Wayaland, the art of living on the water
The italian architect Pierpaolo Lazzarini imagined Wayaland, a floating city formed of modular pyramids, which will soon be able to offer different living and entertainment facilities, including hotels, shops, spas, gymnasiums, restaurants and cinemas.
Inspired by the architecture of the Mayan era of Mexico and also, in part, by that of Japanese temples, the Italian designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini designed a project of floating houses in the shape of pyramids – called Wayaland –, which could form a city whole. Indeed, each Waya modular pyramid will offer different places of life and entertainment, such as hotels, shops, spas, gyms, restaurants and cinemas. Complemented by solar panels that will cover the walls of the buildings and by water turbines for energy supply, the project aims to present a new experience of offshore living in a self-sufficient community. The main pyramid will have a square base platform, measuring 54 × 54 meters. The total area of the structure will be approximately 3,000 square meters. The module can have up to 10 floors, the maximum height above the water surface being 30 meters. The frame is made, in part, of fiberglass, carbon and steel, and it will be assembled piece by piece. The basement will include a large entrance for boats and will be the storage place for engines, equipment and generators. Pierpaolo Lazzarini has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the construction of a smaller version of the floating pyramid, by the year 2022. It will be a 2-storey building with a base of 10 × 10 meters. According to the designer, building the first house will require 350,000 euros, which he plans to pay back in a year, by turning the module into a hotel, with the price of a night set at 1,000 euros. Each contributor will vote, to decide where to mount the first structure of this type in the world. Thus, Wayaland will offer a new experience of life at sea, that of a community built around the idea of humans on the water.
