Urbanisation and climate change put a lot of pressure on available space for nature in city centres. New initiatives for adding extra park zones to a city are rare. Yet these kind of additional habitats for birds, bees, bats and other small animals could bring a lot of positive green effects to the environment of a city.
Waterstudio has designed a new concept for high density green spots in a city, the sea tree. This sea tree is a floating structure that hold in many layers green habitats for only animals. This structure is not accessible by man. The sea tree is built by offshore technology quite similar to the oil storage towers which can be found on open seas. The idea is that large oil companies donate a sea tree to a city showing their concern for a better city environment by using their own intellectual property. Space for this sea trees can be found on rivers, seas, lakes and even harbours. The height and depth of this sea tree can be adjusted depending on the location. The sea tree moves a bit along with the wind and is moored to the sea bed with a cable system. Under water the sea tree provides a habitat for small water creatures or even when the climate allows it for artificial coral reefs. The beauty of the design is that it provides a solution and at the same time does not cost expensive space on land while the effect of the species living in the sea tree will effect a zone of several miles around the moored location.
For as we know this floating tower will be the first floating object 100% built and designed for flora and fauna.
The Sea Tree is all existing and proven technology. Our Dutch heritage with hundreds of years fighting against the water has provide us with a lot of innovative floating solutions. The oil companies use these floating storage towers already for years we only gave them a new shape and function.
For the green and fauna solutions we have the best institutes and university here in Holland which has provided us with the concepts to use these structures as a catalyst for the growth of flora and fauna habitats.
The Sea Tree provides oil companies another way of executing their positive attitude against the environment. It is a “City App” a floating product that can be added to a city similar to adding an app on your smart phone. The oil company still holds ownership and the city provides a location.
Inspiration came from a project in Holland where ecologists forced us to provide habitats for animals which couldn’t be disturbed by people. Water is of course a perfect way to keep people away. The shape of a floating oil storage structures in Norway brought another inspiration combined with regular shapes of tree with a big crown in top.
The concept idea is that we took park zones in urban areas, we divided this in pieces and put them vertically on top of each other, at the end it became a vertical hangout for wild life!
The cost for the shown Sea Tree design is estimated at 1 million Euro. Depending on waterdepth, mooring facilities and transport from constructionsite to the chozen city. Further cost differences depend on the preferred flora and fauna.
Client: non-disclosed
Realization: 2019
Expertise: Architecture
