CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF THE DIGITAL ARCHIVE OF CIVILIZATION ACHIEVEMENTS IN KATOWICE (CIVILIZATION ARK)

The aim of Digital Archive of Civilization Achievements is to create a secure repository of information that is a kind of ark in today’s world. The idea of this digital archive is to ensure that our knowledge and achievements survive the worst and support future generations in the hypothetical restoration of the world.

The Digital Archive of Civilization Achievements is an answer to the world's problems in terms of global catastrophes like natural terrestrial disasters, nuclear war or even cosmic threats (for example: asteroid impact or gamma rays). Its main purpose is to keep in a safe repository all of the important data that our civilization has ever created. With this kind of shelter-like infrastructure, our civilization could restore the future world much easier in case of global “Doomsday”. Everything we have achieved and created can be digitized and safely stored in the proposed Digital Archive for a better and safer future of ours. The facility is located in a geographical location where potential natural (terrestrial) hazards do not occur. The digital archive has been designed deep underground, which is already a very good form of protection against radiation or explosion. In addition, using innovative technologies, the archive has been protected against shocks that may result from, for example, the fall of a celestial body or the explosion of a nuclear bomb. In order to protect the archive against human factors, part of the building has been separated only for specific personnel and persons with authorizations. The building performs many types of functions. In addition to the underground archive, there are also complementary functions inside of it, such as: supercomputer, smaller archives, data digitization labs and all kinds of offices. Despite the size of the project, the whole has been integrated into the urban layout that directly correlates and connects with the surroundings and creates a public space. The design of the building has a dystopian character referring to the subject of “sci-fi” and retrofuturism found in pop culture.