The World's First $2.5 Billion Underwater Tennis Court
Dubai is no stranger to unusual tennis courts. In 2005, a court was built atop the 1,000-foot-tall Burj al Arab hotel to promote the Dubai Tennis Championships.
And now an architect from Poland has proposed another strange court; one beneath the sea.
Krysztof Kotala, who studied at London’s Royal Institute of British Architects, has envisioned an underwater tennis complex that could be built just offshore in the Persian Gulf, between the Burj al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah islands.
Part sports arena and part aquarium, the eccentric concept for the seven-court complex calls for a rooftop coral reef, which would bring an abundance of sea life to the area for spectators (and players) to view.
It would also create the illusion of a natural atoll (a ring-shaped reef, island, or chain of islands formed of coral)
Bringing such a plan to reality would require overcoming some formidable engineering challenges, including creating a single piece of glass large enough to cover the structure and strong enough to withstand the pressure of the water.
Should developers ever decide to tackle this project, Kotala thinks the arena would be the perfect spot for a fifth Grand Slam.
Beyond these technical issues, the development is also extremely expensive to build. Estimated to cost a whooping $1.7 -$2.5 billion, according to Kotala in an interview with CNN, the architect believes the project to be a “combination of ecology, technology and sport” with strong commercial potential. Yet, there was no investor as of last year.
So let’s see how this project will transpire. In theory, I love the novelty of an underwater tennis court, and the idea of another interesting structure on the Dubai shoreline. Like the tennis court atop the Burj al Arab Hotel, this underwater version may also be perfect for a lighthearted exhibition match. Crazy right?
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