London is one of the largest cities in the world with over 8.3 million residents all competing for jobs and property.
And while London's population shows no plans in dropping, the city is quickly running out of space.
To combat this, London's mayor Boris Johnson announced plans back in February to build a 15-acre floating town near London's Royal Docks on the east side in the Thames River. The so-called "floating village" would add residential homes and square feet to the growing and heavily-populated city (first spotted over at Fast CoExist).
The winning design was chosen back in June, and submitted by developer Carillion Igloo Genesis. The plan includes 50 custom-built residential homes and a water square, framed by a market square and a floating road.
And aside from dealing with population growth, Johnson thinks it will be another great tourist attraction for the city.
"This site has the potential to become one of the most sought after addresses in the capital while breathing new life back into London’s waterways,"said Johnson in a press release. "Carillion Igloo Genesis’ scheme will create...a range of commercial activities within a high quality water environment for Londoners and visitors, creating jobs and raising the profile of London’s Royal Docks."
The 100% floating village will also include a large multi-purpose events space, restaurants, cafes, and shops, as well as leisure and office spaces. There were also proposed plans for a public swimming pool and even an ice rink.
But housing seems to be the plan's primary priority.
"Through Genesis’ involvement in the bid, we’ve been able to secure a higher allocation of affordable housing within this scheme," said John Carleton, Executive Director of Markets and Portfolio at Genesis Housing Association, "which chimes closely with our mission to deliver diverse, mixed tenure developments in London and the South East."
Though there is currently nothing like it in the U.K., similar concepts already exist near Amsterdam and in Hamburg, Germany, not to mention smaller floating homes in Holland.
The next step for the project will be submitting an application to London's Newham Council in the Spring 2015. Until then, we're left with these fantastic renderings that show what the floating city of the future might look like.
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