A diagram exploring the broad scale of the Thames estuary and its contributing factors.

The Thames Estuary depicts a vast and open area covered in tidal affairs with sand banks and channels being the prominent features. However, this is not the case, the estuary is home to numerous gateway ports and docks and controls a substantial means of product and service distribution within London. The estuary is an interconnected space, as vast and apparently bare as it may look, it is point in which technology, goods, services, energy, safety, protection, leisure, recreation and transport pass over daily.

The site is an ideal location to experiment with future speculations on open source energy, utilizing site forces and using the water to it’s maximum potential. The estuary is ever growing due to rising seas but this gives further gain to experimental attributes and plans on London's bright and energized future.

This conceptual collage of ideas and diagrammatic entities portrays the movement, usage, future outlook, narratives, technological influenced future schemes and a portal to the future of the estuary. The future of the Estuary is of great significance due to rising sea levels and the pending transition to renewable energy, free energy, and the speculations it brings. The site offers a large area for experimentation and lends itself to formation of islands or man made docks/ports that can potentially become the beginning of the space exploration generation.

Space exploration will be possible through a space elevator connecting it to an outer-space docking station or community. The site is chosen for many reasons that enable such speculation through examples such as the site being connected to the sea for free movement of this dock but whilst also connecting to London, providing London with its first direct shuttle service to space.

This diagram portrays the numerous important docks and ports enabling the gateway and surrounding areas to provide London with the necessary goods and services. The construction of this diagram promotes the scarcity of these locations but also methodical nature. With this in mind the location for the Utopian community (mobile) can start to be located towards the outer east areas of the estuary. 

The data shown across the plan indicates the primary routes of transport for the largest and most important/protected vessels. Interestingly the points of intersection and in water loading points allow a joined diagrammatic route to form within the mouth of the Thames estuary. Highlighted points include areas of interest for ‘Mobile Utopian Community’ Speculation whilst providing a selection of dockable areas.

With the speculation stated on space travel through open source and fre energy, the introduction of Space elevators would enable space exploration. A space elevator is a proposed type of space transportation system. Its main component is a ribbon-like cable (also called a tether) anchored to the surface and extending into space. It is designed to permit vehicle transport along the cable from a planetary surface, such as the Earth's , directly into space or orbit, without the use of large rockets. An Earth-based space elevator would consist of a cable with one end attached to the surface near the equator and the other end in space beyond geostationary orbit. The competing forces of gravity, which is stronger at the lower end, and the outward/upward centrifugal force, which is stronger at the upper end, would result in the cable being held up, under tension.

With the speculation based on open source and free energy, the depiction of this visual promotes the idea of space exploration becoming viable through the initial set-up and construction of space elevators.  Science fiction will come to life with energy becoming an open, free and usable source. The focus however, on this design project, is on the community at its base, a mobile utopian community - MUC.

The diagrammatic visual explores the sheer scale of the carbon nano tube construction, spanning into space to allow a further ‘gateway’ from the Thames estuary. The shaft will act as a means to explore space and provide docking stations both in the estuary for transportation in the form of ships and man-less pods whilst providing the necessary mini space station for space craft deployment at the top.

Presented here is a combination of key diagrams explaining and exploring the sheer scales involved with such an idea as the space elevator. 

Key concepts from the past are represented on the right hand side to ensure a vital understanding of the spanning scale. 

With the scale known and represented, I am able to address the utopian community below and the necessary spacial arrangements and facilities required to maintain, run and service the nanotube elevator and the cargo/human transportation and harbouring.

SHoeburyness, a town situated in the southeast of Essex is an ideal location for the proposal of the mobile utopian community for many reasons, it is connected to london, remote enough to harbour such a new regime and develop into a new part of london and the South east of england. A visible network rail line is shown to terminate at Shoeburyness, this will be adapted to enable trains to dock the mobile community when in situ, stationary.

The diagram on the right of Shoeburyness describes the necessary sectors of the mobile, space elevator community. The link will be situated further into the estuary with a direct connection made to the town/developing area of the city by 2150. 

The site gives room for experimentation with the influences of free energy on design.

A few test renders etc to show sector 1 progress.

A few test renders etc to show sector 1 progress.

A few test renders etc to show sector 1 progress.

pre crit wip

Mobile Aerial Visual

1 of 1 million water tests

1 of 1 million water tests

The plan below depicts the sheer scale of the proposal with its numerous complicated and intricately articulated zones through to the vast areas of storage and working needed for such a project. It is clear that the upper tri-pronged star detaches and is the essence of the project, the base of the London Space Elevator.. 

The manoeuvring element contains a number of vital areas excluding the space elevator. It controls the movement through extremely advanced technologies, automated and in sync with nasa and leading space development programs with open source analytical astrological data.

The language of the design differs throughout the stationary port exploiting the exposition that would become the permanently stationary dock and attraction. These elements consist of a cargo port, pedestrian port, central hub and media centres, training facilities, hotel, both short and long stay accommodation, maintenance areas, cargo sorting areas, large security zones and an independent small line railway connecting of course to the main station on the platform. This station is an extension of the line through the village, now bustling and technologically driven town of Shoeburyness.

Having sketched out the various scenes and commenced with the chronogram specifics, it is key to note the influences and styles inherited, adapted and manipulated through the animations development process. here are a few of a large selection of movie stills, inspirational media and a broad range of speculative projects and visuals spanning through desisgn and film.

This area has a vast amount of humans and cargo traffic going through it and must be fit to accommodate such loads and storage. Isolated areas expose the sheer scale of the projects mobile base central core unit and the industrial yet modern approach to the design and functionality. When docked multiple walkways cantilever form the stationary element to allow people to cross to the elevator mobile base.

Presented here is a rear perspective of the detachable mobile element, showing the docking roll on/roll off ramp and multiple faceted elements on board the central mass load of the base station. It is key to note that on board this vessel when it departs to manouever away from debris, there are a number of facilities that must remain such accommodation, maintenance, security and more..

The diagram depicts the relevant areas able to be seen in plan. The mobile, moving and docking tri-pronged star is the core mass for the earth end of the tether. The hull is deep in the centre and shallow on the outer parts allowing accurate balance and mass distribution.