People will live in the sea earlier than in space. Already today, underwater hotels, houseboats and entire cities are being built.
In a world where many of the dreams of science fiction writers have already come true, including hydrogen fuel, cellular communications, computer voice recognition, animal cloning and more, it is difficult to surprise someone with another dream come true - life in the ocean, says Canadian futurist Mike Flynn.
According to him, the projects of floating houses and underwater hotels, which 20 years ago were difficult to imagine somewhere other than the colorful pages of popular science magazines, are already being implemented today, and in some places they even have price tags.
Today in the world there are more than a dozen companies specializing in the construction of floating houses
Today in the world there are more than a dozen companies specializing in the construction of floating houses. Many architects have already made a name for themselves by designing various underwater dwellings. In the next decade, at least two underwater hotels will appear, and both claim to be five-star. The list of megacities of the planet may be replenished with new names of cities, which will consist of boats and houseboats, like the boat town of Aberdeen Harbor, which is growing at a rapid pace in the bay of Hong Kong.
Futurists fall into two camps, Flynn notes. Some believe that it is necessary to throw all the forces of mankind into space exploration. Others believe that it is foolish to neglect the vastness of the oceans.
Considering the number of projects of surface and underwater structures that are beginning to turn into reality in different parts of the planet, we can say that people will begin to live under water much earlier than on Mars, Flynn concludes.
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Joachim Hauser, who is developing a project for a unique underwater hotel in Dubai for the UAE authorities, agrees with him. “Living underwater has been a human dream for millennia,” he says. "But only today it becomes possible."
Oil legacy
In 2010, the Associated Press once again shocked the world with a scandalous investigation. It concerned the abandoned oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Reporters counted as many as 27 thousand permanently or temporarily mothballed platforms.
The authors of the investigation focused their attention on the then topical issue of security. Against the backdrop of the disaster on the BP platform, they were most interested in the likelihood of oil leakage from abandoned wells, work on many of which ceased back in the 1940s.
Since then, no accidents and giant oil leaks have occurred anymore, and therefore interest in the topic has subsided. But not really. In 2012, it turned out that information about abandoned platforms was useful not only for ecologists seeking to protect the oceans from the consequences of humankind's irrepressible craving for the burning of minerals. Aimlessly rusting platforms in the ocean have become the object of close attention from people dreaming of ocean exploration.
Ku Yi Ki and Or Su Vern propose that at least some of the abandoned platforms should be reconstructed into structures from which to benefit.
The most realistic to date, according to experts, the project was presented by Malaysian designers. Ku Yi Ki and Or Su Vern propose that at least some of the abandoned platforms be reconstructed into structures from which to benefit.
The Malaysians are going to turn the platforms into hotels, housing estates and research stations. Some platforms are structures large enough to accommodate both above surface and underwater living spaces. In addition, they can serve as an excellent basis for the creation of diving stations - people, wearing wetsuits, will be able to go out immediately at great depths.
Ku Yi Ki and Or Su Vern are convinced that their idea deserves careful consideration by investors. Investments in the reconstruction of existing buildings will be significantly lower than if it was a construction from scratch.
In addition, Malaysians believe that it is high time to start developing this topic. Indeed, as mankind increasingly uses alternative energy sources, the number of mothballed oil platforms will only grow. What is not a reason to start the real development of the World Ocean, enthusiasts ask themselves.
Floating residence
Humanity has been building houseboats since time immemorial, but this trend has not become widespread. Perhaps everything will change in the 21st century. As a result of global warming, the level of the World Ocean rises, which leads to serious destruction of the coastline near human settlements in many coastal regions of the planet.
In some countries, the situation may become critical in the coming decades. For example, in Holland. Not surprisingly, Dutch engineers are actively developing technologies that will allow the country's inhabitants to survive the sea advances on land.
The most famous at the moment are the developments of the Waterstudio company, created by the architect Cohen Oltius. The company is engaged in the design of water houses, including multi-apartment buildings.
The sale of apartments located in floating houses on the coast near the Dutch city of Utrecht has already begun
The sale of apartments located in floating houses on the coast near the Dutch city of Utrecht has already begun. The press dubbed this place "the floating quarter". There is nothing wrong with the fact that the house will be floating if it is still comfortable for its inhabitants, the architect argues.
The same opinion is shared by his Italian colleague Giancarlo Zema, the author of the Trilobis floating house project, which, in addition to the ability to float, has another unique ecology-related feature. Trilobis uses only environmentally friendly energy sources - sunlight and hydrogen fuel.
Of course, this project cannot be called a global solution to the problems of humanity in connection with the expected warming, since the house is not large. It is only 20 m long and is designed to accommodate six people. The house will rise 3.5 meters above the water and have one “basement” floor at a depth of 1.4 meters below sea level.
But Zema is incorporating the potential for scale up into her project. He chose a shape that would make it easy to dock several similar houses with each other, so that you can create whole neighborhoods, streets and even cities afloat.
Marine skyscraper
Zeme owns another ambitious project, which, quite possibly, is being implemented in the near future. The architect proposes to build a Neptune 60 tower off the coast of Italy, which will grow from the seabed, lean on the coastal rocks and rush up to a height of 20 m.
The architect proposes to build a Neptune 60 tower off the coast of Italy, which will grow from the seabed, lean on the coastal rocks and rush up to a height of 20 m.
The tower has four main sections. The living quarters will be located on the surface. An observation deck is planned at the top. At sea level there are docks for floating facilities. And in the underwater part there will be a highlight of the Neptune 60 project - an underwater viewing gallery and gateways for fans of underwater walks in spacesuits.
The different levels of the tower will be connected by spiral staircases with sea-facing windows and a glass elevator. The area of each floor will be 250 sq. m, and the area of the observatory on the roof is 80 sq. m.
Underwater room
In the era of the heyday of space tourism, the classic hotel business, of course, will not decline, because not everyone will be able to afford to spend a vacation outside the earth's atmosphere. However, the usual land-based tourism will soon have another competitor. It will compete with space tourism underwater.
And we are not talking about extreme underwater expeditions, which require preliminary preparation and excellent health. The underwater tourism of the 21st century will be available even to 90-year-olds, enthusiasts promise. After all, we are talking about the construction of hotels, the guests of which will be able to live in rooms with a view of the underwater world. Of course, they will have the opportunity to go outside the hotel and wander on the seabed, but only at will.
Hydropolis will be a huge structure, the highest point of which will be located at a depth of 20 m. The area of the hotel will be 260 hectares
The first two such hotels may appear in the foreseeable future - their projects have been considered for a long time and have already attracted the attention of serious investors.
The implementation of the Hydropolis project, a luxurious resort with 220 rooms, will cost at least $ 500 million. It is not surprising that such a luxurious hotel will be built in Dubai (UAE) next to other wonders of human engineering, such as the artificial Palm Islands and the world's tallest skyscraper, Burj Dubai.
Hydropolis will be a huge structure, the highest point of which will be located at a depth of 20 m. The area of the hotel will be 260 hectares. This is more than the territory of Hyde Park in London. In addition to the luxurious rooms, the authors of the project envisioned many other attributes of a familiar five-star hotel, including a shopping center, a casino and several bars. A feature of the complex is the presence of an anti-missile defense system, which the authors of the project thought out in the event of a terrorist attack.
“Hydropolis is not a project - it's a passion,” says lead developer Hauser. Hauser's passion is shared by the Crowned Prince of the United Arab Emirates, who owns the part of the coast on which Hydropolis will be built. Project Poseidon is certainly smaller than Hydropolis. But its zest is not in scale, but in its location. This small but cozy underwater hotel is planned to be built near Katafinga Island in the Fiji archipelago. It is right next to the coral reefs, which will give a five-star hotel a charm that no other hotel in the world will have.
This small but cozy underwater hotel is planned to be built near Katafinga Island in the Fiji archipelago.
"Until now, you could only feel the beauty of coral reefs by going down to them in scuba gear or watching the programs of the Discovery Channel," the developers say.
The author of the project, Bruce Jones, fell ill with the idea of creating a hotel that would allow guests to experience the beauty of a coral reef around the clock, more than ten years ago. The search for a site to build dragged on as Jones sought a truly ideal location.
There had to be all the conditions for the construction of an underwater structure, and in addition, the coral reefs must be close enough to be clearly visible from the windows of the underwater rooms. Jones offered a $ 10,000 reward to anyone suggesting the ideal location. As a result, a convenient site was found next to the island, which is in private ownership. Jones has bought a piece of the coastline and construction is already under way.
In addition to comfortable rooms (55 and 100 sq. M.), The hotel will have a restaurant, bar, spa, library, conference hall.
Global immersion
The engineering thought of mankind is directed towards the World Ocean: in the coming years, projects of surface and underwater residential structures will be implemented, which science fiction writers of the 20th century could only dream of
Hydropolis
The project of a luxury underwater hotel in the Persian Gulf in Dubai, worth about $ 500 million, provides for the underwater part to a depth of 20 meters and 120 meters on the surface of the hotel. The rooms are planned to be equipped with a control panel for lighting, shape, sounds and smells
Water Discus Hotel
The project of a two-level hotel in Dubai with an area of approximately 1,500 m2 and a cost of $ 50 million to $ 120 million to observe the underwater world
Streets of Monaco
The project of the most expensive yacht in the world, a mini-copy of Monte Carlo. The floating city is estimated at $ 1.1 billion. The length of the yacht is 155 m, the total area of residential apartments is 445 m2. The deck is planned to place the Prince's Palace and other famous buildings and institutions of Monaco, as well as beaches, waterfalls, tennis courts
Ome
Project of a floating house-island with a total area of 1.400 m2 with living quarters, a swimming pool, autonomous power supply, water supply and an environmentally friendly waste management system
Trilobis 65
The project of a semi-submerged four-level floating house with a total length of 20 m. Designed for six people. The house is powered by solar energy and hydrogen fuel. There is a possibility of combining several houses in a colony-island.
