( CNN ) -- Could a floating dome that can house up to 10,000 people be a model for future living ? Russian architect Alexander Remizov thinks so -- and his prototype design , called `` The Ark , '' bears more than a passing resemblance to the classic children 's toy , the Slinky . Remizov believes his Ark , designed to be constructed from timber , steel and high-strength ETFE plastic , could be adapted for all kinds of environments and put to a number of different uses , including emergency housing -- its prefabricated structure should allow it to be constructed quickly -- and hotels . He 's even suggested a variation with a honeycomb-style hull that can float . After completing a Masters degree looking at non-polluting settlements , Remizov decided to pursue that theme with his architecture firm Remistudio and design a modern building that would be in harmony with the environment . He says that he took a holistic approach to the problems of providing power to The Ark , working with colleague Lev Britvin on energy solutions to keep it in balance with the environment . A wind power generator that runs through the center of the building would provide power while the outer surface would be covered with transparent solar panels . If the Ark was built on water , as Remizov suggests , he says it could also utilize thermal water energy . `` The form of a dome promotes the formation of turbulences of air , strengthening the work of wind generators , '' wrote Remizov in an email to CNN . `` Inside the building , the dome form promotes accumulation of warm air in the top part of a building , '' he continued . `` This heat will be transformed to other kinds of energy and collects also in thermal accumulators . '' While still on the drawing board , Remizov believes The Ark could be used for many purposes from apartments to offices and hotels , and be built on different scales to house between 50 and 10,000 people . The way in which the Ark could be assembled from ready-made structures would reduce the cost of construction , suggests Remizov , who estimates that it would be comparable to the cost of energy-efficient `` green '' buildings . `` Lightweight materials , such as coating film , light design of the foundation , no insulation due to the presence of the buffer zone , reduce the weight structures , which would lead to cheaper construction , '' he said .
The Ark is designed to be a multi-use environmentally friendly building . Russian architect believes it would be a building in balance with nature . Comment: One version of design could float on water .