21st-Century Ziggurat Could House 1 Million People -a Sustainable City of the Future

To archaeologists and those who like their history, a ziggurat is a terraced pyramid (image), native to the ancient Mesopotamian valley and Iran. Used as shrines and for escaping from rising flood waters, the ziggurats have revealed much about the culture surrounding their construction.

However, the ziggurat is about to enter the common vernacular, hopefully, as something a little more modern.

Under the watchful eye of Dubai-based Timelinks, an environmental design company, a new project entitled Ziggurat is being proposed as a sustainable city of the future. Able to hold up to a million people, but taking up only 2.3 square kilometers – a tenth of the original land needed for such a group of people – the designers believe that the power of nature will support the Ziggurat.

“Ziggurat communities can be almost totally self-sufficient energy-wise,” said Ridas Matonis, Managing Director of Timelinks. “Apart from using steam power in the building we will also employ wind turbine technology to harness natural energy resources.”

The concept also provides for a better quality of life for people within the habitat. Transport would be Star Trek-like, with an integrated 360 degree network of lifts, moving both horizontally and vertically. This would not only make travelling easier, but make the need for cars non-existent.

“As a general reaction the Ziggurat Project is viable from a technical point of view,” said Martijn Kramer, managing director of The International Institute for the Urban Environment. “However reflecting from a more sustainable holistic approach we do wonder if the food supply and waste system are taken care for, as the concept seems rather based upon carbon neutrality and energy saving.”

Another question that Kramer brings to mind is whether people would be willing to live in such an environment.

Regardless of the future implementation of such a design, the idea is phenomenal, and is definitely something worth keeping your eyes on.

Posted by Josh Hill.

Source:
http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10224

Comments

[marianthi]

Let´s have these as pilot projects, of a smaller size, first :say, for 3.000 people. The socio-cultural and psychological factors will emerge there nicely...

[EvilCosmicMonkey from Knoxville]

It looks like the Arcosanti project envisioned by Paolo Soleri. Arcosanti was supposed to have its own ecology. Very much like a space colony.

A project like this should start out small, indeed.
What would happen if the power went out ? I'm assuming that Ziggurat would have back - up generators, or better yet, solar power as a back - up. In a big project like this, a weak link can be potentially hazardous.