Bjarke Ingel’s firm has unveiled designs for a floating ‘city’ that could house 10,000 people – and even withstand a category five hurricane.

Dubbed Oceanix City, the design responds to rising sea levels, which will affect up to 90% of the world’s coastal cities in the next 40 years. It comprises a series of hexagonal, 12-acre ‘villages’ which can be clustered in multiples of six to create an archipelago. Each village could potentially support 1,650 residents.

The floating city proposal was presented at the First UN High-level Roundtable on Sustainable Floating Cities at the United Nations’ New York headquarters.

BIG’s proposal, in collaboration with waterborne developer Oceanix and MIT, would see the man-made islands constructed on land before being towed into position.

Low-rise buildings, made using sustainably sourced timbers and local materials such as bamboo would be constructed atop the floating platforms. Solar panels, wind turbines and water filtration systems, as well as agricultural land, would also be incorporated to make the floating communities self-sufficient and eco-friendly.

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