Doctor of Engineering. Architect DPLG, Consulting Engineer
CCERET ENGINEERING
8 bis Rue Jules Ferry, 82100 BOULOGNE, FRANCE
ABSTRACT
The rapid growth in tourism, especially in coastal regions, has led to the overpopulation of these areas in the summer season. Two offshore projects, called "Mannarium", offer possible solutions to this problem.
The design of these outstanding leisure complexes, perfectly adapted to the ocean landscape, came out of a concern for the environment. All the studies undertaken by the author have proved the technical, economic, and financial feasibility of these tourist cities for the year 2000.
Development of coastal tourism, in need of sporting and cultural activities, as well as a sense of escapism, necessitates rapid adaptation of these facilities to the growing needs of the market.
The most attractive sea-side sites, which are the most sought after by the clientele, do not seem to allow these new developments.
Today, in effect, following heavy urbanisation of coastlines and the continuing transformation of beaches and green spaces into huge walls of concrete, it can be seen that these coasts have been polluted architecturally, and that the marine flora and fauna have been destroyed.
The research we have undertaken for more than 15 years in the fields of offshore platforms and leisure complexes, have led us to develop two new tourist products, called "Marinarium" (registered trademarks and patents). These products, autonomous ocean cities for tourists, are the answer to the problems previously discussed.
The "Marinarium" Projects
The two ocean city projects called "Marinarium", are characterised by:
- an original architectural style, integrated into the maritime site, and constituting in itself a monument, an event, a completely integral tourist concept.
- development of a leisure complex within this monument, exceptional in the diversity and quality of its activities.
- installation of these ecological complexes along the coasts, in natural settings, without causing environmental pollution.
These complexes constitute autonomous ocean cities with:
- a floating, habitable dyke equipped with prefabricated breakwaters protecting the platform and its port from the waves.
- marinas made of prefabricated elements (3, 4 or 5-roam houses with roof-gardens and private ports)
- a ferry port and a pleasure port
- a private beach
- technical equipment which guarantees complete autonomy (sea-water filtration and desalination, waste water and refuse treatment, energy production, fresh water reservoirs and hydrocarbon stockage plants).
Marinarium 01 and Marinarium 02, however, offer different architectural characteristics, construction types, and purposes. Each project could be adapted to a specific programme resulting from market studies, which take into account the chosen location, local weather conditions, the construction site (water draught), and undersea characteristics (depth, sea-bed quality, etc.)
Descrintien of the "Marinanum 01" nlatfonii
This project concerns a leisure resort for tourists, with futuristic architecture and technology (see figures 1 and 2 ) Covering an area of 300 000 m2 of floor space, and 80 000 m2 of aocessible deck space, with 5000 beds, and 10 000 visitors every day, the platform centres around a laser beacon and a 300 metre observatory, giving views of the region up to 80 km away.
The platform also comprises an underwater section, with a ballasted float, a spherical oceanographic museum, and several glazed galeries giving the visitor views of the undersea landscape.
This "Mont Saint-Michel for the year 2000", symbolising the conquest of space and sea, is an autonomous island (or can be linked to the coast by a tunnel or a chairlift). offering many facilities, such as:
- appartments
- mannas (houses with private port and roof-gardens)
- hotel rooms (with a total capacity of 5000 beds)
- restaurants and bars
- a shopping centre
- a conference and exhibition centre
- fully-f umished office space
- a multi-purpose hall with seating for 2000 people
- exhibition space
- a casino
- a thalassotherapy centre complete with dieticians and sports doctors
- a sports centre comprising:
8 tennis courts, 16 squash courts, a golf driving range, multipurpose rooms, swimming and watersports pools, weight-training and gymnastics rooms, a billiard room, a bowling alley, bridge, chess, electronic and computer games rooms
- discotheques, cabarets, and dance halls
- an oceanographic museum and aquarium
- private beaches
- an observatory
- a laser beacon
- a private port for 6m to 1 5m boats
- accessible deck space - gardens, fountains, cycle and jogging tracks
- a ferry port
- a heliport
Access to the platform will be by:
- boats, helicopters, cable car, or underwater tunnel. In this latter case, a car park for 2000 cars will be developed in the float.
After construction in a shipyard, the platform will be towed to the site and positioned on the sea bed by gradually filling the ballast according to the principles of gravity-type oil platforms.
