November 26, 2012 (Spoon & Tamago)
Image: Anti-tsunami mounds would be placed in vulnerable coastal communities.
Shimizu Corporation last week announced a proposal
to build low-tech, low-cost “green mounds” in areas with an elevated
risk of being struck by a tsunami. The hills, which would rise between
10 and 15 meters, would be constructed from last year’s tsunami debris
and would serve primarily as an evacuation site that would delay the
entry of tsunamis. The structure of the mounds, the company states,
would absorb the force of the tsunami, rather than push against it the
way conventional seawalls are designed to do.
The mounds would come in 3 sizes – small, medium, and large. A small mound will accommodate 50 evacuees, would cost 100 million yen (about $1.3 million) and could be built in about 6 months. On the higher end, a large mound will accommodate 1,300 evacuees, would cost 500 million yen (about $6.3 million) and would take 18 months to build.
Below are some of the specs that the company lists:
It’s hard to take this company serious given their history of large-scale imaginative yet wholly impractical proposals. However, this idea seems a bit more realistic than their 6,800 mile long “Luna Ring” of solar panels that wrap around the moon. Or their floating islands with cities in the sky.
Shimizu Corporation last week announced a proposal
to build low-tech, low-cost “green mounds” in areas with an elevated
risk of being struck by a tsunami. The hills, which would rise between
10 and 15 meters, would be constructed from last year’s tsunami debris
and would serve primarily as an evacuation site that would delay the
entry of tsunamis. The structure of the mounds, the company states,
would absorb the force of the tsunami, rather than push against it the
way conventional seawalls are designed to do.The mounds would come in 3 sizes – small, medium, and large. A small mound will accommodate 50 evacuees, would cost 100 million yen (about $1.3 million) and could be built in about 6 months. On the higher end, a large mound will accommodate 1,300 evacuees, would cost 500 million yen (about $6.3 million) and would take 18 months to build.
Below are some of the specs that the company lists:
| Small Mound | Medium Mound | Large Mound | |
| Height | 10ｍ | 15ｍ | 15ｍ |
| Evacuee Capacity | 50 | 470 | 1300 |
| Cost | 100 million yen | 250 million yen | 500 million yen |
| Construction period | 6 months | 12 months | 18 months |
It’s hard to take this company serious given their history of large-scale imaginative yet wholly impractical proposals. However, this idea seems a bit more realistic than their 6,800 mile long “Luna Ring” of solar panels that wrap around the moon. Or their floating islands with cities in the sky.
