London May Get Even Cloudier

[Dynasty]

A digital cloud structure has potential to be built in east London once a spot has been found.

A giant "digital cloud" that would "float" above London's skyline has been outlined by an international team of architects, artists and engineers.

The construction would include 120m- (400ft-) tall mesh towers and a series of interconnected plastic bubbles that can be used to display images and data.

The Cloud, as it is known, would also be used as an observation deck and park.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8350770.stm (contains potential design pics)

Cant wait for the environment boffs and old people to complain about how much it will spoil the 'views' in London.

It is envisaged that the spheres would be made of a plastic known as Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), the material used to build the Beijing Aquatic Centre.

The different spheres would act as structural elements, habitable spaces, decoration and LCD screens on which data could be projected.

"We could provide a custom feed of…searches made by Londoners during the Olympics to give a real time 'barometer' of the city's interests and mood," said Google, one of the supporters of the project, which has also offered to provide the information feeds.

The team also envisage projecting weather information, spectator numbers, race results or even images of the Olympic Torch on to the building.

Ramps, stairs and lifts would carry people to the top of the structure to look out over the city.

 

[Ravioli]

Im confused....they are going to create a cloud in the sky made out of plastic bubbles that display images and data but also serves as a deck and a park?


HOW DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?!?!?! I cant even picture it in front of me. What use could this possibly have?

 

[Naph]

I want a tower like that in Red Faction Guerrilla. So I can see how placing an ungodly amount of explosives at the base would play out before trying to do it for real.

 

[Darkside55]

Pretty cool. I'm wondering if they'll be able to raise enough from donations, however.

 

[Dynasty]

Could work, the donations that is. Micro-donations from multiple places, quid from here, 1 from there.

Theyve said that the design can be constructed with £5million or even £50 million.

How good it will be is completely dependant on the funds they raise.

I kinda like that idea. They havent put a price on it and said 'right, we need x amount of money to do this'.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Well, I'll donate. When you think about it it's a bit like DLC for London.

 

[flamingdts]

Well, I'll donate. When you think about it it's a bit like DLC for London.

Well then, we'll be looking at tons of glitches and bugs and a few months times before the developers even consider patching up the issue.

 

[Danimal]

lol @ the cloud eventually being a hub to seperate the dignified rich, perched high and mighty above the grabby, most-likely cannibal poor beneath.

 

[<RJMC>]

We could provide a custom feed of…searches made by Londoners during the Olympics to give a real time 'barometer' of the city's interests and mood," said Google, one of the supporters of the project, which has also offered to provide the information feeds.

*london youngs start searching for goatse*

 

[Dynasty]

'a rea time barometer of the city's interests and mood'

So if they displayed it in colour, it would constantly be red?

 

[VirusType2]

I don't know about this; it sounds like a 1960's vision of THE FUTURE.

cool concept art

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

I want to donate but I am unable!