Some 4,000 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are set to be decommissioned during this century. Instead of blowing them up, which costs milions of dollars and destroys marine life, how about converting them into an American Dubai of offshore luxury hotels?
Morris Architects proposes creating a self-sufficient, eco-friendly high-end resort experience in the Gulf of Mexico. The rooms could be pre-fabricated, designed to be transported out to the rig as a standard cargo container.
Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG fantasizes about what would happen next.
Image via Morris Architects
Morris Architects proposes creating a self-sufficient, eco-friendly high-end resort experience in the Gulf of Mexico. The rooms could be pre-fabricated, designed to be transported out to the rig as a standard cargo container.
Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG fantasizes about what would happen next.
Image via Morris Architects
"Of course, if the real Dubai is any model for what might actually happen with such a resort, then we'll probably see dozens of oil rigs partially converted to luxury hotels only to be abandoned by their construction crews and investors. As the lands of southern Louisiana continue to disappear into the Gulf, heavily armed refugees on fishing boats will move out to sea, recolonizing the derelict structures. There will be campfires at night, burning driftwood, and specialty gardens."
-- Geoff Manaugh, BLDGBLOG
From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Marilyn Terrell.
Set on a very down market version of this idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Brookmyre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Fine_Day_in_the_Middle_of_the_Night
He called it Sealand. What happened over the years is quite a story - from piracy, invasions, passport fraud, to a fire and finally being put up for sale.