An unusual architectural project is being planned

The world is full of innovative and distinctive properties, but one project that hit the headlines in recent weeks is particularly unique. A group of architects has launched a crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise £1.85 billion to build a life-size replica of the city of Minas Tirith from the Lord of the Rings in the south of England. Fans are being asked to donate to fund the project with a wide range of perks available for contributing, ranging from an engraved plaque to a lordship or ladyship of the city. The funds would be used to purchase the land for the city (£15 million), for labour to construct it (£144 million) and for materials (£1.4 billion). Any money that remained afterwards would be used to maintain the city and provide public services.If the funds are successfully raised, construction could begin in 2016 with the aim to finish the city by 2023 at which time people would be able to move in and visit. Two sites are being looked at, both in the south of England. Minas Tirith would be an attraction for tourists as well as an experiment in communal living.News of the project, entitled Realise Minas Tirith, spread quickly and generated many responses, including another crowdfunding campaign to raise £1 million to recreate the Orc siege of the city once it is built. This shows how people respond enthusiastically to architectural projects that capture the imagination and offer something different.Although it's highly unlikely that these projects will achieve the funding they require and they will almost certainly remain purely at the concept stage, the idea of a city like Minas Tirith being built is an interesting one. If it compels people to think about residential architecture in the future and the ways in which communal living could work, it will be a success in a different way.