Man …you ought to swear by Dubai when it
comes to innovation! Speaking more precisely, innovation in construction and
relestate.
This time it is by the Deep Ocean
Technology…named Water Discus Hotel. This means the hotel would allow its
guests to sleep under water. Amazing?
Weird?... Unique for sure?
Water
Discus Hotel
What is it actually? This is an upcoming
hotel in Dubai which will comprise two discs – an underwater and above-water
one. This combination will allow guests to admire to depths of the oceans while
making the most of warm climate.
Credit goes to a Polish team of scientists
and engineers, which has unveiled plans for an underwater luxury hotel in
Dubai. The Water “Discus Hotel” will be comprised of an above-ground ‘disc’ as
well as an underwater ‘disc’. The above-ground disc will feature an exotic
garden, restaurant, spa, swimming pool, and helipad while the underwater disc
will house 21 guest rooms, a diving center, and a bar. The two parts of the
structure are connected by three solid legs and a vertical shaft containing a
lift and stairway. The size of each disc has been adjusted to local conditions.
At a glimpse…
The underwater disc, which will be 10
meters (~33 feet) below the water level, promises guests a unique experience;
perhaps the most luxurious amenity will be the panoramic views of a coral reef,
giving guests the opportunity to come as close as possible to reef and the
surrounding sea creatures without getting wet. Special lighting in the rooms
and remote controlled underwater vehicles that guests can control from their
rooms will allow guests to take a closer look at even the most microscopic
underwater creatures using macro photography.
Perhaps
the most luxurious amenity will be the panoramic views of a coral reef
For those wanting to get a little bit
closer to the marine life (and wet), quests will be able to dive the reef or
explore the area with ‘underwater tourist vehicle’ – the hotel will even offer
training courses for those interested in diving.
The Water Discus complex was designed to
ensure safety at all times, even in the most adverse weather conditions. The
structure sits up on three study legs fixed to the sea bed, and the upper disc
is suspended above the water surface. These two technical solutions will ensure
that Water Discus remains safe event ò a fairly high tsunami, which can
normally flood the nearest coastal areas.
The complex is surrounded by a beautifully
vibrant coral reef. This unique location will allow visitors to enjoy the
tropical weather and the colourful underwater world.
The disc, loacated up to 10 metres beneath
the surface of the sea, is composed of 21 hotel rooms adjacent to the
underwater dive centre and a bar. Each room is integrated with the underwater
world as closely as possible, offering a surprisingly direct, yet safe contact
with the local flora and fauna.
The disc and its adjacent satellites
loacated 5-7 metres above the water surface comprise a restaurant, a spa and a
special recreation area. A multifunctional lobby built inside an enormous
swimming pool shows the centre of the disc. The area around the underwater part
of the complex and diving activities may be watched as they happen on the
screens hanging on the lobby walls. This part of the complex is connected to
the satellites with glass-walled tunnels cutting through a training pool for
divers.
Dubai and its innovative constructions…
Water
Discus Hotel and view from the room
Dubai, has never failed to surprise. From
its modest beginnings as a sleepy fishing hamlet just a few decades back, the
‘city of gold’ has taken giant strides, establishing itself as a major
financial, trading and tourist centre. And yes, a destination to witness some
of the world’s stunning architectural achievements. It seems the construction
boom in bustling Dubai is far from over –already home to several world
record-holing projects, including the tallest building (for just a little while
longer), the largest shopping mall and biggest man-made island, plans are now
afoot to construct what will likely be the world’s largest underwater luxury
hotel, the Water Discus. Several years ago, we reported on another such
ambitious project, Hydropolis, which sadly never got past the blueprint stage.
If Polish company Deep Ocean Technology’s (DOT) plans come to fruition,
however, guests could one day find themselves asleep beneath the waters of the
Persian Gulf. To bring this fantasy complex into being, DOT, with the help of
Swiss firm BIG InvestConsult AG, turned to local shipyard Drydocks World, which
will be tasked with constructing the futuristic disc-shaped hotel. Plans also
call for a diving center complete with decompression chamber and air locks, a
spa, a spacious garden, open terraces above the waterline, and even a helipad
atop one of the surface discs for guests who wish to arrive by air.
To address the unpredictability that often
comes with projects involving the sea, the entire structure can be moved should
environmental (or economic) conditions change. For added safety, surface discs
will be byoyant and detachable from the main structure to act as lifeboats
should disaster strike. A large central shaft connects the submerged and
surface discs and contains both an elevator and stairs for easy access between
levels. Three adjustable columns add further support to the above-surface
portion of the structure, the various discs of which are themselves
interchangeable.
While the idea of staying underwater is far
from new, technology has greatly improved to meet the formidable challengers of
submarine construction, so the likelihood of this and similar projects actually
getting built is sure to increase. Famed exploer Jacques Cousteau once
envisioned numerous manned underwater colonies to facilitate exploration and
though that didn’t come to pass, for fans of underwater living, projects like
the Water Discus may prove to be the next best thing.
