In 2005, Dubai built a 1,000-foot-tall Burj al Arab Hotel to promote their Tennis Championships. Now, the city proposes to build the world's first underwater tennis court -- yes, that's beneath the sea.
According to CN Traveler, the proposal came from a Polish architect who has studied at London's Royal Institute of British Architects, Poland's Krakow Polytechnic, and Germany's the Münster University of Applied Sciences. Krysztof Kotala has long envisioned the possibility of having an underwater tennis complex in the offshore of the Persian Gulf located between Burj al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah Islands.
The proposed structure will be a part sports arena and part aquarium. It will house seven courts with an eccentric rooftop concept of coral reef design. The said structure will give more abundance to the sea life for the spectators and players to see with an illusion of a natural atoll.
However, engineers and developers said that bringing such plan into reality will pose challenges and technical concerns. The Director of Engineering and Technical Services at the Institution of Structural Engineers in London said that the transparent ceiling would require having a continuous pane of glass to accommodate the court and the people. The ceiling should measure at least 108 feet wide and weigh "possibly a hundred tons" to withstand the pressure of the water.
The director also mentioned a few important things that the court needs. It needs to have a feasible structure in case of earthquakes and tsunamis, and a safe emergency exit. Moreover, Sara Fray also questioned whether the underwater court would meet the need of the game by controlling the light refraction.
Aside from the technical issues, it was also pointed out the cost of building the underwater tennis complex. Architect Kotala told CNN that building the court will cost $1.7 -$2.5 billion with a combination of ecology, technology, and sport.
