Houston, we’ve got a dome!
Houston, Texas, the fourth-largest city in the U.S., has always been vulnerable to severe weather and heat. A 2 million-square-meter dome should protect downtown from hurricanes and regulate the climate, though only covering 0,33% of the total Houston area.
Scientists made up plans to cover a part of the city with a polymer structure manufactured in Germany. Compared to glass, the light and durable material (ETFE) that withstands winds up to 290 km/h, is only 1% the weight.
A video at Discovery Channel shows how maybe one day this giant structure will save Houston from a terrible natural disaster.
On a different note, what will the weather be like inside the bubble? Will artificial rain still evoke the same reactions?
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Also, will al those carbon emissions stay trapped inside? This sounds like a great way to protect the earth from us!
In the space age of the sixties people dreamt of putting such domes on the Moon and Mars as a means to cope with the hostile climate over there. Apparently now, we need those designs to cope with the climate on earth. I am becoming more modest on the notion of ‘progress’ every day..
Solving one problem creates another. If not several. What about the airconditioning? What about the birds and biodiversity? What about the air above such a colossal bubble? Where is the rain going? What happens to the buildings situated on the edge?
And yes, carbon emissions are a problem too, but I am sure the architects have given thought of harvesting solar or wind energy. Building it for protection only would seem a huge waste of energy.
…anyone who’s concerned for the ‘bio-diversity’ of downtown Houston has plainly never visited the place…
Not exactly true, Martin. Though your response made me actually Laugh-out-loud, Houston is thriving habitat for over 50 species of mosquitoes.