Friday, July 20, 2012

A City That Never Was...!

Since this is travel Friday, I thought we would go some place in our minds only.

That is necessary because this place was never built. It should have been but sadly, it wasn't! I, for one, would love to live in a place like this!

Straight from the good folks at Listverse, here's one to think about!

Triton City


Buckminster Fuller was a brilliant visionary, scientist, environmentalist, and philosopher who, in the 1960s, developed a bold design. It was dubbed Triton City and was intended to be a floating utopia for up to 5,000 residents. His giant, floating city was designed to encourage people to share resources and conserve energy.

Fuller was initially commissioned by a wealthy Japanese patron to design a floating city for Tokyo Bay. He died in 1966, but astoundingly enough, the United States Department of Urban Development commissioned Fuller for further design and analysis. His designs called for the city to: be resistant to tsunamis, provide the most possible outside living, desalinate the very water that it would float in for consumption, give privacy to each residence, and incorporate a tetrahedronal shape which provides the most surface area with the least amount of volume. Everything from education to entertainment to recreation would be a part of the city. Fuller also claimed that the low operating costs would result in a high standard of living.

HUD eventually sent the plans to the U.S. Navy where they were dissected and analyzed even further. The city of Baltimore, upon hearing of the project, became interested and petitioned to have Triton City moored off of its shores in Chesapeake Bay. However, as municipal and federal administrations changed, the project languished and was never brought to light. Today, there are derivatives of Triton City, such as the artificial island Kansai and its airport in Osaka, Japan, but they pale in comparison to the scope of Triton City.


What an imagination it took to envision such a place! Too bad that some of old visions can't be brought to bear in this age of the commonplace!

Coffee on the patio this morning. Already hot, but it's gonna get worse!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Even though I most likely would hate to live there, I need the space I have here by the bog too much :-) , I do think this is a great idea!

I wouldn't be surprised if anyone realized this idea in a not too far future, some countries are just too crowded now days.

Have a great day!
Christer.

HermitJim said...

Hey Christer...
I can see that with the pups, you would need the area where you live.

It is a great idea for a person who is ready for a cleaner, greener alternative to the modern city!

Hey, thanks for coming by today!

The Griper said...

we have places like that right now. they are called air craft carriers.

the big problem i see with places like that is the fact that it would have to have a military style of living so as to maintain the order that a place like that would demand.

HermitJim said...

Hey Griper...
Certainly folks would have to work together in an orderly fashion, but it might be worth it.

Brilliant idea, though, don't you think?

Thanks for coming over today!

Anonymous said...

That is very cool, the very little I know of Mr. Fuller was the invention of the geodesic dome. He certainly was a person who 'thought outside the box' and had a very creative mind. I don't know of anyone at the present time who has those abilities, probably (hopefully!) somewhere out there.

I wouldn't mind having an outside apartment but would hate having an interior unit. I see the 'light tunnels' on the sides, but I'm not sure if that is enough. I haven't looked into the whole concept though - its probably been addressed.

Thanks HermitJim - you have a great weekend.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

HJ, the concept is a good one for green living and less waste and reuse or items in short supply, like fresh water. Personally, living on he water would not be for me as I am not even interested in living on a house boat. But, maybe some day . . .

Sixbears said...

It's the sort of place I'd like to vist and maybe do business with -by sailboat. I like living away from too many people.

Momlady said...

Had the pleasure of meeting Bucky and he was a very interesting person. His architectural visions were astounding to say the least.

linda m said...

I vaguely remember that Triton City. Wouldn't want to live there. Maybe a visit would be nice, but I prefer dry land.

linda m said...

I vaguely remember that Triton City. Wouldn't want to live there. Maybe a visit would be nice, but I prefer dry land.

JO said...

The man had a great mind for sure.
Even though I love water and being near it I sure wouldn't want to live on that. Would to me be very confining.

JO said...

To quick for my own good this morning.

Would love to sit on the patio and have more coffee.

Dizzy-Dick said...

Yep, they have come up with lots of unusual designs over the years. I like the one in a converted missile silo. Maybe I could make a post on that one.

HermitJim said...

Hey Anon 5:57...
The biggest drawback I can see to the whole thing, is the lack of gardening spots!

Like you say, without knowing the whole concept it's hard to know what they addressed!

I sure do appreciate you coming by today!


Hey Beatrice...
I would think that for someone living in a rural area, moving onto a place like this would be a disaster.

I always thought that living on a houseboat or a barge would be great! But then, I live in a big city!

Thanks so much for coming by today!


Hey Sixbears...
I certainly understand that! I don't like crowds myself!

Besides, from what I've seen, your place is pretty ideal for the Summer...and Florida is great for the Winter! Best of both worlds!

Thanks, my friend, for coming by today!


Hey Momlady...
Wow! You got to meet him? How cool is that?

Very future oriented individual, I think!

Thanks for dropping by this morning!


Hey Linda...
Many folks don't like the idea of living on the water!

Still, it is quite a concept!

Thanks for dropping in, my friend!


Hey JoJo...
Yeah, having 5,000 neighbors close by might be a little too much! Better off with the R.V.!

Looking forward to the pictures of the new one!

Thanks, sweetie, for coming by today!


Hey Dizzy...
I sorta like that idea myself!

One thing about it, wouldn't have to worry about the noise from the neighbors!

Thanks, buddy, for coming over today!