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Design of floating terminals requires integrated approach as it requires multi-machine systems. Master students in mechanical engineering from Multi-machine engineering track at TU Delft were assigned design of floating terminals as part of their Integration Project course. Each of seven student groups designed a specific piece of port equipment that was later integrated in the floating terminal design. This required different design approaches: a detailed one for the equipment design (structure and functionality), and conceptual one for the floating terminal (overall layout and operational strategy). This encouraged the students to develop skills needed in real working environment, managing the design process and decision making within their own group and discussing setup, basic designs and dimensions together with the other groups. Owning their design throughout the entire process was in particularly important to the students, as they wanted other groups to use their equipment design. For the terminal design they needed to make a case for the feasibility of the floating terminal, including logistics simulations and cost. This paper shows the benefits of integrated design project course, the methods used for its implementation, as well as addressing current challenges of online group design work and supervision. Being part of European Horizon 2020 project motivated the students even more to contribute to an overall bigger objective.

Sustainable floating city development has recently gained increasing popularity as a serious solution to climate change threats and land scarcity faced in urban areas. While many design and engineering aspects have been widely studied and tested, social acceptance and legal issues have been relatively underemphasized. The legal aspects of floating city development are multifaceted, contextual and rather complicated. It involves different scales and levels of legislation and branches of law. This paper aims to identify the current legal framework at different levels, as well as the knowledge gaps that still need to be filled in order to make living (i.e. human settlement) at sea possible and regulated. Taking the Netherlands as a host nation example for floating city development, the research investigates into the status-quo and future challenges regarding international law (United Nations Law of the Sea Convention [LOSC]), national laws and property law. The results shed light on the complex interrelations between different scales and levels of laws that need to be taken into account for expanding cities on water. Recommendations on future research and regulatory actions needed to overcome the challenges and facilitate the realization of sustainable floating city development are provided.

Sustainable floating city development has recently gained increasing popularity as a serious solution to climate change threats and land scarcity faced in urban areas. While many design and engineering aspects have been widely studied and tested, social acceptance and legal issues have been relatively underemphasized. The legal aspects of floating city development are multifaceted, contextual and rather complicated. It involves different scales and levels of legislation and branches of law. This paper aims to identify the current legal framework at different levels, as well as the knowledge gaps that still need to be filled in order to make living (i.e. human settlement) at sea possible and regulated. Taking the Netherlands as a host nation example for floating city development, the research investigates into the status-quo and future challenges regarding international law (United Nations Law of the Sea Convention [LOSC]), national laws and property law. The results shed light on the complex interrelations between different scales and levels of laws that need to be taken into account for expanding cities on water. Recommendations on future research and regulatory actions needed to overcome the challenges and facilitate the realization of sustainable floating city development are provided.