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Multi-family seastead design
Sun, 08/31/2008 - 07:54 — vincecate
I have not really investigated multi-family seastead designs because I think we should start with smaller single family designs. But I was updating my models page and added a potential future multi-family design to test.
The idea is to make a square of pipes that is large enough diameter that it floats well. This square would be large, maybe 100 to 300 feet on a side. In each corner we can have a pipe going up to a single family house. The motion would be like that of a raft the same width, very reasonable.
I think this would be lower cost than many of the larger possible designs.
Could start out with only one house on one corner and add the others later.
Four separate structures
Four separate structures seems like it would be more expensive than a single one, four times bigger. I guess the extra privacy could be worth it though.
Won´t there be a lot of torsion on the pipe structure if there are no spokes going to a center hub, as in your other tension circles?
Four small houses vs one big building
Yes, the pipe needs to handle some loads. Since this is for 4 families it can be bigger and stronger pipe though. Might still want some cables going across the square to brace it. Also, the houses might be on 3 supports: 1 at the corner and 2 others on the two sides and a bit back from the corner. And you could have diagonals between these. Not sure how easy all the engineering works out.
Personally I like having some space between me and my neighbors. I don't want to live in an apartment building. I think the majority of people with enough money that they can choose pick stand alone buildings. So it is interesting to see a potential design that can both take advantage of the fact that it is easier for big things to deal with ocean waves, and still give people single family homes.
Another point is that making 4 houses might make it easier to use mass production methods. And some day if we are making these out in the ocean, making 4 small things might be easier than one large thing.
People would be able to walk through the pipes in the "big floating square" to get from one house to another. I can imagine a sign, "please keep bulk-head doors closed when not in use".
Anyway, it is a new idea that seems interesting. Not yet sure it will stay interesting...
I think you´r right about
I think you´r right about the distance to neighbors. That is worth quite a deal. And the production of smaller units too, that should be easier and cheaper in a lot of ways.
I question the pipe though. A circular profile pipe has the potential to be quite light on the surface of the water. And even if you weigh it down it probably has quite high drag. I think this needs to go up and down through the water easily in order to negotiate waves in a calm fashion and to lessen the continous stresses on the whole structure. A more oval, egg shaped profile might be needed. Or perhaps just a narrow rectangular cross section will do the trick.
multi-family circle
If the pipe is only like 8 feet diameter, the waves will be able to go over it when needed. You can see this sort of thing in my tension circle videos. But as someone pointed out (maybe you) the wall type tension circle might be less sensitive to waves than the pipe style.
A big circle structure would take the waves better than a big square. And depending on the size of the circle and the spacing between houses you could have different numbers of houses, not just 4. But I have never seen really large curved steel pipe. So probably you need to do 8 or more sided thing and not really a circle. Maybe 8 sides with a house at each corner. Or forget the pipe and go with a custom wall made out of steel. Pipe has the advantage that you can buy big pipes already made and it is also easy to model. Still seems interesting either way.
Can you really buy 8 foot
Can you really buy 8 foot diameter pipes off the shelf? Sounds like like a custom job to me.
An other issue is redundancy against punctures. You probably need to make compartments so the whole thing won´t sink due to a single hole.
Anyway my money is on the higher, thinner, wall type breakwater.
Maybe you could build a cage out of stainless rebar nets and fill it with some kind of flotation materials. Styrofoam, PET bottles, etc.
Multifamliy seasteads - pretty pictures
Here is some pictures that Vacquelin Connor put together for me.
http://wiki.seasteading.org/index.php/User:Vincecate/Multifamily