Black gold

Few could argue about the role petroleum has played in the advancement of the human race. Equally incontrovertible is the environmental toll exacted during the extraction and transportation of this finite resource.

Morris Architects believes it has a solution that will go part way to reversing this toll the conversion of oil rigs into capital-gaining resorts.

"There are approximately 4000 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico with a potential 7,500,000m² of programmable space," says Morris Architects director of design Douglas Oliver. "The current method for rig removal is explosion, which costs millions of dollars and destroys massive amounts of aquatic life."

With some estimates placing only another 40 years' worth of petroleum remaining underground, Morris Architects believes the gulf oil rigs will be increasingly decommissioned over the next century.

"The renovation of these rigs into aquatic adventure resorts will transform them from obsolete industrial infrastructure into vibrant components of the biosphere's ecosystem and a destination for discerning travellers," says Oliver.

As resorts, the rigs are designed to be autonomous, generating onsite energy through solar, wind and wave technologies.

"In a twist on the symbol of oil dependence, the rigs begin life anew as ecological preserves. Rigs spawn lush habitats home to corals, marine life and an average of up to 30,000 fish," says Oliver. "The rig resorts are self-sufficient, with onsite energy generation, desalination and complete biodegradable product use. All materials used in housekeeping, food service and general use come from the sea itself and are safe to return to the sea."

Story by: Trendsideas