Despite our best efforts to legislate away the reality of climate change, scientists predict warming temperatures will lead to pronounced sea level rise over the next few decades. Of course, this is alarming for tourist communities that built their reputation on being ocean-adjacent.
Still, there are some who see rising oceans not as a threat, but as an opportunity. Italian industrial designer Michele Puzzolante has been making waves with her Solar Floating Resort, a futuristic new luxury concept that seems one part beach hotel and one part Bond villain lair.
The entire structure would be covered in a thin, photovoltaic skin that turns the sun’s energy into electricity via a special chlorophyll-like dye. Inside the resort, another thin-film photovoltaic skin absorbs artificial lighting energy generated by the electrical bulbs. According to Puzzloante, the entire design is perfectly integrated and represents a non-polluting, lightweight, self-sufficient structure the likes of which the world has never seen.
Step inside this floating wonderland, and you’ll find two single and two double bedrooms, each with a private bathroom. A large kitchen, a dining area, a lounge area and a pilot room complete the interior, laid out in simple-yet-elegant Italian style. Outside, Puzzloante imagines that the teak deck would be set up with a large semicircular lounge/dining area, six individual day beds and a six-person hot tub. It also features an underwater capsule where guests can see fish and dolphins while slowly chugging around the bay. It’s built like a tourist submarine with a thick glass enclosure that provides a 360 degrees view from six comfy armchairs.
For island nations like the Philippines, tourism is a major element of the economy. Hotels and conference centers already crowd the coastline, so developers are looking for ways to expand without putting their structures at risk. Apparently, they love Puzzloante’s idea of building out into the ocean, as well as the fact that the self-sufficient design would eventually cost nothing to power.
The designer reports that negotiations are in progress to set up a full size resort made up of 59 solar floating islands in the Philippines. Get a glimpse of what this might look like in the video below.
Photo Credits: MPD Designs