Official name: The Crescent Hydropolis Resort Built: 2004-2010 Cost: $500,000,000 Designed by: Joachim Hauser Type: Hotel Maximum depth: 66 feet Dubai, United Arab Emirates
T he early part of the 21st century quickly became known as The Age of Dubai. Many of the world's most spectacular, breathtaking, and startling architectural projects were erected in a city that was little more than a desert outpost a decade earlier. Its leaders had the foresight to know that that its primary natural resource, oil, was in limited supply and chose to embark on a program to rapidly transform the emirate into a world capital in order to continue its prosperity beyond the time when the world relies on fossil fuels.
Projects in Dubai are constantly searching for distinction through superlatives. For years, architecture enthusiasts watched breathlessly as the Burj Dubai climbed into the clouds. While that high-profile project reached for the sky, another probed the depths of the Persian Gulf.
Hyrdropolis is a fantasy hotel beneath the waves. This submarine hotel is inspired by the Jules Verne tale 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It is an underwater oasis where visitors can marvel at the architecture surrounding them, and the sea beyond.
The project is divided into three sections. The "land station" is the complex where visitors are first greeted. It is a large building with a roof that dips and rolls like the crest of a wave. From there, people enter a tunnel to begin their journey to the hotel, itself. The tunnel is 1,700 feet long and carries a train beneath both the land and the sea. The destination, of course, is the hotel itself. Mimicking natural forms, it is shaped like a collection of bubbles and curves designed to provide maximum resistance against the pressures of the sea water as well as the occasional typhoon that may stray into this area. It has already been compared to both a jellyfish and a sea turtle. The hotel features a pair of observation domes which allow an expansive view of the water and the creatures that live in it. They are large enough to emerge above the waves, and one has a retractable roof allowing people to be surrounded by the ocean while looking directly into the sky.
From the surface, the hotel has the appearance of a futuristic artificial circular atoll with a low barrier barely rising above the waves. On the inside of that perimeter are the main structures with curving shell-like surfaces at home in the sea.
Evidently, projects like this don't come easy. Construction has been moving in fits and starts and is currently on hold. It is unknown what the difficulty is or when the project may finally get started.
This is not the world's first underwater hotel. There is a smaller underwater hotel in Florida, and more underwater hotels are being designed and built around the world.
The train is supposed to be able to transport 1,000 people at a time.
jason
Monday, November 10th, 2008 @ 4:49pm
fantasic idea, and being in dubai there is no mozzys or flying insects at night to bite you (unlike orlando) lets dump the ideas of disney in paris florida etc and have dubai the fun safe place to be. zero crime and constant 30+ deg. fandabby dozzy
CJ
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 @ 2:47pm
Rating: Four stars. Nice! But what a waste out in the desert. Dubal's buildings would be so much better in Chicago, NY, or LA.
PAUL
Friday, July 25th, 2008 @ 1:16pm
Rating: One star. What a waste of Money... Shud be rated as the worst use of resources in modern times. Dubai Sheikhs are sure to secure future prosperity by such tourist attractions...But the resources don't justify the project in the final analysis. This is my opinion. PAUL
LeeAnn
Monday, July 21st, 2008 @ 6:02pm
Rating: Five stars. This is very cool!! seems like a whole lot of money but it is still damn amazing!!
Jorge Ignacio Covarrubias
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 @ 10:32am
Rating: Five stars. A tribute to human will and imagination. It could have been named the Nautilus hotel. Hurrah for Dubai!
arunabha ghoshal
Monday, June 23rd, 2008 @ 1:18am
Rating: Five stars. Ausom, wonderful.. love to stay over there afte completed.
john adams
Sunday, June 15th, 2008 @ 1:09pm
Rating: Five stars. This is spectacular and even though it will bring about the inevitable destruction of the planet im all for it cuz fish are pretty
Max Hoban
Friday, March 14th, 2008 @ 7:28pm
Rating: Five stars. Great idea, great location, and another amazing thing in dubai, now we will just have to see what will be better the 7 star hotel or the worlds first real undewater hotel, hopefully they will not get many more delays and it will be open in 2009
shuma
Monday, February 18th, 2008 @ 9:02am
Sometimes human does things for dream and passion no matter how much it will cost and forget minimalism, and that is what this project is all about.
Sumer
Monday, February 11th, 2008 @ 7:14am
Rating: Five stars. its for sure an incredible structure but all that money spent on it could have saved the whole world from hunger. its really a pity to c money wasted like this for only a few hundred people who can afford to live one night in this hotel.
david
Thursday, February 7th, 2008 @ 3:49pm
Rating: Five stars. what a wunderfull buildingrealy a A+!!
beth agusti
Thursday, January 31st, 2008 @ 4:12pm
Rating: Five stars. absolutely amazing.....SPECTACULAR!!!! great imagination put into reality..........WOW!!!!
Martell Hasley
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007 @ 12:21pm
Rating: Five stars. whoa whoa whoa this is my dream project, luckly it is now reality which inspires me to creat something better
David
Monday, August 13th, 2007 @ 4:20am
Rating: Five stars. What the mind of man can conceive, man can achieve!! Dubai wins again!!!! Magnificent!!!!!.Definitely going to visit!!!!!!
Petra
Saturday, July 28th, 2007 @ 8:11pm
Rating: Five stars. This is pure genius! The design elements are exquisite. To spend the night in the Hydropolis would be a fantasy come true. Most impressive!
Mohammed Arshad
Friday, July 6th, 2007 @ 8:04am
Really incredible. Dubai is gonna be the best city in the world in coming 10 years.Congrats to the Leaders.
Deo Pomida
Sunday, February 11th, 2007 @ 8:58am
Rating: Five stars. What a magnificent, superb and spectacular structure!
Venkatesh K
Saturday, February 10th, 2007 @ 12:02pm
Rating: Five stars. Seen structures like the Burj Ai Arab and Taj Mahal.This gives a chill up the spine even in my imagination....bravo!!!
GRECA
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006 @ 9:55am
Rating: Five stars. is beautiful,fantastique
Kimberly
Monday, April 24th, 2006 @ 1:30pm
Rating: Five stars. WOW! What else can be said? This is absolutely amazing and I am very excited to see the finished product for myself!
MR MICHAEL KEEVILL
Saturday, December 17th, 2005 @ 9:36pm
Rating: Five stars. this hotel is beautiful.i would love to see more and would like to see more of this hotel looking for an exotic getway with the wife and this is perfect. congats to the owner this is something that really cant be topped
Marty Hehman
Thursday, August 25th, 2005 @ 12:27am
Rating: Five stars. I am a Former U.S.Naval Diver who for a long time had dream of somthing like this.I'm also an Architect who has Drawings of Underwater homes and in cliff homes. THIS IS INCREDIBLE ! I love it
Mr.Marty Hehman
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New York, United States
jason
CJ
Four stars.
One star.
Five stars.
Jorge Ignacio Covarrubias
shuma
Sumer
david
David
Mohammed Arshad
Deo Pomida
GRECA