This floating city looks like a manta ray for a very specific reason

This looks like a manta ray but it is actually a giant floating city. 

It is designed to house thousands of people on the water. 

This enormous oceanic city has been designed by French architect and Oceanographer Jacques Rougerie. 

It’s called the City of Mériens and is big enough to hold 7,000 researchers.

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Rougerie says the name comes from the word ‘mérien’, which he coined, meaning “one belonging to the sea”. 

Measuring about 900 meters (3000 feet) by 500 meters (1600 feet), the manta ray-shaped vessel is gigantic. 

And why is it the shape of a manta ray? 

The floating city has been carved into the shape of the sea animal to best resist turbulence in rough seas. 

With this design, the vessel can also dive up to 120 meters below the surface. 

The design also allows for a huge lagoon in the middle.

Rougerie says the lagoon will be an integral part of the vessel, serving as an aquaculture breeding farm.

With it, scientists can study various marine species in a controlled environment.

Rougerie wants it to be home to people who love the sea just as much as he does. 

He wants researchers, teachers and students to call the manta ray home while they explore what goes on below the surface. 

He also plans for it to be fitted with laboratories, classrooms and living quarters. 

The City of Mériens will also be self-sustaining, meaning it will run on marine energy. 

Rougerie, who specializes in underwater habitats, also claims his giant city will produce no waste. 

While the City of Mériens is purely conceptual, Rougerie is already building a floating lab for the structure. 

The lab alone, called the SeaOrbiter, will have 12 floors, six of them that sit below the water, and will cost $50 million to complete. 

Rougerie plans to have his manta ray-shaped city up and running, and ready for researchers to move into by 2050. 

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