The Maldives is building a first-of-its-kind floating city designed to adapt to rising sea levels, using brain coral as its design inspiration. Located just 10 minutes by boat from the capital Malé, the 200-hectare city is being developed through a partnership between Dutch Docklands, the Maldivian government, and Waterstudio.nl. The city’s modular structure mimics the patterns of brain coral, with interlinked, hexagonal platforms that can float and flex with the ocean. These platforms are anchored to the seabed and protected by artificial coral reefs, which help absorb wave energy and act as a natural barrier against storms and erosion.
Designed to host 20,000 people, the Maldives Floating City will include 5,000 homes along with shops, schools, healthcare centers, and hotels—none of which require cars. Instead, residents will travel by bicycles, electric buggies, and boats. The city will run on solar power and use innovative systems like deep-sea water cooling to minimize energy use. Wastewater will be treated and reused as fertilizer, and specially designed reefs underneath will encourage coral growth and marine biodiversity. Set for completion by 2027, the project offers a hopeful and innovative response to the climate crisis, as experts warn that up to 80% of the Maldives could be submerged by 2050 if global sea levels continue to rise. More