27.8.2020 MEDIA RELEASE
Finnish/Estonian company Finest Bay Area Development (www.finestbayarea.online), Japanese company Shimizu Corporation (https://www.shimz.co.jp/en/) and Dutch company Blue21 (https://www.blue21.nl/) have agreed to collaborate on the concept and design of floating islands on the Baltic Sea outside of Tallinn city in Estonia. The floating island collaboration will support the construction of the Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel project. Two newly-created islands connected by a tunnel will be a symbol of the close link between Finland and Estonia. Green Float Tallinn will have a personality that represents the values and characteristics of Estonia, the Finest Bay Area -region and the Baltic Sea maritime environment. This creates the heart of the Finest Bay Area.
Floating development offers many benefits. It is scalable with fast deployment, environmentally friendly and it adapts to sea level changes. It is ecological habitat creation that considers the global cycles of CO2, food, energy, water and other resources. For Tallinn metropolitan area Green Float Tallinn will bolster the attractiveness of the area. “It is a great way to stand out from the crowd and be stronger in the international competition to attract businesses, investments and highly qualified skilled people internationally. The Green Float Tallinn will offer a place to live, learn and visit in the unique Baltic Sea
marine nature. The island will be a satellite for nature recreation and leisure times but also a place for living, education and work.”, says Peter Vesterbacka of Finest Bay Area Development.
Green Float Tallinn will be built along the Helsinki – Tallinn tunnel alignment, at one of the sea areas under environmental studies. Island size will be built in sea depths of 2,5m - 50m. The shape is circular with three layers (breakwaters) to even out wave and ice impact. The on-surface size of the island will be about 1,2km by 2,5km. There will be different purposed spaces on the island from normal housing to educational and entertainment. All construction is subject to concluding environmental studies and more detailed planning.
The Finest Bay Area tunnel project has already set the target to follow and meet the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Finest Bay Area are using an AI based application to track its SDG status and progress in real time. Green Float Tallinn project will set the same objectives and use same processes to be highly compatible.
The tunnel project alone is estimated to create 30 000 -man years of labor. The Green Float Tallinn will boost that estimate even higher. Environmentally sound design and technology to enable sustainable living on the Green Float Tallinn. The idea is that the floating island will not generate waste. Resources will either be reused, recycled, or upcycled. The global cycles are considered. The objective is to reach food self-sufficiency, energy autarky, circular water systems, carbon positivity, closed loop system with the use of resources.
“The overall objectives of Green Float will contribute to the vision of Tallinn. The current design of Green Float is still work in progress. Discussions with stakeholders and particularly the people from Estonia need to continue to take place to gain more insights for the functions and final design.”, says Karina Czapiewska co-founder of Blue21.
Blue21 is a scale-up and global leader in developing floating urban projects based in Delft, The Netherlands. Blue21 has the mission to realize floating cities with a positive impact on the planet. Floating city technology addresses many urgent global challenges such as climate change, urbanization, and land scarcity. In the company, a unique collaboration has been established between architects, urban designers, water managers, civil engineers, and maritime engineers. A strong link to governance, legal and social expertise is made through the Thinktank Governance of Floating Cities. Blue21 has an international client base including the USA, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and various countries from Europe. The founder’s team of Blue21 has been involved in the design, engineering, and realization of iconic floating projects such as the Floating Pavilion in Rotterdam, the Floating Ecohomes in Harnaschpolder, Delft and more recently, the INNOZOWA floating solar project.
Solutions (utilize the power of the ocean)
(Source ; Deep Sea City Concept “OCEAN SPIRAL” by SHIMIZU) Cutting-edge environmental technology
(Source ; Mega Floating Concept “GREEN FLOAT” by SHIMIZU)
Shimizu Corporation has vast expertise in the design, development, and construction of floating structures. The technology has already been developed, tested, and practiced in modern buildings on land. In addition to the technological systems, the functional distribution has also been well studied. Functionality of the island will lay the foundation for all technology needs. "Since Shimizu Corporation proposed the floating future city concept GREEN FLOAT in 2008, we have engaged in the realization. As a member of this forward-looking environmental project, we will devote ourselves to develop the bay area of Baltic Sea in Tallinn", states Shinichi Takiguchi, Managing Officer and Director of the Emerging Frontiers Division of Shimizu Corporation.
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