Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio has developed a concept for an eco-friendly Floating Hotel, envisaged off the coast of Qatar, as the latest in a line of visually striking, cutting-edge proposals unveiled by the Turkey-based office. Designed with a 'minimum energy-zero waste' philosophy, the hotel will generate much of the electrical energy for its functions by rotating about its fixed position in accordance with the local sea currents. The 35000 sqm structure will also include 152 rooms, ample landscaped spaces, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sauna, spa, gym, as well as a miniature golf course, among other activity areas.

While coastal Qatar is slated to be the planned site of the project's first leg, the design's inherent mobility and adaptive features provide it with the potential to be located nearly anywhere. Ideally, it will be able to operate efficiently in any area with continuous aquatic currents.

Integral to these notions of adaptability are the widespread use of floating platforms and the three distinct access methods incorporated within the design. An elongated 140-degree floating pier, whose curved arms wrap around the hotel's circular form, anchors the structure and serves as its primary access route by land. Alternatively, approaches either by sea - through boats that can dock along protrusions from the pier - or by air in a helicopter or drone landing on the structure's helipad, can be availed.

Drawing inspiration from whirlpools and vortexes, the hotel's circular form is crowned by a transparent glazed roof that swirls and spills into the heart of its 700 sqm central lobby. With this space serving as its axis, the structure completes one cycle of rotation every 24 hours. As a result, guests will be treated to a dynamic, ever-changing panorama of the overhead sky.

This controlled framework of gradual rotation will account for a significant portion of the hotel's clean energy generation by efficiently harnessing the power of the sea. Furthermore, the design studio also consulted with naval architects and ship construction engineers throughout the design process. The use of 'DP' (dynamic positioning) systems - commonly employed in ships - to regulate the structure's rotation and position through a set of propellers and thrusters placed in its underbelly, is a subtle indication of their influence.

Honouring the design's commitment to shunning excessive reliance on fossil fuels at each stage, a series of wind turbines that double as sun umbrellas provide an additional source of clean energy production. Dubbed the 'VAWTAU' system - an acronym for 'Vertical Axis Wind Turbine And Umbrella' - they utilise wind currents borne out of temperature differences between the land and sea to generate an expected  25kW of energy from each of the 55 modules fitted across the hotel's spaces.

Additionally, the lobby's glazed covering will also serve a secondary function of harvesting rainwater, which, after treatment, can be used as greywater to irrigate and maintain the water balance of the design's extensive green areas. To further cement its efficient use of natural resources, clean water for the hotel's needs can be obtained through the purification of seawater while wastewater will be treated to ensure that it does not contaminate the aquatic ecosystem. The design studio also aims to develop segregation units that will ensure efficient waste management, and allow for the reuse of food waste as fertiliser for green areas.

Each of the hotel's rooms will also have an attached balcony, that rotates along with the structure's core lobby, providing a multitude of vistas featuring the surrounding ocean and coastline. Feasibility and technical studies for the project are currently ongoing, in the aftermath of the conceptual design stage. With design work having commenced in March 2020, there is no exact date fixed for the project's completion as of yet, with early estimates aiming for 2025. While its real-world performance, practicality, and potential remain yet to be ascertained, this concept presents a truly astonishing future vision for adaptive eco-friendly design in the hospitality sector.

Project Details

Name: Eco-Floating Hotel
Location: Qatar (Variable Locations)
Preliminary end date: 2025
Total construction area: 35000 m2
Client: PH tourism and management (Qatar)
Project Design Office: Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio (HAADS)
Project Team: Arch. Hayri Atak, Arch. Kaan Kılıçdağ, Arch. Büşra Köksal, Arch. Kübra Türk

(Text by Jerry Joe Elengical, intern at STIRworld.com)