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ENBE Final Project- Better Future

Town Report

Lee Ning

0320125

FNBE August

Ms. Ida Mazlan

Mirage A Floating Town

Content

1. Introduction 1

2. Investigation of town 2-5

3. Investigation and data collection of an

ancient floating town 6-11

4. Investigation and data collection of a

present floating town 12-19

5. Investigation and data collection of a

future floating town 20-22

6. Description of Town Mirage 23-32

7. Conclusion 33

8. References 34

Introduction

This is report of my final project for Elements of Natural & Built

Environment (ENBE). The title of this project is “Better Town of Future”.

In this project, we have to pretend that we are the mayor of the town and

plan for the town. We are to propose a better future town with different

themes for each group. Our group has chosen “A Floating on Water

Town” as the theme of our town.

We are required to consider the geometrical shape, form, pattern,

hierarchy, system and structure of our town. Besides that, our town

should include the transportation, networking, infrastructure, utilities,

services and amenities. We also have to consider the zoning of the town.

For this project, we have to study the ancient, present and future town

which are related to our theme in order to create a better future floating

town.

Investigation of

Town

Definition of town

Town is an urban with a name, defined boundaries, and local government

that is larger than a village and generally smaller than a city.

Usually, the size of a town is about 20 to 40k𝑚2 and its population is

between 150,000 to 300,000.

History brief of town

The word town shares an origin with the German word Zaun, the Dutch

word tuin, and the Old Norse tun. The German word Zaun comes closest

to the original meaning of the word: a fence of any material. An early

borrowing from Celtic *dunom (cf. Old Irish dun, Welsh din "fortress,

fortified place, camp," dinas "city;"

In English and Dutch, the meaning of the word took on the sense of the

space which these fences enclosed. In England, a town was a small city

that could not afford or was not allowed to build walls or other larger

fortifications, and built a palisade or stockade instead. In the Netherlands,

this space was a garden, more specifically those of the wealthy, which

had a high fence or a wall around them (like the garden of palace Het Loo

in Apeldoorn, which was the example for the privy garden of William

and Mary at Hampton Court). In Old Norse tun means a (grassy) place

between farmhouses, and is still used in a similar meaning in modern

Norwegian.

In Old English and Early and Middle Scots, the word ton, toun, etc. could

refer to kinds of settlements as diverse as agricultural estates and holdings,

partly picking up the Norse sense (as in the Scots word fermtoun) at one

end of the scale, to fortified municipality at the other. If there was any

distinction between toun (fortified municipality) and burgh (unfortified

municipality) as claimed by some[who?], it did not last in practice as

burghs and touns developed. For example "Edina Burgh" or "Edinburgh"

(called a city today) was built around a fort and eventually came to have a

defensive wall.

What makes a town?

A town should include government buildings, business area, commercial

area, residential areas, education areas, religious and culture area, medical

centre, services area, industrial area, recreational area, community area,

port and shipping area, agriculture area, forest and green area and also

tourism.

What makes a better town?

Safety and security environment

Green and clean environment

Well power, water and food distribution

Well facilities of town

Well transportation and networking

Well organization and system of government

Balance economy

Education opportunities

Medical resources

Appropriate population

Gathering area

Description of future town

Due to the drastic development of technology, the future town will be

more concentrate to the environmental issues. Therefore, I boldly

assumed that the concept of the future town will be the renewable energy.

This is because the resources on the earth will be used up one day, so we

have to explore the other ways to obtain energy. Examples of the

renewable energy are solar energy, wind power, hydroelectric power and

biomass.

Besides the power supply, the transportation of a future town will also

use the green vehicles. For example, bicycle, MRT as the public transport

and also solar car. This is to make a clean environment and a zero

pollution town.

Investigation

and

Collecting

Data of Town

Ancient town-

Wuzhen, China

Plan view of Wuzhen, China

Description of Wuzhen, China

Located in the centre of six ancient towns south of the Yangtze River in

China, Wuzhen (Black Town) is a scenic town full of canals navigated by

water taxis reminiscent of those in Venice. Known as Wuzhen Water

Town, the historic town is said to have been populated for at least 7,000

years and bears ancient stone bridges and wooden carvings. It lies within

the triangle formed by Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai. Covering an

area of 71.19 km2, Wuzhen has a total population of 60,000, of which

12,000 are permanent residents

History of Wuzhen, China

Among all the beautiful water towns south of the Yangtze River, Wuzhen

has become especially noted for its history and culture. Original ancient

town scenery like bridges, waterways and houses are well-preserved.

According to historical records, Xinchun Village in the East Village

district of Wuzhen has relics from the Neolithic Period, belonging to the

Majiabin civilization, 7000 years ago. Here you can find a legacy from

Warring States Period (475-221 BC) and hear stories of the Taiping

Heavenly Kingdom (1851-1864). 161 first-degree scholars and 64

imperial scholars came from this town from the Song Dynasty (960-1279)

to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Many famous officials and intellectuals

built their villas here.

What makes this town significant?

Bridge in bridge

This twin bridge was created by two ancient bridges, one of which is

Tongji Bridge crossing the river from east to west and the other is called

Renji Bridge running from south to north and joining the former at one

end. Either of two bridges can be seen through the arch of the other,

hence the name. Having been rebuilt five times, Tongji Bridge is a 28.4-

meter-long (93.1ft) and 3.5-meters-wide (11.4ft) one-curvature arch

bridge, with a span of 11.8 meters (38.7ft). Renji Bridge, which has also

experienced historical repairs, has a length of 22.6 meters (74.1ft), a

width of 2.8 meters (9.2ft) and a span of 8.5 meters (27.9ft).

Concept of buildings in Wuzhen, China

As its name ("Black Town") suggests, most decorated archways in

Wuzhen are black. There is an "East Village (dong zha)" and a "West

Village (xi zha)" in Wuzhen. East Village is mainly for tourism. However,

in order not to make it too commercialized, all the houses except for

several spots beside the roads are closed. West Village is a district mainly

for tourist accommodation. There are all kinds of inns and hotels here.

West Village is best seen at night. It is said that the lighting here is

wonderful.

Most of the buildings were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties

(1368-1912). Wuzhen Water Town has been listed by UNESCO into the

reserve list of world cultural heritages.

How the buildings were built?

Some of the houses beside the river were built on pillars to lift them

above the surface of the waterway. Wooden or stone pillars are fixed into

the waterway bed, crossbeams are fixed to the pillars, and wooden boards

are fixed on to form floors. This architectural feature is called a “water

pavilion”. This is part of the original architecture of Wuzhen. The water

pavilion is really “on the waterway”. There are often windows on the

three sides of this feature, facing the waterway, through which people can

have a wonderful view of the watery scenery.

Conclusion

Over the past thousand years, Wuzhen has not changed its name, water

system or way of life and the entire town is one of China’s most

important cultural relics. This means that Wuzhen, a town has been

started from 7000 years ago has very sustainable buildings. This also

prove that an art work never go behind the times.

What information on element from this town can be used

in future town?

High sustainability of buildings

A well transporting and networking system of town

Landmark or significant buildings in a town

Remain of culture and religious in a town

Present Town-

Lindau, Germany

Lindau is a Bavarian major town and an island on the eastern side

of Lake Constance, the freshwater lake called Bodensee in German. It is

the capital of the Landkreis or rural district of Lindau, very closely

situated near Austria (Vorarlberg) and Switzerland(Ostschweiz). Lindau

is part of Bavarian Swabia. The Coat of Arms of Lindau town is a Lime

tree. The historic town of Lindau is located on an 0.68-square-kilometre

(0.26 sq mi) island, which is connected with the mainland by a road-

traffic bridge and a railway dam leading to Lindau station.The total area

of this town is 33.18 𝑘𝑚2and the population is about 25,000.

History of Lindau, Germany

The name Lindau was first mentioned by a monk from St. Gallen in a

document of 882, stating that Adalbert, count of Raetia, had founded a

nunnery on the island. However remains of an early Roman settlement

dating back to the 1st century have been found in the district of Aeschach.

In 1180 the St. Stephan's church was founded. In 1224 the Franciscans

founded a monastery on the island. In 1274/75 Lindau became an

Imperial Free City under King Rudolph I. The terminology 'city' here

means German Große Kreisstadt, which is an exception due to Lindau's

rather small population of c. 24454 only. In 1430, about 15 of Lindau's

Jews were burned at the stake after being accused of murdering a

Christian child.[2][3] In 1528, Lindau accepted the Protestant

Reformation. Lindau first followed the Tetrapolitan Confession, and then

the Augsburg Confession. After the Thirty Years' War, in 1655 the first

Lindauer Kinderfest (children's festival) was held in memory of the war

time.

After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Lindau lost its status as

an Imperial Free City in 1802. The city went to Karl August von

Bretzenheim who gave Lindau and monastery to the Kingdom of Austria

in 1804. In 1805 Austria returned Lindau to Bavaria.

In 1853 a dam was built to connect the railway from Munich to the island.

In 1856 a new harbour was built, with its characteristic landmark, the lion

sculpture, together with Bavaria's only lighthouse.

In 1922 the independent districts of Aeschach, Hoyren and Reutin

merged with the district. After World War II, Lindau fell under French

administration and went firstly to Württemberg-Hohenzollern and then to

the State of Baden-Württemberg. In 1955, Lindau returned to Bavaria.

Lindau is located near the meeting point of the Austrian, German and

Swiss borders. It nestles on the lake in front of Austria's Pfänder

mountain. Lindau is popular with sightseers and holidaymakers for its

medieval town centre and pleasant location on Lake Constance. Since

1951, the Nobel Laureate Meetings at Lindau[4] attracts many Nobel

prize winners to Lindau every year. A congress of medical physics is also

held yearly.

What makes this town significant?

Harbour entrance and Bavarian Lion sculpture (Island of

Lindau)

Lindau's landmark is the world-famous harbour entrance with the New Lighthouse and the Bavarian lion. The 33-metre high New Lighthouse

was completed in 1856. At that time the harbour was enlarged during the course of the opening of the Bavarian railways' north-south line. It is

connected to the island by a breakwater and can be climbed up a wooden spiral staircase with a total of 139 steps. Visitors arriving at the top are

rewarded with a breathtakingly stunning panorama of the town, lake and mountains. Opposite stands the Old Lighthouse – the Mangturm. Part of

the former town fortifications, it marked the end point of the town wall and was built in around 1200 as a lighthouse. It is pretty, colourful roof

dates from the 19th century.

Church of St. Peter (War Memorial Church)

The ancient Peterskirche is the oldest church in the entire Bodensee

region - an area that does not suffer from a shortage of old churches and

dates back to about 1000 AD. The Romanesque architecture of the

building is exquisitely stark, and the interior is a haven of tranquillity.

One of the interior walls features the only known fresco by Hans Holbein

the Elder dating from the 15th century.

Peterskirche has been used as a war memorial since 1928, and there are

simple but moving memorials to war casualties from a number of armed

conflicts

Utility of Lindau, Germany

Lindau's local utility provider is called Stadtwerke Lindau. The business

includes electricity, water, telecommunications, public baths, and other

products. The provider tries to improve in all branches, particular also to

integrate and deploy green-energy amongst homes, but also by buying

renewables only.

Economy of Lindau, Germany

In former times an important trading route from Nuremberg to Italy

passed through Lindau; the lake fishery has also played a big role in the

economy of the city. In the 19th century Lindau was an important

location for textile industries. Nowadays Lindau has a well-established

industrial and touristic economy, including Restaurants, Hotels and

B&B's. For families it is also popular to stay at a Ferienwohnung

(Holiday apartment), which you find everywhere in the area. Lindau has a

very low unemployment rate, likely due to the economy mix and good

trade near the Rhine-Valley. Today, there are a lot of small amongst some

industrial companies.

Property, redevelopment and other major projects across

town in Lindau, Germany New train station

Train electrification project for tracks to Munich (connecting

Munich and Zurich

Lindau Inselhalle

Multi-storey car park

It is worth to mention that Lindau is currently planning several major

redevelopment projects across. The vast amount of projects can be

followed through local news sources spotting construction site signs. The

following is a list of objects that are in focus of redevelopment. Some of

the items like the new train station is in planning since decades. All dates

and planning should be frequently looked up in news source due to high

amount of changes that projects face with costs, construction issues a

stakeholders.

Transportation in Lindau, Germany

Railway

Lindau has a main station (for the next years still on the Island,

reactivating of the old one on Reutin's mainland is planned) the Lindauer

Hbf (short for Hauptbahnhof), with trains usually from/to Friedrichshafen,

Munich, Ulm and Augsburg direction or Bregenz with OBB, Austria and

further like Zurich by SBB.

Bus - - Stadtbus Lindau

Lindau's bus system is called Stadtbus Lindau, which departs

conveniently from all station every 30 Minutes and runs until 22.30 daily,

with special exceptions at events. The bus system is a very helpful way of

getting around town for people of all ages, provided by the Lindauer

Stadtwerke, which is the main local utility provider.

Beside that the RBA and the Zweiländer-line of Austrias "Landbus

Unterland" offer their services. Recently long-distance coaches have

started running lines to further away German cities an being an

alternative to the Railway by Deutsche Bahn.

Road

Lindau is connected to the Autobahn A96 (E43). Main roads (German

Bundesstraße) include B31 and B12. The A96 will merge into the

Austrian Autobahn A14 starting right after the boarding with the c. 7 km

long Pfändertunnel. The tunnel has been under reconstruction and

expansion into a 2-pipe system (opened in 2013) for a total of 4 lanes in

the last years to compensate for traffic going North and South.

Conclusion

Lindau is a present town from past centuries which is under

redevelopment due to the change of the world. However these changes

are to make Lindau a better town.

What information on element from this town can be used

in future town?

Variety of transport systems

Balance of economy

Redevelopment of town

Utility of town

Landmarks in town

Future Town-

Lilypad

Why should we have this kind of town?

According to the GIEC (Intergovernmental group on the evolution of the

climate), the ocean level should rise from 20 to 90 cm during the 21st

Century with a status quo by 50 cm (versus 10 cm in the 20th Century).

To solve this problem, architect Vincent Callebaut came up with this

eco-textural marvel, Lilypad that could serve as a luxurious future retreat

for 50,000 inhabitants seeking refuge from rising waters due to global

warming. He believes the world will be desperately seeking shelter from

the devastations of climate change, and hopes the auto-sufficient

amphibious city will serve as a luxurious solution.

Side Elevation of Lilypad

Cross-sectional view of town

Design Concept

Lilypad is a floating on water town. The whole structure is covered in

green walls and roofs, the top portion covered in grasses with the inner

portion featuring a palm oasis, and the under portion serving as a bed for

natural sea planktons and oceanic plant. The floating city concept is

designed to be constantly in motion along with the water currents, though

remaining closer to the sea coast

Lilypad is a design inspired by biomimicry, which was designed to look

like a waterlily, is intended to be a zero emission city afloat in the ocean.

Through a number of technologies (solar, wind, tidal, biomass), it is

envisioned that the project would be able to not only produce it’s own

energy, but be able to process CO2 in the atmosphere and absorb it into

its titanium dioxide skin.

The constructional particulars of the Lilipad floating metropolis add to its

uniqueness. The architect has designed the drifting Lilypad Floating City

metropolis in such a way that the petals of the lily will provide housing

and other amenities to the people. The support structure for the drifting

city will be through its centre, designed as a Laguna and which will

provide the city’s fuel and energy requirements.

Conclusion

The Lilypad floating city still remains a future prospect at present.

However if the present climatic and weather trends are taken into account,

it is quite possible that the Lilypad metropolis will soon the light of the

day. Though it may not be what the world wants or desires, the threat of

global warming has forced mankind to come up with solutions like that of

the floating city concept.

What information on element from this town can be used

in future town?

Modernisation of the town

Case Study on a

Floating Town-

Town Mirage My town is a town on an island which seems floating on

water.

Location: Malaysia

Size: 33𝑘𝑚2 Population: 70,000-100,000

Advantages of a town on island Water provide a source of food and transportation

Beautiful scene

Remote apart from outside world

Natural water barrier protection

Fertile soil

Disadvantage of a town on island

Transportation to contact with outside world

Irregular climate

Limited population

Higher expenses due to import items from other places

Lack of working opportunities

Why is an island?

The reasons that I chose island to be my town is the beautiful scene of beaches and the water. For example, I can use water for transporting

system to contact with the outside world. Besides that, since water is a renewable energy, I can use the tide to generate energy. Last but not least,

I can get the water resource just everywhere, as I may purify the sea water to become drinkable.

Why is it called Mirage? Mirage is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The

word comes to English via the French mirage, from the Latin mirari, meaning "to look at, to wonder at". This is the same root as for "mirror"

and "to admire". So, I named this town as mirage as this is a future town that we are to look and to wonder.

Master plan of Mirage

Zoning of town

Transporting system

MRT(Magnetic-Levitated

Train) system

To provide a quick and efficient

transporting system, I design

the route by using the

combination of circle and secant

system.

Road system

To provide a conveiniency for

people to go out with own

transport or public transport like

taxi and bus.

Cycling path beside road

Provide a safety route for bicycle.

Vehicles

MRT Solar Bus

Solar Car Bicycle

Boat

Landmark & Tourism in my town

Statue of Justice

At the centre of the town

In front of the court

Highest statue in the town

Reserve Forest

Jungle trekking & jungle activities for

tourist

Eco- tourism

Stadium

A place to held some special event

and attract tourist

Power supply

Solar house

Hydroelectric energy

Water supply

Sea water purification system

3D view of town Mirage

Conclusion

By doing this project, I realized that the main purpose to plan a town is

put the suitable facilities or buildings in a right area. So, the zoning area

of a town is very important. It related every single thing in the town, for

instance, the transportation, the convenience for people to approach the

place and the aim for that area.

From the research of the ancient, present and future town, I saw the

wisdom of our ascendants and the modernisation of our generation. In the

research of ancient town, I saw how people tried to create a town by

using their cultures and techniques. While from the future town, I saw

how people are trying to survive and be seasoned with the environment.

In the conclusion, we have to earn the experiences of our ascendants and

innovate the ideas to this modern world.

Reference

http://www.gonomad.com/destinations-xxx/2096-the-water-town-of-

wuzhen-the-venice-of-china

http://www.wuzhen.com.cn/english/index.asp

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/zhejiang/hangzhou/wuzhen.h

tm

http://en.lindau-tourismus.de/holiday-themes/places-to-see-and-

tours/historical-buildings.html

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Germany/Bavaria/Lindau-

41493/TravelGuide-Lindau.html

http://www.beautifullife.info/urban-design/lilypad/

http://www.marineinsight.com/marine/marine-news/headline/the-lilipad-

floating-city-concept-amazing-alternate-ecosystem/

http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/the-future-floating-city-lilypad/

http://hugeuniverse.ethereal.org/?p=108

http://inhabitat.com/lilypad-floating-cities-in-the-age-of-global-warming/