The Arc
Buildings, eventually. One Beacon per continent and never more, then Arcs, then Nodes, sited where students already pass rather than where they live, because that is the variable that decides whether a building is full.
The three tiers
Every tier is defined by numbers before it is defined by adjectives, what it has to be in order to work, written down before anything is signed.
140–190,000 sq ft · one per continent
What it is
The largest room in the network. A shuttered department store, a closed rail hall, a building that already exists and already knows how to hold a crowd.
Levels
5–7
Density
One per continent, and never more
Silent floor
150–250 carrels
Hours
Open late, every day
45–75,000 sq ft · one per 250–400k students
What it is
The working unit of the network. Sited where students already pass rather than where they live, because that is the variable that decides whether a building is full.
Levels
2–4
Density
One per 250–400,000 students
Silent floor
Yes, one full floor
Hours
Open late, every day
12–25,000 sq ft · one per 60–90k students
What it is
Density, not grandeur. A building twelve minutes away is used ten times more than a better one forty-five minutes away, and that ratio is the whole argument for this tier.
Levels
1–2
Density
One per 60–90,000 students
Silent floor
One room
Hours
Open late, every day
Where this stops
What is decided
The tiers, their sizes, their densities and the rule that there is never more than one Beacon per continent. Chicago is first, in 2028.
What is not
Every address. The globe on the landing page is a survey of intent, not a map of leases. When a site has an address it gets a page with a photograph on it, and until then it does not.
Become an Arc Citizen
An Arc Citizen card gets you in the door, reserves a room, checks out a laptop, and books a seat on the silent floor. It costs nothing and it always will. It exists so a room can be reserved, not so anybody can be charged.
None of that works yet, because zero doors exist. So be plain about what registering does today: it puts an email address on a list, and that list gets one message, once, when the first building has an address. It is not a queue: there is no order to be in and no place to lose. It is a way of not having to find us again in 2028.
If you are a landlord, a university or a city rather than a person looking for somewhere to work, the specification above is what you need and the conversation starts at a different door.