Morris Architects,The grand prize winner, the Oil Rig Platform Resort and Spa makes use of one of 4,000 oil rigs out in the Gulf of Mexico and transforms it into a luxurious eco-resort and spa. As the recent winning design of the Radical Innovation in Hospitality Award, the concept which would transform rigs which would otherwise be destroyed into capital-gaining resorts, is awarded fresh prestige, and the architects a $10,000 prize.
Images(copyright Morris Architecture),click 2 enlargeSponsored by the John Hardy Group and Hospitality Design Magazine, the international design competition focused on innovations in hospitality. The Morris design team wanted to take advantage of the an abandoned oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and reuse the structure, transforming it into a vibrant and commercially viable destination.
Images(copyright Morris Architecture),click 2 enlargeThe luxury resort offers many amenities including interaction with the surrounding ocean - boating, snorkeling, diving and other water sports. The Rig Hotel will also draw in conferences and business meetings, and will serve as a cruise ship’s main port of call en route to other locations in Mexico and the Caribbean.
Images(copyright Morris Architecture),click 2 enlargeEach rig hotel would be able to accommodate over 300 guest rooms and luxury suites, a ballroom, restaurants, retail, pool and poolside bar as well as providing a marina for yachts, a casino, a dive bell for below sea excursions and facilities for water sports.
The Oil Rig Resort and Spa will provide unparalleled views of the Gulf through patron’s rooms as well as a glass lobby floor. The lobby will be naturally lit with ambient light, which will be reflect the ocean. A central core will be filled with water, which acts as a ballast to help stabilize the platform during stormy conditions. This central core will also host theatrical performances much like the Cirque du Soliel show ‘O’ in Las Vegas. Guests will be able to view the show from their own room every night.
Images(copyright Morris Architecture),click 2 enlargeEncouraged as an ecological alternative to the destruction of the rigs which, according to Morris Architects, will all be decommissioned within the next century, the renovation would help to preserve the marine life gathered among the legs of the rigs. They would also function autonomously with alternative forms of energy production including wind, wave and solar.
Images(copyright Morris Architecture),click 2 enlargeIndividual guest rooms are prefabricated off site and transported via ship in a standard cargo container to the rig. The rooms are not large and have been optimized to maximize space. Couches turn into beds at night and can be moved over the hot tub for viewing of performances. The room can also extend out over the water for better views of the Gulf.
Images(copyright Morris Architecture),click 2 enlargeThe eco-resort provides a state-of-the-art luxury accommodations, as well as sea-water swimming facilities, a grand ballroom shopping, dining, nightly entertainment, a casino, and boat slips. And considering that there are over 4,000 oil platforms out there in the Gulf, it’s certainly a novel way to reuse the existing structures.
Images(copyright Morris Architecture),click 2 enlargeThe designers hope that the rigs could be used as ports of call for cruise ships traveling between the Caribbean and Mexico.
Images(copyright Morris Architecture),click 2 enlargeMore Information:
Oil Rig Platform Resort and Spa
Morris Architecture
www.radicalinnovationinhospitality.com
Recommended Books:
Hospitality
By Aric Chen, Michael Adams
Buildings: Innovation + Technology: STUDIOS Architecture
By Images Publishing
2 comments:
This is one great hotel. id love to go here someday.. :)
or have already implemented this project?
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