Life is Much Better Under the Sea?

Well, it only is for the incredibly rich and probably only for a few weeks. Currently under construction in Dubai is Hydropolis, one of the world's few luxury underwater hotel. The new underwater wonder contains the land tunnel, connecting station and finally the submarine leisure complex. Architect Joachim Hauser is leading the project located 20m below the surface of the Arabian Gulf.  He takes the building of Hydropolis further than just a project, but a passion. His general plan is to create a living space in the sea and also believes the future of architecture and city planning lies within it. By creating this 260 hectare hotel underwater, Hauser believes this will bring attention to the problems marine ecosystems face such as the destruction of coral reef's. 

I'm not exactly sure how sustainable the practice of building and maintaining an underwater hotel is, but it would be an interesting alternative to our land use practices. Underwater architecture could be a possibility for coast settlements to adapt to rising sea levels. A positive aspect I foresee in being completely submerged in water is that we wouldn't have to worry about flooding anymore.

 The subject of underwater architecture is one with little known about it and there are even more aspects about the ocean that are unknown. I definitely have some reservations about the idea of building in marine ecosystems: whether if humans can adapt to being underwater for long periods of time or if expanding our cities into the ocean will only cause more damage to Earth's ecosystems. There has definitely been in a trend for human settlements to wreck havoc on nearby ecosystems. Perhaps Hauser could have chosen a more appropriate gesture to save the coral reefs, I feel that a 260 hectare underwater hotel would do more damage than good to marine life.