The desert flying whales

Large part of land mass, about one third, is occupied by mostly uninhabited desert areas and "hostile" environments to human life. City with a great past, often find themselves overwhelmed by the sand of the desert which invades those vast areas that were once cultivated lands. For those reasons, these places have lived temporarily by nomadic inhabitants who "face" them as a challenge, certainly not in order to populate them on. Does it makes sense to revive these areas as places for life? Does it makes sense to speak of a skyscraper in the desert? Nowadays we only find solar towers, or proposals involving the underground colonization. We believe it is however still possible to reclaim these places, using modern technologies for crops, and ensuring a place that offers shelter from the heat and, at one time, protection from the cold and all the elements that would compromise life. Thinking of a physical place that suddenly upsets the nomadic habits of the people would be unrealistic. So we thought about a system which not only guarantees life but also allows to preserve the customs of the people allowing their transfers in the desert territories. The idea took the form of a mobile structure, a cover technology, a tent for tents, light and rigid, airborne through a system deliberately ecological, and with a strong symbolic narrative appeal. An idea that takes shape and becomes physical, creating visions and reality to the edge of the surreal. The flying whales were frequently mentioned in the literature and we can find several references in the traditions and folk tales, in which are they used with purposes partly due to our own. The whole system is essentially based on three main components that ensure the operations: - the base that serves as a cover and dam reservoir; - the blimp-whale; - the Beacon buoy. This organism can take different spatial configurations as needed and any use you intend to make: - In flight and still; - base resting on the ground: • airship support • airship in flight - raised and moving. The base, which acts as a cover, is made of iridescent composite material which allows it to take on the color of the environment in which it goes to insert. The roof is supported by a network structure, which is directly connected to the base of the airship. This network can be rewound or tensioning depending on the position of the elements. The blimp-whale is the most visible part, the icon in the memory and the primary source of energy. The skin is made up of a photovoltaic membrane interposed by a network-structure that provides photovoltaic energy and ensures the seal of the gas (helium) inside it. The inner part contains other elements: a core energy and the control room with a space for visitors. At the top of the airship there is a 515 meters long rope provided with a red marker light, working like a beacon visible from great distances, to not get lost in sea of sand. It is therefore thought a new way to live for a long time uninhabited territories, promoting the creation of new self-sustaining communities exploiting only natural resources and taking advantage of the products that they made from it. The desert is the territory that most lends itself to maximize the potential of this project. Airships, inspired by the surreal vision of "flying whales", will move in the world deserts ensuring the livelihoods of entire populations. Just like the film Star Trek IV "The Voyage Home", whales will save the planet.