest control measures
Community Requirements (Floating Homes)
Waterway navigation rules & safety
Emergency response access (fire, medical, coast guard)
Environmental regulations compliance
Community communication system
Next week, the eco-expert will be in talks with the engineer, architect and the society manager to ensure these homes meet environment safety standards. Following which the advertising agent will share his ad and the real estate agent will try selling a home to you! :) Stay tuned for part 2.
The teens worked hard on their chosen roles. They were permitted to use AI to enable them to think, raise pertinent questions and use AI to find answers to all their questions in shorter span of time. As a result, they were able to spend more time reading the assimilated information in order to identify relevant information that could pose as a challenge or a potential solution to someone’s challenge/problem. Before using a particular information in their statement of findings, they were asked to double check the source of the information for reliability.
If you enjoyed reading this article and would love to read more about the work that these amazing teens do, please subscribe to our magazine for free.
Once in 3 months, a special edition showcasing some of their exceptional writing is released. Subscribe for free and don’t miss reading a fine piece of writing!
Musings from the Young Writers’ Club is a Talking Circles’ Publication