The Shimizu TRY 2004 Mega-City Pyramid is a proposed Shimizu Corporation project for the construction of a massive arcology-pyramid over Tokyo Bay in Japan. The structure would house 1,000,000 people. The structure would be 2,004 meters high, including five stacked trusses, each with similar dimensions to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza. This pyramid would help answer Tokyo's increasing lack of space, although the project would only handle a small fraction of the population of the Greater Tokyo Area. The proposed structure is so large that it could not be built with current conventional materials, due to their weight. The design relies on the futureavailability of super-strong lightweight materials based on carbon nanotubes presently being researched. The plan was to start construction in 2030, but no further action has been taken. Shimizu is still determined to complete the project by 2110, making history as the largest man-made structure in Earth's history.
Materials and construction process
The pyramid's foundation would be formed by 36 piers made of special concrete. Because the seismically activePacific Ring of Fire cuts right through Japan, the external structure of the pyramid would be an open network of megatrusses, supporting struts made from carbon nanotubes to allow the pyramid to stand against and let through high winds, and survive earthquakes and tsunamis. The trusses would be coated with photovoltaic film to convert sunlight into electricity and help power the city. The city will also be powered by pond scum or algae. Robotic systems are planned to play a major part in both construction and building maintenance.
Transportation within the city would be provided by accelerating walkways, inclined elevators, and a personal rapid transit system where automated pods would travel within the trusses. Housing and office space would be provided by twenty-four or more 30-story high skyscrapers suspended from above and below, and attached to the pyramid's supporting structure with nanotube cables.
