Houses on the sea

One high-tech vision is for Singapore to create floating cities made up of artifical islands in the waters around us.

It would take about 10 years to construct a Green Float with a 1-km-high tower and a base that is 3 km in diameter. Once completed, it is expected to last 100 years.

Moreover,this structure is extremely modular, being able to "grow" outwards to accomodate more people.

Building over roads

In Singapore, roads take up 12% of our scarce land. So why not put that land to good use, for example, by constructing buildings over it?

The idea of building over major roads has been carried out in Singapore with the $16 million Eco-Link@BKE, to restore the ecological connection between the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Experts believe, even though the construction of these buildings may be more expensive, this would be well offset with the dual-use nature of the land, effectively result in a halving of land costs.

Houses, on top of houses

Possible solutions in other countries include adding additional storeys on top of new ones

As these additional modules are constructed in a factory environment, then merely assembled on site, they are of better quality.

Moreover, adding 1 floor to a building only takes a day or less, without the loud drilling and construction noises residents would normally have to bear.