World’s First Floating Golf Course and Resort

The Maldives, an island nation located just south of India, has an average elevation of just five feet above sea level. Eighty percent of the nation hovers just one foot above sea level. The country fears that it’s days may be numbered as the ocean steadily rises.

“Climate change is upon us and the Maldives are feeling it most. That’s why they’re leading the way in trying to find a way to combat the problem.” -Mark Spalding, senior marine scientist at the Nature Conversancy

That solution may be self-sustaining man-made floating islands; an arcology of sorts. The nation is going all out to pursue this end, and has the pieces in place to build the world’s first floating golf course and resort. The Maldivian government is working with established cutting edge architectural firm Dutch Docklands, as well as golf course management mainstay Troon Golf to make these dreams a reality.

The $500 million plans outlined this week revealed a 27 hole golf course built on three main platforms, along with 200 villas, 45 private man-made islands, two luxury aquatic hotels and an underwater clubhouse.

While the concept may seem excessive, it could lay the foundation for the development of floating man-made structures in the future. The blueprint calls for a series of storm resistant islands tethered to the seafloor using cables, minimizing the impact on the surrounding nature. The Maldives is a great launch off point, as their intricate system of coral reefs will not survive if any corners are cut. As the island nation lies near the equator, the complex will be predominantly solar-powered, and aims to be a carbon neutral development.

The main components are slated for construction in neighboring countries to increase efficiency and reduce costs. The pieces will then be towed to the Maldives and installed in 2013. Dutch Docklands hopes to have the course, just a 5 minute speedboat ride from the capital of Malé, to be playable in 2013, with the entire structure completed in 2015.

A number of associated futuristic concepts are being tossed around including underwater tunnels connecting parts of the complex, a submerged 19th hole, as well as submarine and diving entrances to various regions.

The goals may seem lofty, but Dutch Docklands has an impressive track record of building floating prisons, and are working on projects in the Netherlands, Norway, France and the Middle East.

Dutch Docklands via Yahoo

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