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Waterscraper

Built as a skyscraper upside-down, into the sea, the Waterscaper creates a habitable
link towards the lower levels of the sea and features a unique hotel with a distinctive com­bination of recreation and scientific facilities. Half building and half vessel, the Waterscraper's design and construction is purely driven by the analysis of aquatic forces. The circular setting provides an effective ring structure to withstand the water pressure. The floor plates diminish in size as the water pressure rises in the lower levels. The sub­merged main body is stabilized by the floating ring which connects via a damp­ened bridge structures to ensure the vertical position of the Waterscaper at all times.

The main cone reaches down 400 ft. and provides a mix of hotel rooms, laboratories, green rooms and a viewing platform at 25 floors below the sea level. A glazed dome marks the top of the structure and allows light to penetrate deep into the inner atrium, which connects the public and private zones of the hotel facil­ities. While the hotel's lobby, res­tau­rant and café are situ­ated in the levels above the sea, the con­fer­ence facil­ities and hotel rooms are located below sea level with a view into the vivid under­water world.

The sur­round­ing ring accom­mo­dates a ser­ies of apart­ments with direct access
to the Water­scrap­er's beach­es. Eight beach plat­forms are hung between the bridging ele­ments of the struc­ture and are directed towards the centre to form a protected water area within the open sea. Further, the ring encloses the Waterscraper's marina and connects to the main plaza in front of the dome. The space below the plaza is used for the compound's own underwater port and diving center.

The Water­scraper is a float­ing build­ing. It can drift with­in the open sea, move to a different loca­tion or it can an­chor to achieve a fixed posi­tion. Cur­rently a handful of motivated engineers have started to inves­tigate the buoy­ancy rela­tions and struc­tural response to the enor­mous water pressure. If this proves fea­sible the Water­scrap­er may well become real­ity one day.