Bering Strait tunnel, light bridge, new age of the ’Babel Tower’ as a globalization symbol

A global transportation network

A railway may be compared with yeast which helps intellectual ferment among the people. Sometimes it meets absolute wild persons and it helps to improve their intellectual level that is necessary for their work.

S. U. Vitte, 1890
A Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire

Transportation infrastructure connecting continents

Continents connection or the world consolidation is a global mankind step to equilibrium, stability and harmony. In Russian ‘peace' and ‘world' are the same word. Creation of the global terrestrial transportation network which connects four continents is not a fantasy. Nowadays it is a necessity. Such projects are the basis of the new world and new ideology; they unite human activities to implement their ideas which benefit not a single state but the whole humanity.

Globalization is powers consolidation directed to surviving mankind. Large scale of the project has a meaning of availability of the terrestrial connection both through the Bering Strait and among four continents. It enables people to learn the world, explore new lands, and expand their world outlook. It means a new era of ‘new man' who doesn't depend on national and cultural prejudices.

Unite and create

Connection in the Bering Strait is an important part in the global project for the world consolidation. Its task is a key ultimate link in the large labour-intensive and long-term work. The project will lead to strengthening trade and political relations, limiting and warning the war, changing cultural values. The global tasks of mankind are directed to survival and self-preservation.

Not touching the ground

Topos

Climate. The Bering Strait is classified as Antarctica; in winter the range of temperature is from -20 to -50° C, the arctic winds are more than 40mps. Polar day, polar night which lasts for almost a half of the year, ice drift, icebergs, breeze and mist are main characteristics of the given climatic zone.

Biosphere. Unique geographical position (a joint of two continents and two oceans) has turn the region of the Bering Strait into an original migratory corridor and a crossroad of the migratory routes of terrestrial and sea animals from different regions of the Earth, it is a main site forming cold-resistant kinds of flora and fauna as well. There are more than three million specimens which are very picturesque. Many kinds of pinnipeds (e.g. sea cows, seals) form the most rookeries. Vegetation of the islands is predominately grassy, sedge cotton-grass with dwarf subshrubs and moss. It is very important to note that the topsoil is ‘susceptible' and ‘vulnerable' so it requires careful and delicate treatment. It is necessary to save and maintain the existing ecosystem, try to minimize harm caused by construction and operation.

Ethnic group. The locals of two islands were descended from the same tribe. Nowadays there is an Eskimo settlement on Krusenstern Island. Preservation of culture and way of life of authentic settlements are of great importance. So far as there is no distinct advantage on using the islands for construction, we have decided to reject it. The tunnel constructed and Peace Park should be a connected structure. We should combine without destructing, without causing harm to our ecology. So all processes of human activities are detrimental to ecology, construction and maintenance should minimize the harm.

The tunnel and Park should be the most power efficient, ecological, economical structures. They should be an example for the whole world.

Ecology and energy

Construction and maintenance of the tunnel and the park in the given climatic zone require the most powerful power supply. All system should be nonvolatile and isolated from the environment. A large atrium inside the park enables to create a half-closed ecosystem, i.e. evergreen oasis among the arctic ices. The artificial ecosystem will help to refine carbonic acid, generate oxygen and recycle biodegradable waste. Natural ventilation of space will be implemented at the expense of the atrium. Solid waste will be removed and recycled on the continent. Environmental and climatic characteristics of the region enable to use wind-powered generators for effective receiving electricity. Peace Park should be integrated with a small power station with wind turbines. It is the ecologically safest way of generating electricity.

Geometry is a queen of science

Layout

In order to use facilities rationally and islands inviolability under construction it is necessary to connect continents be the shortest path. The tracing obtained is located to north of the islands and a middle of the path is situated on the International Date Line and on the boundaries of Western and Eastern Hemisphere. It is a place where Peace Park will be erected.

Why is it a tunnel?

Under the ground, but not over it

Nowadays there are two realistic ways of connecting the continents. They are connected with a tunnel or bridge. If we take into consideration the climatic conditions of the region, the project with bridge connection has a number of drawbacks. The first drawback is the severe climatic conditions, such as storm wind and extremely low temperature. Secondly, it is labour-intensiveness of construction. Bridge erecting should be done from floating facilities whose dimensions exceed several times than bridge components; besides, the strait is frozen for the most time of a year. Finally, bridge maintenance will be very risky because the tiers are subjected to ice impact. The only advantage of the bridge is its capability to be a powerful link between the continents. The construction of the tunnel is less symbolic, but more realistic and purposeful. The tunnel should have a utilitarian function carrying passengers and cargoes from one continent to another. It is Peace Park that is a symbol. The construction of the tunnel is erected with the automated tunnel erecting facilities that can lead to considerable reduction of the human resources. Tunneling is built deep in the ground, therefore climatic factors cannot influence on the building process.

Technical characteristics of the tunnel

The tunnel consists of three separate tunnels, two of them being intended for trains in two-way movement. The third tunnel located between the railway tunnels is an oil-and-gas pipeline. It is intended for evacuating rescue units when there is an emergency situation as well. For this purpose three tunnels are connected with passages every 350m, they serve for distributing airstream when the trains move. The tunnel has stations on the continents and a station in Peace Park. Besides, there are two emergency stations in the middle of the ways between continents and Peace Park. The tunnel is fitted out with three switches for shifting trains motion if it is necessary. The structural framework consists of external and internal envelopes and a drain field between them, which is intended for water floating. Here there are pumps for removing smoke and water if it is necessary. The drain field is equipped with fire-resisting bulkheads every 25m. Driving a private vehicle is not allowed for safety purpose. Vehicles are loaded into special wagons which drive through the tunnel.

Protoform

Tetrahedron

The International Date Line runs equidistant between the hemispheres. It is a point where yesterday, today and tomorrow meet. It is a key energetic element of the project. Being on the Russian-American border the point doesn't belong to states. It is the point where there will be an artificial island covered by a dome. The form chosen is a regular tetrahedron. This polyhedron is a simplex of three-dimensional space. It consists of four regular triangle faces connected among them with six edges. The tetrahedron forms a rigid, statically definable structure. Tetrahedron made of rods is often used as a base for a space bearing structure of building spans, bridging, girders, bridge trusses, etc. The rods are subjected to only buckling load. It is a rigid stable structure. Meanwhile the structure is energy-effective because it has a compared square of the external surface to the interior volume. Such structure withstands glacial drift and wind very much. A tetrahedron symbolizes stability, equilibrium and resistance. It is a symbol of the mankind which is in harmony with the environment.

Form semantics is:

1. A new age of the ‘Babel Tower'
2. Egypt Pyramids
3. A shelter of branches
4. A Whig, a yurta, a tent of skins, a yaranga
5. A polar explorer's tent
6. A hub of the universe
7. A lighthouse
8. A sundial
9. An iceberg top
10. Four edges is like four continents connected with the tunnel

Main Functions are:

1. Congress Hall is a survival forum; it is a place for uniting activities on mankind survival.
2. Atrium Park is Peace Park or ‘evergreen oasis', it is an open inner space in a large scale with a semi-closed ecosystem, an artificial climate and a display area.

Accompanying functions are:

1. A hotel
2. A spot complex
3. An engineering unit
4. A transportation unit

Construction technology

In the project a tunnel connects two settlements: Naukan in Russia and Wales in US. Intermediate stations are situated on the intersection of the tunnel and the International Date Line without touching upon the ground.

Construction stages are:

1. Preparation of construction sites on the ground, stabilization of the sea-bed for erecting concrete footing.
2. Construction of the concrete footing of Peace Park. Construction of the terminal stations on the continents.
3. Lifting base-bearing structures of Peace Park with the help of the compressed-air jacks and their latching, in the sequel these structures will be supports for installing lifting gears which are used for erecting the complex and tunnel.
4. Erecting auxiliary engineering facilities : a relieving wall, a pumping station, a plant for reprocessing retrievable rock into the concrete; dewatering construction sites before starting of the drilling activities, preparation of tunnel erected complexes start-up.
5. Starting three tunnel erected complexes towards Peace Park from the Eurasia continent; simultaneously starting three tunnel complexes from Peace Park towards the former ones.
6. Erecting space-bearing framework of the complex: filling a base-bearing framework with structures in the form of the tetrahedron with the length of 27m.
7. Erecting a space framework of the envelope buildings from the modules with sides of 4.5m
8. Filling the framework of the envelope buildings with the modules for passing engineering communications and technological corridors for the maintenance, installing and connecting modules of wind-powered generators and translucent structures, closure of the thermal outline. On this stage the tunnel construction is to be completed, materials delivering being implemented by rail.
9. Arranging infrastructure construction and implementing activities inside the thermal outline, i.e. completing construction works.

Peace Park

Atrium

Peace Park is an atrium with exposition space, artificial microclimate, located inside the pyramid, symbolizing harmony, unity, understanding and peace. The atrium space is rich in vegetation and represents a green garden. The atrium enclosing constructions are made of light transparent material. This allows contemplating an arctic landscape inside the atrium and the green park — from the outside. The atrium centre is on the International Date Line. Here we can see the artificial sun in the form of the sphere radiating a wide range of light rays, necessary the park vegetation photosynthesis. Being on the International Date Line the park is a date machine of its kind being able to move at a speed of 24 hours per one second in one step. In this way walking in one step you can move from the western hemisphere to the eastern one and vice versa. The light ray passes through the atrium body. It is drawn by two infra-red lasers processing the systems of focusing and expansion installed in opposite continents. These installations have made the arrangement of intercontinental laser shows possible.

Exposition

The development of society and its survival in harmony with environment is the main thematic direction of the exposition. Its space is divided into three blocks located in the atrium planes:

1. “The society” includes the social sciences (history, politology, philosophy, economics)
2. “The spirit”: art, religion, spiritual harmony.
3. “The planet”: natural sciences (astronomy, geography, ecology)

The exposition is developed from the bottom to the top in accordance with time duration — from the past to the present.

Movement

Movement in the atrium is performed by three ways:

1. Movement in a spiral — review of all exposition blocks in consecutive order.
2. Movement upwards in each of the exposition blocks.
3. Cross-movement from one block to the others, from the level to the level allows making up one's own itinerary of the exposition.

The enumerated ways of movement also tie the functional blocks of the pyramid together. 

Biosphere

It is an artificial microclimate with abundant greenery. It represents a vertical garden with various vegetation, filled with different accompanying functions. In the space meeting people of different nationalities, cultures and social status is possible; one can spend the time here (rest, entertainment and possibility of learning the world).

The symbols are:

1. The light bridge (ray)
2. The sphere (inner sun)
3. Bridges (numerous pedestrian passages inside the atrium)
4. The oasis (evergreen island)

Noosphere is a thinking layer

The language

A language is a sign system by means of which a human intercourse is exercised in various levels including thinking, storage and transfer of information, etc. For speech speakers are necessary, says Martin Heidegger in his On the Way To Language who are rather themselves present in their speaking what they are condemned to. In the field of language a complex structure of elements and their interaction are disclosed, whose unity is stipulated by ‘setting up' (a notion in the sense of ‘setting up a garden', i.e. laying out, digging up, sapling planting).

New era of the Babel Tower

The Babel Tower is the tower to which the Bible legend narrated in the first nine passages of Chapter 11 of Genesis is devoted. According to this legend after the world flood mankind was represented by the people speaking one language. From the east the people came to Sennaar (in the lower stream of Tigris and Euphrates) where they made up their minds to build a town called Babylon and a tower as tall as the heaven to ‘make a name for themselves'. The tower building was interrupted by the Lord who had mixed the language of people and for this reason they stopped understanding each other, were unable to continue the tower building and got dispersed all over the world. Thus the legend as for the Babel Tower explains the appearance of different languages after the world flood. Peace Park like the Babel Tower of a new era is to carry out an opposite function on a new level. Each visitor or an official can use a set with a built-in universal translator. The set compares signal from the sets of other people in a certain radius, transforming interlocutor's speech into the necessary language. such a global system of a universal language will not only be easily understood but will help in mastering a foreign language.