The rapid growth of the global population has created an increasing demand for the sustainable use of ocean space. Urban, infrastructural, and industrial activities must coexist in harmony. The FAMOS project seeks to advance the sustainable blue economy by developing innovative multi-use marine space concepts, building on the consortium’s latest research findings.
The proposed concepts feature modular floating islands that integrate renewable ocean energy devices, floating foundations, novel mooring systems, and floating breakwaters. In the design phase, key considerations include cost-effectiveness, structural integrity and reliability, production efficiency, and the needs of users across different European sea basins.
To address societal demands for water, energy, food, and usable space, each type of island is tailored to a specific function—for example: freshwater production (aqua island), wind energy (wind island), solar energy (solar island), and multifunctional use (life island).
Through a multidisciplinary approach, the project examines a wide range of factors, from social and environmental impacts to mechanical design and optimisation, the dynamics of floating structures, and both numerical and experimental methods. Guided by the logic of the theory of change, FAMOS adopts a transdisciplinary and participatory strategy, aiming to deliver tangible socio-technical transformations.
The project is coordinated by the University of Florence (Italy) in partnership with the University of Agder (Norway), Jagiellonian University (Poland), and the University of Cyprus.
The surge in global population signifies an increasing demand for urban, infrastructural, and industrial space, as well as vital resources like water, energy, and food. Addressing these challenges involves harnessing the potential of the ocean. FAMOS seeks to contribute to the development of multi-use offshore marine spatial concepts in the ocean.
As existing floating marine structures are primarily restricted to near-shore areas with mild wave conditions, vast exposed offshore marine regions are untapped. As such, FAMOS will develop innovative modular floating island concepts for offshore sites. A possible layout may consist of floating islands with shared mooring solutions. This floating archipelago may be protected by very large floating breakwaters to assure necessary protection, achieving cost-effectiveness while maintaining high system reliability. To cope with the societal needs of water, energy, food and usable space, a specific island serves each need, such as the production of fresh water (aqua island), wind energy (wind island), solar energy (solar island), and usable space (life island).
Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the project considers diverse facets, including social and environmental aspects, mechanical design and optimisation, dynamics of floating structures, as well as numerical and experimental methods. The pursuit of projected outcomes and impacts follows the logic of the theory of change, encompassing a transdisciplinary and participatory strategy. This approach emphasises the actors and contextual aspects of change, aiming for tangible socio-technical transformations. It surpasses mere social acceptance concepts by involving social actors from project inception through development and completion of research and technological advancements.
In this project, the University of Agder (Norway) will lead the conceptual development of modular islands with connection systems in close collaboration with other project partners.
