Wealthy people might not like the idea of living in relatively small “look-alike” apartments in a car-free city, as this would not give them much opportunity to display their wealth. The rich prefer to live in big houses with big grounds in a prestige area – perhaps with a (rarely used) swimming pool but with the space to entertain guests and to park their fleet of fancy cars and SUV’s.
OA-Cities should be no more expensive to build than conventional apartment blocks – and possibly much cheaper, given that pyramids are more structurally sound and stable than vertical-walled buildings and thus would arguably need shallower foundations and a lighter frame – possibly even utilising engineered timber, which is much lighter than steel or concrete. But, even if not the case, maintenance costs would be much lower due to their much simplified and more efficient infrastructure.
SMALL SPACES IN SMARTER PLACES
Most people would assume that such “exotic” edifices would be more costly to build than conventional high-rise. This may be the case initially, but only because pyramids are rarely built and prototypes always cost more. Costs will quickly come down once builders become familiar with pyramidal construction techniques. One could also speculate that, due to their intrinsic strength and stability, a pyramidal building would require a lighter skeleton and shallower foundations than an equivalent-sized “tall box”.
Even if the construction cost of pyramidal OA-City modules does prove to be more expensive than conventional vertical buildings, their smaller but more efficient living spaces, coupled with much lower energy and resource consumption, would make them much more economical in the long run. A cleverly designed living space of 50m2, with an outdoor view/entertainment patio (with solar-shutters), could also incorporate innovative space-saving ideas like elevator beds and the space-saving features used in cruising boats and motorised caravans. This would be more than adequate for a couple with perhaps a small child or two. Compact living spaces encourages and facilitates conservation, re-cycling, re-using, and “stuff control” – as important for the appearance of your living space as “portion control” is for your body.
I propose some form of CO-OPERATIVE ventures offering long leases, thus enabling lessees to customise their apartments should they want to add more luxury or special features. There should be no need (or financial advantage) for residents to buy their apartments, and there are many good reasons (discussed HERE), why buying is not such a great idea anyway. Living costs will be much lower, thus enabling lower salaries (explained HERE) which will attract employers, some of whom might lease a block of apartments and sub-let them to their employees.
