Bering Strait

A symbolic connection between the two Diomede Islands by common sense is not feasible. Due to geographical location and extreme weather conditions it can be easily considered as an isolated area of the world, with very low motivation for tourist destination. However we believe the strong symbolic meaning of the reconnection of the two continents would have a major cultural impact and a significant achievement for the human race. This has to be branded all over the world to have a clear statement of the new project. This can be achieved by a worldwide campaign for peace and human rights. Such campaign would put the Bering straight project on the map for every individual in every country. The technical achievements of this grand design would get the exposure not only on discovery channels and architectural magazines but would be incorporated in our everyday life. This is the main reason we decided we have to further develop the idea of the peace park specified in the scope of design, and turn it into an intercontinental movement, which can reach every individual on the planet.

Rediscovery of the ZEPPELIN
Zeppelins had a relatively short life, and due to the tragic accident of the Hindenburg Zeppelin they have been forgotten by the increasingly fast development of the world of technology. We found that the rehabilitation of Zeppelins would be an ideal approach of creating a world brand as PEACE AMBASSADOR. The unique character of these flying blobs would allow us to create an identity of metaphoric connections with+ peace, faith, and equality. In our design we also incorporated the image of the blue whales, the largest animals on the planet, which increases the grand scale and the idea behind this inspiring symbol. The Peace Ambassador is considered to be the highlight of our project, creating the main interest in a neutral position between the two islands. The Big and the Little Diomede islands are representing the two continents, and housing the major facilities of the research centre, the visitor accommodations together with the leisure centres, and different attractions for tourists. It would be an easy solution to place all the functions on one island, but this would work against our second major design idea:

The NEURON STATION
The connection of the two continents by a tunnel is a strong physical bond. This is represented in the symbolic connection of the two islands, therefore the link between these islands has to connect not only on a physical level but reflect the spiritual importance of this historic achievement. While the Peace Ambassador was inspired of grand precedent images as the Zeppelin or the blue whale, the link between the islands is evolved from the tiniest units of the human brain, the nerve cells. Nerve cells transport small electrical impulses from one cell to another, which we used as the form generator when designing the Neuron Station. We believe a bridging structure of ordinary pylons would not be appropriate for this case, as a heavy stoical bridge would not communicate the ideas of speed and the freedom of information exchange. Nevertheless bridges are usually constructed only for heavy transport routes while we doubt the Diomede Islands would possess anything close to this.