 |
Maya Hotel Floating Pyramid Island In Caribbean Sea
The Maya Hotel, a vast floating pyramidal resort, is on the drawing board at Oceanic Creations, a Swedish-based company.
(Maya Hotel - a floating pyramid island hotel)
Oceanic Creations also intends to construct hotels, casinos, island cities and even movable vacation villages. The secret ingredient for all of these projects is a unique plastic composite material which offers built-in insulation that makes the constructions suitable for all types of climate, from the freezing cold to extreme heat. This remarkable material is reportedly up to six times lighter and 10 times stronger than steel (depending on the reinforcement material used). It is also claimed that it can cut maintenance costs by 30 to 40 percent.
"This material will prove very cost-effective for places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi who work a lot with landscaping and usually use sand and mud to build," said Stefan Holmgren, head of international marketing for Oceanic Creations."The good thing for us is that there are many cities that don't have a real solution to what do with their water. We will give them those solutions."
Science fiction fans have seen this future before. In his novel Saturn's Race, published in 2000, author Larry Niven writes about floating islands:
Xanadu was the second of the Floating Island chain of independent international corporate entities. Ultimately they would be strung along the world's equator; new islands bringing life to a watery desert. Six of the islands were in place, two as mere skeletons. From the air they looked a little like lily pads...
(Read more about Niven's floating islands)
More than $6.5 million has already been invested in the venture; the Maya Hotel is expected to cost $209 million to complete.
Via CNN.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/27/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 4 )
Related News Stories - (" Living Space ")
Put MercuryHouseOne Anywhere
This retro-futuristic mobile pod lounge can be placed anywhere for off-the-grid comfort.
Burj Khalifa Tallest Building At 828 Meters
And do you know the three measures for height accepted by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat? Burj Khalifa is the tallest by all three.
Chinavision Face Recognition Door Lock
Your face is your password, your keycard and your timecard. Good thing it doesn't need to punch your card.
555 KUBIK - If A House Was Dreaming
What would a morphing transforming building that constantly revealed its internal spaces look like?
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
Put MercuryHouseOne Anywhere
Perhaps looking out through the spray of Victoria Falls.
Computational Wood: Grow Circuits In Living Trees
Just tap into the information tree.
SIRI Virtual Assistant Like Pohl's Joymaker
Man Forrester! Your joymaker is ready.
Liquid Glass Universal Spray-On Protectant
Also used to protect galactic way stations.
WIND Wearable Robot Controller
Robot wirelessly sense, robot do.
Gesture Cube Touch-Free Input
Just think of the gestures you'll use!
IMPASS Robot 'Smart Wheel' Video
I love it when good robot research comes together.
Predator, Prey Robots Evolve
Humanity must make a choice about robot evolution.
Mind-Control Lights At Vancouver Olympics
Bringing The Game to the Olympic Games.
PALRO Companion Robot
Who's your favorite companion robot?
Wasabi Smoke Alarm Now Available
It's an odalarm!
Spyder Olympic GS Suit With d3o
An impact suit made with a shear thickening material.
First Transistor That Mimics Brain Synapse
The Nexus Six phone will need a Nexus-6 brain.
Legged Squad Support System Monster BigDog Robot
A robotic pack mule for soldiers.
Implantable Energy-Harvesting Rubber Sheets
Take a deep breath, and power up that cell phone!
Bose Ride System Smooths Your Ride
Ride the spaceways - uh, roads - in comfort.
