When the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, announced plans for the construction of Bitcoin City, no one could believe it. This ambitious project by architect Fernando Romero has taken everyone by surprise.
First of all, Bitcoin City is envisioned as a city of 7,466 hectares that will be located at the base of the Conchagua volcano, in the southeast of this Central American country. The metropolis is planned as a perfect circle, evoking the shape of a coin.
But beyond its name, which immediately refers to the famous cryptocurrency, the interesting thing about this city is the volcano around which it will be built. The Conchagua is key to the project since its geothermal energy will feed the entire power grid of Bitcoin City that of course, will have cryptocurrency mining as the backbone of its economy.
A smart city powered by a volcano
Architect Fernando Romero explained that Bitcoin City will be a citizen-centered space. In that sense, he says that the city will be partially car-free, will have numerous pedestrian areas, bicycle lanes, and a light rail network to facilitate travel in it.
Romero also said that the new Salvadoran city will have an express train that will connect it to an airport, seaport, and other neighboring cities. During the launch of the project, it was pointed out to journalists that Bitcoin City is a 50% residential, 50% services project. Therefore, it will have everything you would normally expect to find in a city: educational, health, and retail centers. It was also announced that this city will have smart buildings and digital services, including NFT galleries.
As for the urban plan of Bitcoin City, it was reported that it will have as its axis a main square crowned with a huge ‘B’ (for bitcoin, of course). According to the press release from FR-EE, the architectural firm led by Fernando Romero, this public space will be a venue for events such as concerts, but there will also be a museum with exhibitions on the history of money.
Waiting for Bitcoin investors
To attract commercial and technological investors, the creators of Bitcoin City will offer a series of incentives. Although there are no precise dates for the start and completion of works, it was also learned that this city will have an investment cost in terms of public infrastructure of around 300,000 bitcoins. As is known, El Salvador is the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.
Bitcoin City is one of the many projects FR-EE is currently working on. This global architecture and design firm founded by Fernando Romero has offices in New York and Mexico City. Among its best-known projects are the Soumaya Museum and the G-20 Convention Center, both in Mexico. FR-EE is currently working with Foster + Partners on the New International Airport of Mexico City.