Waterway Living: A New Urban Typology
Stylus
Water is the next frontier for architects looking to provide viable solutions to increasing urbanisation. Stylus investigates innovative ‘water builds’; illustrating how floating communities may be the answer to a wealth of urban conundrums.
What Does a $500 Million Golf Course Look Like?
Forbes, Larry Olmsted
Even Jules Verne could not have seen this one coming. Dutch Docklands, a player in the world of floating technologies (or making land where there was no land) has announced plans to build a $500 million floating golf course off the Maldives coast. While there are plenty of golf courses that claim to be “on” the water, this one would quite literally be atop the Indian Ocean.
The concept is a series of man-made islands with one or more holes on each, linked by transparent undersea tunnels. Golfers walk or ride through these submerged pathways, taking in the seafloor sights while pondering which iron to use next. And the clubhouse? You’ll have to take an elevator to the sea bottom to get to it. At half a billion dollars, it will be by far the most expensive golf course ever built.
The floating golf mecca, which is scheduled to be open for play in 2013, will be run by industry leader Troon Golf, the gold standard of international high-end golf course and club management. The yet-to-be-named project is part of a larger government-approved development which will include 200 villas and about 45 private islands off the Maldives coast.
In historic terms, our understanding of golf excess first shifted in 1990, when the Las Vegas wunderkind Steve Wynn built mega-course Shadow Creek. To say no expense was spared in construction is a gross understatement. It is said Wynn gave architect Tom Fazio a blank check and a blank desert canvas. Serious earth moving on the 320-acre site boosted the elevation from less than six feet to more than 213 feet. Nearly 21,000 fully mature trees, mostly pines and cottonwoods, were transplanted. While no numbers were released, the best guess in the business is that Shadow Creek cost about $40 million to build, then the most expensive course in history. That’s about $70 million today or less than one-seventh of the proposed Maldives course cost.
These days the title of most expensive golf course on earth belongs to one of two New Jersey neighbors (private clubs do not have to release cost reports). The number $250 million has been tossed around for valuations of Liberty National, the pet project of Reebok founder Paul Fireman. The ultra-exclusive course is known for its granite walking bridges and $500,000 joining free. Nearby Bayonne Golf Club has merely been rumored to have cost in the $150 million-plus range, mainly due to a huge undersea dredging project required as part of the permitting. If the new Dutch Docklands project comes to fruition – even on budget – these bragging rights will have to move halfway around the world.
Floating Islands Golf Course Trend and the Green Future Awaiting Them
The New Ecologist
The majority of people would have never thought that golf courses will look any different from the look they have nowadays.
Well… in this case they never heard about the upcoming projects that seem to revolutionize the traditional concept of golf, and add a whole new aspect to it.
One of the most spectacular golf courses that already have a concept design is said to be built in the Maldives. This region is best known for the underwater life that it has, and this is exactly what the designers will take advantage of.
Their purpose is to create a floating golf course with 18 holes that would be connected through underwater tunnels. The budget of this project is of about $500 million.
To realize the golf course there will be several artificial islands built, each of them having 2-3 holes. It is important about the course that it will have no footprint on the environment. This is only possible because it is said to have some special techniques of water cooling, use of solar energy and sweet water collection through desalination while floating on salty water.
The new course would be located only five minutes away from the Male International Airport. After the course will be built, the creators would like to design luxury accommodation that would also be connected via underwater tunnels.
The accommodations will overlook the golf course and the coral reefs getting the visitors in touch with the beauty of underwater world. The project is supposed to be finished in 2015.
The creators of the project expect the tourism in the Maldives to boost because the majority of golf fans would like to visit this course, preferably several times. The new project is also said to help the economy of the country.
A similar project has been already created in Idaho. The Coeur d’Alene Golf and Spa Resort is known for the floating island it has. This is the first thing that the visitors observe from the parking lot.
The golf course has 14 holes, and four of them can be found on the island. There is another famous hole, the fifth, which is blocked by a hulking rock. For this the players need a high tee to be able to shoot over the rock.
Another thing that the course is really well known for is the service that it offers. There are numerous golf carts that have mahogany paneling and heated leather seats. In order to get to the island, there is water taxi that would get you there.
As you might see, the game of golf has become a lot more lately, than it has been at the beginning. In our days it isn’t that important to play and score, but to brag about the places that you have visited. If those places are closer to the environment than ever the beauty they carry is admired even more.
You can be sure that in case you tell your friends that you have been at one of these places, they will be surprised and you will get the opportunity to tell them all about the trip. The green touch will make the golf even more popular and the perspective of such projects makes this elegant sport a flag ship for the natural welfare.
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Floating Golf Course on CNN
CNN, Will Tidey
Water hazard! $500 million floating golf course planned for Maldives. “Koen Olthuis’ vision will be realized when work officially starts on the project later this year”
Olthuis Honarable member of Foundation
Amphibious Foundation A.C. Awards: Architect Koen Olthuis of the Architectural firm Waterstudio is honorable member of our Amphibious Foundation C.A.
Honorable member of our Amphibious Foundation C.A.
Amphibious Foundation A.C. Awards:
Architect Koen Olthuis of the Architectural firm “Waterstudio”is honorable member of our Amphibious Foundation C.A.
Your professional hard work strengthens us all.
Thank you very much for helping with your Architecture Design that helps people in the world to have a better quality of life.
You are a wonderful citizen working for this noble cause.
Fundación Anfibia A.C.
“En Dios Confiamos”
