Trilobis and Jelly-Fish Habitats

I always love it when I stumble across new and interesting design concepts, even when they are clearly outside the realm of my own reality. The model habitats proposed by Sub-Find.com are perfect examples of forward thinking ideas, even if they do leave some vital questions unanswered. Before I go on, I want to mention that I found this through a post on a new UK-based blog I am reading, Why Don’t You Blog, which is rather ironic given that Sub-Find is actually based in BC, the province next door to me in Canada. Why Don’t You Blog is a cool collaboration site that touches on a lot of subjects, and I love their quirky take on everything from Doctor Who to World Politics.

The lack of actual production pictures tells me the Trilobis 65 and Jelly-Fish 45 are more design than reality at the moment, but both are fascinating concepts. The idea of moving our habitation into the ocean has been a staple of science fiction for many years, and in many ways, the designs here really play into that science fiction, futuristic ideal. The design drawings for both habitats hark back to a lot of the futuristic illustration we’ve seen over the decades from Popular Mechanics, which isn’t surprising given the Trilobis was featured in the November 2002 edition, an article included on the company’s page for the floating home.

I am left with a few questions about stability and safety under storm conditions that simply aren’t addressed here. Its a fascinating design concept, and the circular nature allows them to maximize usable space, and I loved the “island” dock concept as well for larger communities, but I am left wondering what a “Trilobis park” would look like after even a moderate tropical storm. That may be one reason for the lack of production photos of real examples of the Trilobis or Jelly-Fish, but some of the work they’ve down with real, working submersibles does give you the confidence that they’ve at least considered all the issues.

Like the new breed of airship I wrote about a while back on here, these strike me as very forward thinking designs, and even when the storm issues are fully addressed, they may always seem too “futuristic” for a lot of people. I even wonder how close to the design drawings the finished product would actually be. Regardless, I always love to see people thinking about using spaces in different ways, and these are a great example of that. Who knows, in 10 years, there may be Trilobis parks dotting all the coasts … they certainly look cool.