Town Planning Proposal- SixShell

INTRODUCTION

This project is our final project for Elements in Natural and Built and Environment (ENBE). According to

the project brief, we are required to do two (2) parts: Part A-Individual work and Part B-Group work. This is my

final project individual work which will be submitted on the 6th of November 2014. For individual work, we need

to do researches on the town that we chose as a group.

There are three (3) types of town that we need to focus on. Those are ancient town, present town and

future town. For ancient town and present town, we will include their historical background, detail, and what

elements that can be used for our future town. Also, we will include the positive and negative side of the future.

ENBE | Final Project | Part A – Report | A Better Town of Future

TOWN

2.1 WHAT IS A TOWN?

Town is a region which has a name, boundaries and local government that is bigger than a village but smaller

than a city. Town is generally smaller than a city in populations and lower rate of development.

2.2 WHAT MAKES A TOWN?

Basically, towns are made up by medium high population forms of social organization which immigration is

occurring. This increases the population of the town and eventually the town would become a city. In a town, it

has the basic systems such as public transportation, business centre, sport centre, housing and so on.

2.3 WHAT MAKES A GOOD TOWN?

A good township is definitely the most important basis to become a good town. The township must include the

responsible to the water supply, electricity, sewage and so on.

2.4 WHAT IS THE FUTURE TOWN?

When we say future it indicates tomorrow, the next 20 years or even a century. In this modern world, future

town that is either floating on the water or floating in the air is not an impossible possibility. We could be living

in a town which is floating on the water in the next 10 years.

ERICA CHIN CHING | 0320460 | PUAN HASMANIRA| FNBE AUG 2014 | TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY LAKESIDE CAMPUS


ANCIENT TOWN / CITY (ASSUR, MESOPOTAMIA)

3.1 HISTORY BACKGROUND

Early History

A city was existed in Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BCE was shown in the archeological

excavations.

The oldest foundations were discovered in those beneath the first Ishtar Temple, which probably was

the base of an earlier temple.

The pottery proved that Assur was an important trade centre in the early years in Assyrian Empire. The

trade between Mesopotamia and Anatolia were increased in time.

Assur played an important role in these transactions. All the profits were spent on the renovations of

the city and modifications of the private homes and the public buildings.

Assur was expanded through trading and eventually became the capital of Assyria by the 2nd millennium

BCE. Walls were also built for defense purpose.

Assur the Capital

The city continued to improve under the rule of Shalmaneser. Also, he managed to build the city of

Kalhu.

Renovations and building projects were continued even after Shalmaneser was no longer ruling.

Between 1115-1076 BCE, Assur continued as the capital and the jewel of the empire.

After the death of Tiglath Pileser I, Assur remained stable even though other kingdoms that was built by

Tiglath Pileser I fell apart.

Assur was the hub of the giant wheel of empire during the rise of Adad-Nirari II(912-891 BCE)





3.2 ANCIENT CITY THAT I’M CONCENTRATING ON (ASSUR)

Location of Assur Picture of Assur

Assur is located in the northern of Mesopotamia on the west bank of the Tigris River. It became the first

capital city of this empire. However, there were other cities that took over as the capital of the Assyrian Empire.

Assur was always recognized as the religious centre of the empire.

The name of Assur was named after the primary god of the Assyrians. The city and the god are

sometimes called Ashur.



3.3 HOW IT IS A SIGNIFICANT CITY AND DETAILS

3.3.1 WATER SUPPLY

Since the majority of the canals lie in the river terraces, so it was easier to drain water from the Tigris

River and to channel it for gravity- fed irrigation parallel to the river.

As the region was near to the river, it was easy for the people who lived there to obtain water for daily

basis.

In the middle of the 2nd millennium, the demand for a stable supply of crops became essential for the

expanding political power.

Makhmur Canal which stands out the most from the other mapped canals.

The canal above distributed to multiple channels to the fields in the lower Zab.

Besides transporting water to the agriculture fields, they were used for fishing purposes. This eventually

helped the economy of the city since the population was able to produce their own food and sold the

goods to the market.

3.3.2 Designs of the Assyrians buildings

All the building plans were rectangular and they had the most lovely and varied forms.

Tower-like structures each rising from a square base.

Graceful curves and on the basis of an ordinary square hall carry up a dome(octagon or circle)

Sculptures were also done in this time.

The uniqueness of their buildings was that there’re only a door in a building and no windows.



3.3.3 Building Materials

Clay masonry and of increasingly complex forms of the stacked mud brick.

Adobe-brick has superior thermal properties and has lower manufacturing costs which make it

preferable compare to vitreous brick.

Red brick was used in small applications involving water, decoration, and monumental construction. A

late innovation was glazed vitreous brick.

The bricks were layered in a row perpendicular to the rest rows.

The plano-convex bricks were advantageous to the speed of manufacture. Also, the irregular surface

held the finishing plaster coat better than a smooth from other brick types.



3.4 CONCLUSION

After I did researches on Assur, I’ve learnt a few things such as:

(a) History of Assur

(b) Water supply

(c) Designs of their architecture

(d) Building materials

3.5 INFORMATION AND ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE USED FOR FUTURE TOWN

(a) The usage of canals in Assur

(b) How the canal systems contributed in the economy of Assur



PRESENT TOWN / CITY (VENICE, ITALY)

4.1 HISTORY BACKGROUND

Venice in the Middle Ages

In 421 A.D. - Venice was founded. Since 49 BC Venetians had been Roman citizens.

In 453 A.D - Attila the Hun invaded Italy, some Venetians fled to islands and built village there. A loose

federation is formed.

Byzantine Empire was controlling the Venice.

In 726 A.D - The Venetians partly gained their independence and Orso Ipato was elected as their duke.

In 810 A.D - The Franks tried to conquer the Venetians but failed.

Venice became a trading center and ships sailed to and fro. The population of Venice grew steadily.

Middle Ages - Venice continued to flourish as a port and trading center.

In 1199 A.D. - The Venetians agree to build a fleet of ships to ferry the Crusaders.

13th and 14th centuries - The Genoese and Venetians fought 5 wars.

In 1348, the Black Death devastated the population of Venice.

In 1403, Venice introduced quarantine.

In 15th century - Venice faced a new threat from the Turks.

In 1453 - They captured Constantinople and afterwards they advanced into Southeast Europe.

In 1489 - Venice came to rule Cyprus.

In 1508 - Several European countries formed the League of Cambrai and went to war against Venice.

However after 8 years of war the map was largely unchanged

In 1571 - The Turks conquered the island.

Modern Venice

17th century - Venice gradually lost power and influence.

18th century - Venice was politically unimportant although the art of opera was flourished.

In 1797 - Napoleon dissolved the Republic of Venice.

In 1815 – Napoleon handed Venice to Austria after his fall.

In 1846 - The railway reached Venice.

In 1848 - Revolutions swept Europe and Venice rose in rebellion against the Austrians. For a short period

Daniele Manin became president of an independent Venice.



In 1849 - Austrian forces bombarded the city and Venice was forced to surrender.

In 1866 - The Austrians were defeated by the Prussians and Venice was allowed to join the new nation

of Italy.

In late 19th century - Venice was flourished as a port and a manufacturing center.

In 1933 - Mussolini built a road from the mainland to Venice. World War II, Venice was undamaged by

fighting but the Jewish population was deported.

In 1966 - Venice suffered a severe flood but the city soon recovered.

Since mid-19th century - The population if Venice has fallen sharply.

Today - Tourism is the mainstay of Venice. The population of Venice is about 271,000.



4.2 PRESENT CITY THAT I’M CONCENTRATING ON (VENICE)

Location of Venice Photo of Venice

The name of Venice is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited at the region in 10th

century B.C. Venice also as known as “City of Water”, “City of Bridges”, “The Floating City” and many more.

Venice is located at the northeastern of Italy which is formed by 118 small islands separated by canals and

linked by bridges.

As you can see from the picture from above, the buildings of Venice are all built along the river or canal

which makes it look like floating on the water. This is how Venice got its name “The Floating City”. Also, the

name of “City of Bridges” is given because the city has a lot bridges that connect between islands. The name of

“City of Water” is given because we can see water all around the city.

Venice is one of the cities of Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. This city becomes the famous

attraction in Italy. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. The city in its

entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon. This eventually attracts tourist to visit.



4.3 HOW IT IS A SIGNIFICANT CITY AND DETAILS

4.3.1 ARCHITECTURE OF VENICE

The buildings in Venice were not built directly on the islands. They were built upon wooden platforms

that were supported by wooden stakes driven into the ground. It may seems surprise that wood is used as the

supporting structure since it is less durable compare to stone and metal.

There’s a secret that keeps the wooden foundation of Venice last long. The wooden foundation is

submerged underwater. As we know, the decay of wood is caused by the microorganisms such as fungi and

bacteria. Since the woods are submerged underwater, they did not expose to oxygen which is an important

element for organisms to survive and this eventually avoid the microorganism to attack the wood. Salt water

also can petrifies the woods over time and harden the woods into stone-like structure.



4.3.2 TOWNSHIP AND ZONING OF VENICE

Venetian homes along the Grand Canal

Although Venice is more likely focusing on tourism, but they do have a good township in order to keep

things going smoothly. In Venice, the historic centre is made up by six districts, called 'sestieri' ; Cannaregio,

Castello, San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo,and Santa Croce. There are islands that are farther away from the

lagoon. Among them, there are Giudecca, S. Michele, Murano, Mazzorbo, Burano, Torcello, Sant' Erasmo. S.

Francesco del Deserto and Lido. Mestre is on the mainland of Italy.

In this paragraph, brief introduction on the six districts. Cannaregio is the one of the historical places in

Venice. In history, it was the home district of Titian, Marco Polo and Tintoretto. Cannaregio has the Santa Lucia

train station. The second one is Castello, this was also a number of Venetians lived here. Castello is much visited

by art lovers because the Pavilion of the Venice Biennale exhibition is located in the Giardini di Castello. The

third district is San Marco. It is now the most famous and tourist-filled district in Venice. Dorsoduro is the

residential district. San Polo and Santa Croce are also tourist attraction places.

Mestre is located at the mainland of Venice and it is also where most Venetians live nowadays. The

nearby Marghera district has numerous plants and factories. Mestre is not a touriam area but it does have a

lovely little historic district of its own.



4.4 CONCLUSION

After I did researches on Venice, I’ve learnt a few things such as:

(e) History of Venice

(f) Architecture of Venice

(g) Culture of Venice

(h) Zoning and township of Venice

4.5 INFORMATION AND ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE USED FOR FUTURE TOWN

(c) The wooden foundation

(d) The stone-built bridges

(e) Zoning and township

(f) Transportation



FUTURE TOWN / CITY (DELTASYNC)

Priorities- based concept of DeltaSync

After receiving cost estimates for a semisubmersible design, commissioned an alternative design and feasibility

study from the Dutch aquatic architecture firm, DeltaSync, based on the evolving priorities for this project,

namely the following:

Future inhabitants’ desires and requirements;

Location (protected waters, pleasant climate, and nonremote);

Growth and development process (scalable);

Images of the first Seastead (concept design);

Costs (financial estimate of the concept design).



Designs of this city are based on:

Estimation of platform size

Platform structure and material

Buildings on the platform

Urban configuration and preliminary design



THE NEW “X” TOWN: SIXSHELL, THE FLOATING TOWN

6.1 SOLUTIONS TO CREATE NEW TOWN

In this modern society, people start to have the thoughts of living in luxurious and magnificent town or

city. There were books and movie about the floating city on the water. China had started their research on the

floating city and came up with a few ideas on how they’re going to propose the town. Besides, DeltaSync and

The Seasteading Institute had their final report on the implementation plan on the 16th December 2013.

In this ENBE project, the chosen topic is A Better Town of Future - Floating City. I did some research in

order to make a successful future town. The first solution is to have a good town planning beforehand. The

second solution is

6.2 IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS AND ELEMENTS

The special characteristics and elements of SixShell:

Has the shape of seashell

- Unique shape that is compatible with the floating city theme

- A step closer to the nature

Very eco-friendly

- use renewable energy to generate the power

- has a lot of trees and greenery area

Only electric cars can be used within that city

- It’s eco-friendly

- Does not release hazardous gases like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and etc.

Sufficient public transport

- They have subways, bus, taxi

A few alternative ways to head back home (the chances of traffic in the city is lesser)

- Decrease the traffics during peak hour.

- Get to the destination faster.



The weakness of this city

Takes time to reach mainland

- Using water transportation such as boat, ferry, submarine

- Using air transportation such as airplane and helicopter

Agriculture might affect by the climate change

Higher living cost

- Maintenance of the floating mechanism

- Imported food from mainland

- Electric cars costing



6.3 DOCUMENTATION OF 6SHELL

6.3.1 Master Plan

The diagram on the left is the master plan of the ground

floor.

The drawn boxes with an “X” in the middle are the

support columns to the first floor of the city.

Aside from the support columns that support the first

floor there are a few buildings that will be built in order

to support the weight.

The government building is at the top of the plan which

has a round features and an extension to the control

room of the floating. That makes look like “6”. This is

how it got its name 6Shell.



The diagram on the right is the master plan of the first floor.

The one with the bold line indicates the first floor of the city.

The pentagon in the middle of the city is the central park which enables the citizens and the tourist to relax and

feel the nature.



6.3.2 Zoning of the city



6.3.3 Transportation and Electric

Ground Floor

- Airport is the bottom of the plan. The round shape building is the airport signal tower.

- The one beside airport is the ship terminal and the last one is the Submarine Port.

- In this floor, there are two power generators.

- The one from the right side is the wave energy generator, since it’s a floating city, I presume that

there would be waves hitting the city deck. I decided to put the wave energy generator as one of the

main electrical source.

- The one at the top is the wind energy generator.



First Floor

-

- The legend of this plan is the same

as above.

- The one from the top, triangular-shape building is the control room of the whole floating city.

- That control room acts as the weather forecast and

- The yellow region at the bottom of the plan is the solar panel generator. This generator is quite

useful since Malaysia is “summer” whole year.



6.4 CONCLUSION

SixShell is definitely is a better future town for the modern urbanites like us.

SixShell has most of the basic system that a town should have:

- Commercial Centre

- Residential Area

- Recreation centre

- Tourism Centre

- Agricultural Area

- Indusrial Area

- Medical Centre

- Fire Department

- Transportation

The new facilities that are introduced to our “X” Town are:

- Electric cars

- Wind energy power generator

- Wave energy power generator

- Solar energy power generator

- Submarine as one of the transportation



CONCLUSION

Throughout this project, I manage to do quite a number of researches on the ancient, present and the

future towns. I learnt the history of Assur and on how did they manage to stand strong even after a few

kingdoms had fallen. Also, the materials that they used for their buildings during that time.

Besides, the present city that I did is Venice. Without this project, I would never know that it has so

many alternative names. I also learnt that the wooden foundation of Venice is not merely a knowledge but the

wisdom of our ancestor that had pass on to us.

I would like to thank our coordinator, Pn.Has to give us this opportunity to know more about the history

in order to create a better future town.



REFERENCE LIST

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

https://www.google.com.my/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-

8#q=brief+history+of+venice

http://www.ancient.eu/ashur/

http://www.localhistories.org/venice.html

http://seasteading.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DeltaSync-Final-Concept-

Report.pdf


http://seasteading.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DeltaSync-Final-Concept-Report.pdf

http://seasteading.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DeltaSync-Final-Concept-Report.pdf

http://www.localhistories.org/venice.html

http://www.ancient.eu/ashur/

https://www.google.com.my/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=brief+history+of+venice

https://www.google.com.my/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=brief+history+of+venice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

Date post:	26-Jul-2015
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Town Planning Proposal- SixShell

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