Floating platforms create ‘land on water’

The modular units could house buildings, wind turbines, and solar panel installations

Spotted: As the world tackles the climate crisis, there will be greater and more diverse demands placed on a vital resource: land. As more land is needed for areas of climate action such as renewable energy, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity restoration, there will be less available for other uses, such as food production. This could lead to what Chatham House calls a ‘land crunch, with the think tank warning that, in one scenario, the deficit between the amount of farmland needed and the amount available could be 573 million hectares – twice the size of India.

Now, however, Italian company SEAform has developed a novel solution: creating ‘land’ on water. The startup, which was spun out of the Polytechnic University of Turin’s Marine Offshore Renewable Energy Lab, produces modular floating platforms that are designed to withstand the marine environment with little maintenance. Several of these concrete units can be connected together and rearranged depending on the desired use case.

SEAform’s platforms remain steady at sea, regardless of ocean depth, thanks to an anchoring system of elasticated mooring lines and an onboard ballast adjustment system. The company also creates floating breakwaters that are anchored to the seafloor and can surround an ‘island’ of platforms to protect it against rough waves.

The company sees its platforms as having potential in the creation of floating housing, sustainable urban development, resilient port infrastructure, and ocean farms. In addition, the units could also enable more flexible, at-sea energy generation, housing floating solar panels or turbines.

Written By: Matilda Cox