Underwater Shelter Concept - Make It Resilient 2024

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Underwater Shelter Concept - Make It Resilient 2024

Underwater living is currently only a concept for the future. As of right now, there is no feasible reason to invest in aquatic living, despite having technology to, because of the cost. But this contest sparked an idea that I wanted to present.

It is unlikely that the government will heavily fund aquatic living anytime soon, but according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, if emissions are not dealt with by 2100, experts estimate that the sea level would rise around 7 feet (2.13 meters) and submerge many areas. This leaves many populated areas like Miami and the coasts of New York City to be underwater (Climate Central), displacing hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million worldwide as the population grows to around 10.3 billion then (United Nations website). Both factors will increase the population density and therefore give each person less space to live, which is already a problem.

Floating homes and floating villages such as those in Cambodia and Thailand exist. People who live there have access to shelter, markets, schools, and even religious buildings. It does not look like an average suburban western town, but people there are still living happily. Climate change is also being addressed by a group named Oceanix, and in collaboration with the United Nations, are working towards designing and bringing to life the idea of a sustainable ocean city.

“Oceanix designs and builds floating cities for people to live sustainably on the ocean.” -Oceanix

Eventually, we would need a method to combat this issue collectively, not just a few organizations, and since the area for livable ground is decreasing as the years go by because of climate change, we could definitely expand to living on or in sea. Here, I will present my take at how we could do that: a somewhat autonomous structure with a food source, water, electricity, and as comfortable as it can get with my imagination, very limited knowledge, and the help of the internet.

Supplies

Conceptual Design:

Autodesk Inventor
Internet

Build:

Stainless Steel - Chains, Structural beams to reinforce concrete, Pipes for plumbing (fig1)
C40 High Grade Concrete - Walls, Cover to reinforce beams (fig1)
Acrylic Glass - Windows

Other components:

Reverse Osmosis System - Drinking water, Plumbing (fig2)
GPS - General location
Controls Center - Adjust ballast tanks for balance, control air levels, maintain temperature
Solar Panels - Generate energy
Lead Batteries - Emergency energy (fig3)
Hydroponics - Food
Submarine - Emergency Escape
Vents, Cooling Systems, Insulation, ...

Ideas and Research

Originally, when I thought about the issue with housing and rising sea levels, I had three ideas to approach it. First, raised costal houses. I planned for it, but the idea itself did not excite me. I wanted a challenge, something that would require me to do a lot of research and allow me to be fully creative. My next idea was a submarine, however, it also did not intrigue me because submarines already exist and can stay in the photic zone for up to a couple months at a time. I wanted to do something in the future, or at least is not as popular. That’s when I decided I wanted to experiment with an underwater base.

At first, my original plan was to mount a house to the seabed just off the coast with foundations supporting it, similar to the concept of the restaurant in Ithaca. But I wanted to do something even cooler, so I tried to design a fully underwater and autonomous habitat where you would dive into it and receive some resources from the surface. However, it seemed a little out of reach with the time I had due to how late I discovered the contest. My last idea is similar, except now it would be partially submerged and have access to the surface.

I decided to do an underwater habitat off the coast of my city, New York City. My analysis involved reviewing bathymetry, topography, water conditions, and other geographic maps for places such as Long Beach and Rockaway Beach in New York, along with the shores of New Jersey. I’ve also looked at Gerritsen’s Creek and other areas where it may be a suitable spot to put the habitat. Although it seems like a good place, I was unsure of Gerritsen’s Creek because of its recent restoration project, and I wouldn’t want to interfere with that. I decided to do Coney Island Beach after more research. Coney Island is just so symbolic and may even be one of the first things that New Yorkers think of when people say New York. For me, I have a lot of history and memories at Coney Island and it’s just such an important part of NYC, whether that is the amusement park, the beach, or the stores and broad walk nearby. However, I do not want to disrupt the history and past of it, as it is a place that many New Yorkers love and call authentic/least gentrified. However, it is important that the designed habitat is for the future and should also be somewhat mobile.

Planning and More Research

After two or three weeks of planning, thought, and research total, I decided on the last idea. Some baselines I had for my project were to keep it in the photic layer so it’s not completely dark (but not too deep because of pressure and accessibility) and to try to stay as realistic as possible with my limited knowledge. I decided to use concrete reinforced steel beams for the exterior materials, as they are already used for structures made in saltwater. Although it is expensive, I want to provide as much safety and security for the residents as possible with materials that we currently are knowledgeable about. Adding on, I chose to use stainless steel and a type of high grade concrete for this task. I decided on stainless steel because, compared to other types of steel, some of its traits include being very durable as well as most corrosive resistant in saltwater due to its chromium content, making it a good material for underwater structures. Next, I picked high grade concrete like C40 because it is a very strong commercial grade concrete currently used for structural beams. Lastly, I chose to use thick acrylic glass for the windows of the vessel. The material is trustworthy, as it already finds wide use for windows in commercial submarines and other underwater vessels for tourists.

The sustainability of a material is dependent on many factors, such as how the material is sourced, produced, used, and scrapped. The three main materials of this concept are all relatively sustainable for several reasons. Concrete is extremely efficient, durable, and overall has a long life span. It is also mostly locally sourced, so it decreases emissions. Stainless steel is infinitely recyclable, coupled with its long life span and corrosion resistance, makes it a very sustainable material. Similarly, acrylic glass is also very strong and highly recyclable. Really, the downside to these materials is the energy intensive production of the materials. However, the high recyclability and longevity of the materials allow them to be managed in more sustainable ways.

Main Body

I picked a spherical body over other shapes, like a cylinder, rectangular prism, half cylinder, etc., for the design. Despite this decision making designing difficult for me, I thought it’d look the best and fit the modern-underwater style compared to an angular or boxy shape. In addition, spherical structures withstand water structure the best. Due to its even stress distribution, spheres are able to minimize weak spots and therefore make them the best at withstanding underwater pressure. Additionally, since tension is proportional to internal pressure and radius, spherical structures have the lowest chance of collapsing because of water pressure. Despite the vessel not meant to be very deep in water, it is still an important factor if people might be living in it and it may have to submerge. I chose for the top layer to be clear acrylic glass to let in natural light as well as to make the space more enjoyable to live in.

The body was definitely the toughest part of the entire project. (Measurements and dimensions are manipulatable as I created this with intentions of it to be scaled relative to the amount of people that would be inhabiting the space.) So far, I had enjoyed everything from researching and learning more about the world/how everything worked to planning; however, the amount of designs and times I had to start over just to get a decent and somewhat-realistic body was discouraging at time. But if anything, future engineers are the ones that have to do all the hard math and physics in order to bring an idea like this to life. :)

Support

Despite being this late into the project, I was still second-guessing whether I should support the whole thing with chains or beams. My original idea was beams, but since I want the base to be more secure against waves and currents without risking breakage, I decided to go with chains. Chains are already used to keep ships docked/in place and it is a better choice because it is both super flexible and durable.

Another method is called the sea anchor. When you think of the word “anchor,” you usually think of a huge metal device like that of Mr. Krabs’ home, but there are many types and this one specifically resembles more of a parachute and is made of fabric. Ships usually deploy this in order to stay somewhat in place as it waits out a storm. However, since I would like to keep the structure relatively close to the surface and not deep in the ocean, I ruled out this option.

Some ships use cables rather than a chain with an anchor. However, this is not suitable for the conditions present. Cables are made from multiple metal threads helically twisted together and then covered to be durable, but are really only used for smaller ships. They require a lot more regular inspections and maintenance checks compared to chains. Chains are usually more long lasting and are also less likely to get tangled into a huge mess underwater. Lastly, chains and anchors are meant to keep the vessel in place, and since chains are heavier than cables, it makes it more easily achievable. Heavy chains also absorb shock better and would lie parallel to the seabed, giving the anchor a better chance to catch onto something. All these reasons made me choose chains out of the four possible options.

I really enjoyed this step as one of my favorite things to do with CAD is modeling based on real world items. It was educational to research about the different parts of the ships and anchor chains such as the types of swivels and links, and then further reinforcing the idea by modeling the parts. Chain links are normally made up of common links, enlarged links, end links, and then a swivel or end shackle link.

Other Essentials

To address the basic needs:

In the compressed air section, a pump and a control method would be implemented in order for the ballast tanks to function. Ballast tanks, paired with sensors and other automatic mechanics, are present in boats to keep them afloat as well as to maintain balance against waves. In submarines, ballast tanks are used to sink and float the vessel. To sink, the crew opens the flood ports and lets water into the tanks. Mass increases proportionally to the amount of water; therefore decreasing the buoyancy of the vessel to sink it. On the other hand, the submarine floats by opening the flood ports again and pumping high pressure air into the tanks, which forces the water out. Once the tank is relatively full of air and buoyancy is restored, the flood ports close and the submarine returns to surface. My idea for implementing this is in case of any emergencies or severe weather conditions that may occur and make being underwater safer rather than staying on the surface. Since it is controllable, it should be able to resurface and function again after some maintenance.

For energy, I chose to use solar panels. Solar panels can power a home alone, so I decided to use those for the primary energy source. Monocrystalline silicone panels seem fitting for the job as they are made of high-strength aluminum and protected by glass. These panels were engineered with harsh weather and environmental conditions in mind. One of the major focuses is resistance and reliability. Additionally, manufacturers have already developed many solar panels that can withstand salt water. So, even if the salt water manages to penetrate the protective glass, a simple cleaning will restore their performance. Solar panels are an excellent source of energy and are extremely sustainable. Lastly, in case of an emergency, I also plan on including a collection of lead batteries as a source of stored energy. Anything can happen, so it’s better to be prepared. Even a little extra time could make a world’s difference during a crisis.

Because space is limited, hydroponics is a good option as a source of fresh food supply. Hydroponics can be done in arrays and even stacked vertically, maximizing space and produce efficiency. Hydroponics is a method of growing food in nutrient-rich water rather than in the ground for most types of food, from cilantro to strawberries. The only plants that aren’t very suitable are vines, trees, or root crops like potatoes. Again, it saves a lot of space and water because the water used is recirculated in the system. Additionally, it also has less chemical interference, such as with pesticides and herbicides, because of the managed temperatures. Lastly, since hydroponics can be very precisely controlled, crops can be harvested year round with desirable environments. It is an extremely versatile method of growing food that is observed to produce faster, more, and higher quality yields than traditional farming, making this an ideal method for a vessel. There are many types of hydroponics, but the Nutrient Film Solution (NFT) method is the most scalable while maintaining the ability to grow a good variety of crops.

Since freshwater sources are limited and over-consumed, it is more sustainable to convert saltwater into usable water. Either way, it is not impossible that we would find ourselves to be in a worldwide water scarcity situation by the time that living in the ocean becomes reasonable. Clean freshwater is a need for all living organisms and would be acquired through mostly a Reverse Osmosis (RO) System on this vessel. There are three popular methods of converting salt water into useable water: RO, distillation, and desalination. Since RO is the most energy efficient and compact out of the three, it makes it the most reliable and sustainable source of water supply on this vessel. RO works by applying external pressure to force saltwater through a purifying membrane that blocks salt, minerals, and other contaminants. This leaves behind freshwater used for drinking and plumbing and is a favorable method used in modern submarines. In more traditional submarines, distillation is used. Distillation is a process in which saltwater is heated, and the resulting vapor is captured, then cooled and condensed into a clean liquid. Both methods are feasible, but RO is a better option.

Air ventilation is very important in all buildings and structures where living things will be present; however, it is especially important in a submerged vessel. Air purification is a must and would be used to filter out pollutants, CO2, and other gases that could be harmful. Concentrations of O2, CO, CO2, and H2 would be controlled to prevent issues. Ventilation systems would also be used to circulate air all throughout the vessel. Cooling mechanisms, like fans, would control the temperature, especially in areas where mechanics are operating. Additionally, we would install insulation to maintain internal temperatures and minimize heat transfers from the ocean water to the habitat. The original top layer of glass also allows for passive heating from the sun.

Finally, a main issue for the vessel is internal fires. The circumstances could make it difficult to put out any fires that may spark from possible human or technical accidents. Additionally, because the vessel is enclosed very tightly, it would also allow poisonous gases to suffocate the inhabitants easily. To hopefully prevent a large scale disaster, the crew should ensure that most of the people on board are trained to know what to do in case of a fire and that firefighting kits and hoses are placed around the vessel. The vessel could also be submerged if it reaches external lengths and people can evacuate through the submarines.

Submarine

In case of a serious emergency where leaving is necessary, a method of escape is crucial. With the habitat being mostly submerged, it makes sense to use either a boat, helicopter, or submarine as an approach. However, since it’s designed to go fully underwater, if that’s what’s best for the situation, the submarine would be the most efficient path out.

I modeled this after the Kittredge K350 2-Man Submarine. I picked this submarine because honestly I liked the yellow and so I searched for blueprints on the submarine. With a rough blueprint from the Kittredge company and videos from other users online showcasing the submarine, I attempted to model the submarine to the best of my abilities. I had only vague dimensions, so to overcome that problem, I utilized grids and proportions on the blueprints and tried to get it as close as I could. I made a few final personal changes in the end to fit the aesthetics and looks to my liking, but nothing too significant.

Conclusion

Extreme habitats like this one, being in the ocean and mostly submerged, embrace its situation by overcoming the challenges that come with its environment. For example, it makes use of the salt water to convert into fresh water rather than pumping it from mainland. It also uses solar panels to generate sustainable energy as well as grow a good portion of foods through hydroponics. I believe that something like this, maybe scaled down and split up into several sections, could be possibly linked together to create a community, and become our future as water levels raise and populations grow.

Through this process, I have gained extensive knowledge about various topics, ranging from the crises in our world to the workings of a submarine. I did a lot of research for this project and I applied some things I saw to address issues like disasters (submerging, escape via submarine, etc) and maintenance (pH monitoring of hydroponics, cleaning of solar panels, etc). I tried to make this sustainable and adaptable while retaining comfort and livability. This concept is meant to address the issue in the future, where population density snowballs as seawater rises and population grows globally. Because of climate change and other issues that are being disregarded by major governments, this may be our future and we will have to face it with resiliency.