Partially-Undersea Water Discus Hotel To Be Built In the Maldives

Zothecula writes "Polish architectural and deep-sea engineering company Deep Ocean Technology has inked a deal with Ridgewood Hotels and Suites Pvt. Ltd. to build its futuristic part-underwater Water Discus Hotel just off the shore of Kuredhivaru Island in the Maldives. 'The luminous hotel features two large disc-shaped lounges seven-meters above the water, housing a luxury restaurant and spa. The lounges are connected to a glass tunnel plunging 30-meters below the water, leading to 21 opulent bedrooms. Not only does the hotel look like a spaceship -- it actually moves like one, with the largest underwater saucer-shaped room able to slide to the surface in emergencies. 'If you need to replace a window for example, it's very difficult underwater,' explained Podwojewski. 'So we wanted to build a building that can surface any time for maintenance or safety.'"

Comments

Jetsons!

[Anonymous Coward]

That is some straight up Jetsons shit right there...

and in tsunamis?

[Isara]

I wonder how the whole thing will be able to move if there's a tsunami? Obviously above-ground hotels don't fare too well there either, but I'm interested in the mechanics of a partially-submerged structure being able to handle that kind of hit. Still, sounds like a cool place to visit.

Re:and in tsunamis?

[I'm New Around Here]

I don't think the Indonesia tsunami did any damage to those islands. The US military has a base, Diego Garcia, on the British islands a couple hundred miles to the south, and they saw no effect at all. Because tsunamis don't cross the ocean as a giant tumbling wave*. Those only build as they get to shallow water. And the islands are too abrupt to have a large shallows, so the ocean swells a few inches for a few minutes, then it's back to normal as the tsunami passes by.

*This is why it is no more correct to call these events a 'tsunami' than a 'tidal wave' like we did when I was a kid. The term 'tsu nami' actually means 'harbor wave', which is then meaningless out in the middle of the ocean. Generally, a tsunami is only destructive when it gets to shallows in front of land, and it doesn't matter if there is a harbor or not. So we should stop using the term, and find something more scientifically accurate.

Re:Search your feelings you know it to be true

[ArcadeMan]

Great place indeed, until the father shows up. He's always been kind of a dark figure.