© Samodurov I.V. 2002
Samodurov Igor Viktorovich
Junior scientific associate
(Yekaterinburg, laboratory SAPR KS Ural State Railway Academy)
The main concept of the project is based on the idea that a city should be initially designed as a uniform system and infrastructure. The principle of this city (supercity) is to arrange and locate all communications, thoroughfares and buildings according to their function at different levels (see fig. 1), and to exercise centralized control over all communication processes.
When arranging and placing buildings and other constructions one should take into account operating characteristics, working conditions, industrial factors, and natural factors of environment (illumination, wind rose, distribution of air streams, etc), ergonomic requirements, optimum use of space, etc.
The basic features of the city and recommendations on its arrangement:
The differentiated placement of communications and buildings at levels. "Simpler" communications, highways and buildings are positioned at higher levels (see fig. 1). The uppermost level is intended for pedestrian traffic, recreation centers and park facilities. Levels (in necessary places) are connected with each other by means of passages, lifts, tunnels, etc.
Processes of communication (public transport, supply, transportation, delivery from warehouses and shops) are automated and realized via specialized communication and transport systems, devices, highways. Public transport and special taxis (automatic, semi-automatic or any other cars) can run within the bounds of city.
Industrial and any other enterprises which do not harmonize with the city should be located beyond or on its boundaries. For example, garages and personal transport can be referred to such institutions in case their operation and exploitation are ecologically harmful and economically unjustified. It is possible to have arrays of garages on the citys boundaries.
One should provide opportunities for developing and extending the complex on its internal as well as on its external territories and reserve interlayer and external spaces for new warehouses and communications. It is also possible to plan places for new buildings and constructions beforehand.
The city can be represented as a set of separate interconnected complexes and centers of various purpose (as microdistricts in conventional cities).
It is possible to arrange some complexes separately from the main complex of the city. Thus, the city can become a conglomerate of interconnected complexes of different purpose and importance.
Taking into account some kind of commonality of all constructions and psychological perception of the environment by a person we had better avoid monotony, repeatability and uniformity of designs without breaking the general harmony of a city complex.
It is possible to place trading centers, galleries, halls, and other institutions in special constructions of the external multipurpose complex (see fig. 1).
It is expedient to make buildings convergent, tapering (to a specific tilt of about 1-5 degrees and more - depending on such factors as the environment and working conditions). It would allow us to increase stability, to use daylight to its full extent, to provide better "blower" (aerodynamics) and ventilation by wind streams, to clean the surface of buildings with atmospheric precipitations (since dust and solid precipitations such as snow would not remain on the surfaces of buildings).
Space saving at the top level due to locating transport communications at lower levels will enable "continuous" building (adjunction of houses to each other). It will increase compactness, promote preservation of heat in areas with severe climate and protect from surplus solar radiation in areas with hot climate. The close placement of buildings would make it possible to construct a dome for protecting the city against adverse factors of the environment and for preserving the internal microclimate.
It is expedient to create levels and build houses on separate props. It would make constructions independent from each other (since vibrations from thoroughfares can affect buildings, besides, buildings can sink and change their rake, inclination). In this case their construction, maintenance and repair would not influence each other.
The city complex, its separate constructions and parts can be made modular, collapsible (mountable-and-dismountable). It would give an opportunity to change their configuration, to extend them, take them apart or reconstruct them while they are still in service. The transfer of bearing capacity to props and fabrics will make it possible to use demountable and transformable walls and partitions of light, heat- and noise-insulating materials which will enable wide manipulation of building designs, changes of the internal configuration of constructions, rearrangement of the internal rooms and spaces.
Main advantages of the project:
Division of communication-transportation channels and centralized management of all transport processes, energy saving and time saving in delivering cargoes and passengers, ecological compatibility of electrotransport used, independence of transport processes from each other, half-concealed, easily accessible, reliable and safe highways result in optimum use of communications, vehicles, warehouses and water-storage reservoirs.
An ergonomic arrangement, position and structure of all constructions easy and fast "access" to them and to all buildings of the city complex harmonious and efficient exploitation of natural resources a perfect opportunity to lay out parks all over the territory of the upper level absence of pollutants a good opportunity to organize a uniform automated cleaning system for all constructions of the city complex maximal use of natural self-cleaning by air streams and precipitates.
As it has been mentioned above, the supercity under discussion is a uniform complex with a uniform infrastructure in which all processes are stabilized and optimized, and in which any kinds of contradictions are resolved or minimized. This complex enables fully automatized information, communicative and transport processes, management and control over them being exercised by means of information technics and technologies.
The city in question features highly ecological compatibility and ergonomics in comparison with its analogues. It solves many social, economic, ecological and communicative problems and eliminates discrepancies inherent to modern traditional cities.
The project can be applied when creating new cities and cities-satellites (industrial satellites and satellites of other cities).
Figure 1. The scheme of basic constructions of the city (in section)
Note: all figures and schemes have conditional values and serve as visual aids.
Additional offers and calculations:
The average height of buildings is approximately 60-80 m (20-30 storeys). But if necessary and if technologies are developed enough, buildings can be higher (or, on the contrary, lower).
Number of levels: from 2 up to 5 (as 2 levels are necessary for realization of traffic intersections + top not transport a minimum). Since the upper level is not intended for transporting, there should be at least two levels more for traffic interchanges. Though, in some cases it is enough to have one level.
It should be possible to plan and create additional levels (superstructures above upper levels or between other levels).
It is also possible to make "windows" in levels (like in galleries). These windows must not be solid. They can have holes (big open spaces in a level). And as for reservoirs or natural landscape, one can do without any levels in certain places of the city.
Distances between buildings are approximately equal to the height of buildings which is optimal from the point of view of illumination and aerodynamics. On the other hand, arrangement and position of buildings can vary in areas with hot/cold climate.
Arrangement of buildings is preferably chequer-wise. Mutual orientation is possible on the boundaries of " honeycombs" (figures).
The shape of buildings is streamlined, arched, oval or straight (fig. The form of buildings). Orientation of buildings depends on the environment. Arched buildings can be positioned in such a way that the convex side is affected by such favorable factors as solar radiation (the southern side). The greater the area of the building surface is, the more light goes to neighboring houses (figures). Arched and ring shapes increase stability and durability of the construction.
Higher buildings should face the north-western side (associated with adverse factors), and lower buildings should face the southern side. It is expedient in terms of protection against adverse climatic influences and optimum use of solar radiation. The same thing with the angle of slope. The rake (inclination) of walls can be greater in the direction of favorable environmental affects (for example, an ant hill).
It is expedient to plan radial-concentric thoroughfares (for instance, the Moscow underground). It would shorten thoroughfares and enable high speeds owing to the reduction of the Coriolis acceleration.
Interaction of levels, passages between levels in greater detail.
Number of inhabitants (approximately): 10 000 man/km2. The estimation of capital expenses for creating a unit of area (approximately): levels take 50 000 000 $/km2, buildings - 100 000 000 $/km2, communications - 100 000 000 $/km2, the equipment of buildings - 50 000 000 $/km2, control facilities - 10 000 000 $/km2. Total (approximately): 300 000 000 $/km2, or 30 000 $/man.
The nearest analogue of the project: the projects described in book Polui B.M. "Architecture and town-planning for cold climate (ecological aspects)", chapter IV. In the same place the description of the project "Integrated multilevel a vein a complex in Blomsbery (London)" architect P.Hodkinsona (Polui B.M.. Architecture and town-planning for cold climate (ecological aspects): Studies. The grant for high schools. L.: Stroyizdat. Leningrad branch, 1989. - 300 p., Ill. ISBN 5-274-00011-8)
