Get set to stay submerged in the Water Discus Hotel

by Media Services on 5 Jan 2013 It looks like a flying saucer, but it's a half-submerged hotel, with some rooms 10 metres below the surface. At an estimated cost of $US120 million, The Water Discus Hotel is planned for Dubai.

As well as rooms with coral views, there will also be a submerged bar, boardroom and a dive centre.

According to its designers, Water Discus Hotels comprise two discs - an underwater and above-water one. This combination will allow guests to admire the depths of the ocean while making the most of the warm climate.

The two parts of the structure are connected by five solid legs and a vertical shaft containing a lift and stairway. The size of each disc has been adjusted to local conditions.

Amenities at Water Discus include, among other things, a 4-metre deep diving pool, a cave and wreck diver training facility, as well as air-filled huts and emergency breathing stations equipped with surveillance cameras.

A sense of security is essential for good holiday and Water Discus Hotels have been designed to meet the highest safety standards.

Safety was a top priority for both designers of the structure and a team of professionals who worked out the maintenance procedures. Our goal was to ensure that guests feel safe both inside and outside, while diving.

Project Supervision
The design, construction and technical condition of the complex are under permanent supervision of an international classification organisation with experience in the field of building and operation of boats, ships, offshore structures and professional diving systems. Water Discus meets safety standards as evidenced by class assigned and renewed periodically according to local law and requirements of international organisations.

Solid Construction
The Water Discus complex was designed to ensure safety at all times, even in the most adverse weather conditions.
The structure sits up on five sturdy legs fixed to the seabed, and the upper disc is suspended above the water surface. These two technical solutions will ensure that Water Discus remains safe even in the event of a fairly high tsunami, which can normally flood the nearest coastal areas.

The sturdiness of the construction and technical solutions employed ensure that the underwater disc automatically surfaces at once in the event of any danger.
A wide shaft with a view of the sky above gives a safe sense of spaciousness, minimising any claustrophobic feelings some may experience while staying in an enclosed underwater space.

Monitoring System
Our safety measures include a monitoring system integrated with an international earthquake and weather warning system. The hotel is monitored by numerous video cameras and remotely operated underwater vehicles which are positioned in appropriate places around the complex.

Rescue Measures
You can truly enjoy your holiday only when there is a sense of security. Water Discus complies with the most stringent safety standards by, among other things, providing rescue equipment as prescribed by regulations applicable to vessels.
In addition to this equipment, even if completely flooded, each of the satellite discs has positive buoyancy, which means that they can be used as lifesaving vessels after being detached from the main body of the upper disc.

Marine Adventure
Top-rated resorts offering luxurious conditions and amenities have become the new standard for active leisure. A wide selection of luxury hotels can be found in virtually every part of the world. But Water Discus offers much more. We bring you a de luxe hotel combined with a real marine adventure and breathtaking views found only in the heart of the ocean.

Diving
Water Discus makes diving among the colourful fish, sea anemones, reefs, rocks and wrecks illuminated by sunlight even more thrilling and unlike any other experience. This is because our dive centre is located underwater, adjacent to the residential area of the underwater disc. The centre is equipped with an underwater airlock, leading divers straight into the ocean without the necessity to come to the surface, and a decompression chamber for training purposes and deep-diving excursions.
All equipment in this unique dive centre is there to be used by our guests.

Water Sports
As a hotel which takes pride in offering marine adventures, we could not forget about various amenities for water sports. We will make sure that you will find everything for both beach-front and underwater activities. Our equipment includes, among many other things, 3-passenger submersibles for deep-sea exploration, motor boats for diving and water-skiing, fast jet skis and underwater scooters.

Water Discus is located deep underwater, but its comfort and luxury are sky-high.

The Surroundings
The complex is surrounded by a beautifully vibrant coral reef. This unique location will allow you to enjoy the tropical weather and the colourful underwater world, which is just within your reach and will engage all your senses.

Accommodation
The disc, located up to 10 metres beneath the surface of the sea, is composed of 21 hotel rooms adjacent to the underwater dive centre and a bar. Each room is integrated with the underwater world as closely as possible, offering a surprisingly direct, yet safe contact with the local flora and fauna.
Special lighting system of the area around the room and the miniature underwater vehicles which can be operated from inside will allow you to take a closer look at even the most microscopic underwater creatures using macro photography.

We also ensure that our guests can protect their privacy whenever necessary. All rooms are sound-proof and have curtains of different levels of transparency.

Entertainment
The disc and its adjacent satellites located 5 - 7 metres above the water surface comprise a restaurant, a spa and a special recreation area.

A multifunctional lobby built inside an enormous swimming pool shows the centre of the disc. The area around the underwater part of the complex and diving activities may be watched as they happen on the screens hanging on the lobby walls.

This part of the complex is connected to the satellites with awe-inspiring glass-walled tunnels cutting through a training pool for divers.

Its rooftop includes seawater swimming pools (integrated with the training pool). Finally, there is also an exotic garden offering a moment’s rest before going back to extreme experiences.

Cuisine
Our elegant and spacious restaurant is a perfect place to regenerate body and soul after a day filled with exciting diving excursions or energetic water sports. The restaurant is located in one of the satellites of the upper discs. Like all rooms in the complex, it offers a magnificent panoramic view.

The complex was designed and equipped to provide transport services using vessels, aircraft landing on water and helicopters.

Transport
Transport facilities were designed not only to support logistics but also to improve safety. The upper deck of the complex, for example, is connected to the shaft and can be used as a landing pad for helicopters, ensuring a quick and convenient transport.

Communication
All rooms of the two discs have high-speed Internet access.
Additionally, in order to ensure that Water Discus remains in contact with the outside world at all times, the complex has been equipped with a ship radio station system and a satellite telephone.

Due to its unique design, Water Discus can be expanded into a bigger resort complex. One of its most notable advantages is that it can be customised to suit the surroundings and the clients.

A single Water Discus is an independent structure with a usable area of approximately 1000 m2 fully equipped to ensure a high level of safety and comfort. It can serve as an individual module - a component of a bigger complex.

Space
A number of such individual modules may be used to build a hotel complex of minimum 2000 m2, which can be further extended with additional modules (1000 - 1500 m2 each).

Location
The aforementioned complex may be constructed anywhere in the world. Each design will be tailor-made to suit its future users and local conditions, such as the shape of the coastal line and depth of water around the coral reef.

Mobility
If any changes in environmental or economic conditions occur, the Water Discus modules can be transferred to a different place. This offers a unique opportunity to live underwater on a permanent basis with unlimited options to change locations.
The mobility makes changes in interior design of a hotel much easier, as any disc can be detached and replaced with a new one.

See the concept drawings and virtual video at www.deep-ocean-technology.com