Mega-rural would be designed for sequential manufacture in former shipbuilding areas, for distribution nationally, or for export. A personal aim is to reinvigorate the semi-redundant super-sized enclosed Pallion dry-dock on the river Wear in Sunderland, in the North-East of England. Closed in 1988, after 6 centuries of shipbuilding in the region, but currently operating on ship repair and small fabrication, Pallion would offer an excellent manufacturing platform. www.pallionshipyard.co.uk/facilities.html
Like water droplets spread across the landscape, each spherical apartment unit can ‘dock’ with existing towns and villages within the existing B road network through peripheral farmland and woodland. Clustered in the countryside the spheres could equally be used to create new settlements, or be distributed along the fringes of other transport infrastructure.
The remote spheres have central lifts and servicing, and are elevated on two legs with footpads for minimal interruption of the surrounding landscape at ground level. The land is a communal amenity, or farmed for seasonal ‘Energy- Crops’, either for use as biomass, or to be fermented for the production of hydrogen for use in fuel cells.
The central core and atria arrangement feature sub-assemblies for small retail, such as a ‘cornershop’, for milk and newspapers, post office, farm shop, bakery, or café, with kindergarten and after school modules all as ‘standard options’ in the product range. Further ‘Social-Spheres’ might be identified within the rural setting, for gymnasia, swimming pools, restaurants, bingo, bars and cinema.