March 26th, 2009 
Courtesy of Morris Architects. In the future oil derricks will be luxury hotels and condos, and people wil ski around them in beautiful formations
Thousands of offshore oil rigs dot the ocean with nearly 4,000 in the Gulf of Mexico ready to be decommissioned. What do we with all those derricks? Luxury Hotels
Morris Architects proposes:
If a deck on one of these rigs is about 20,000 square feet, then there is potentially 80 million square feet of programmable space just off the coast of the United States. The current method for rig removal is explosion, which costs millions of dollars and destroys massive amounts of aquatic life. What if these rigs were recommissioned as exclusive resort islands? Could the Gulf be America’s “Dubai” and the rig the artificial island on which to build it? This project examines the possibilities of creating a self-sufficient, eco-friendly high-end resort experience in our own backyard – the Gulf of Mexico.
The rooms themselves are prefabricated and shipped to the platform. But don’t worry if they actually build these you won’t be able to afford it. Hat tip to BLDGBLOG
Rooms arrive by ship, sliding open like Transformers to form individual cabinettes. Courtesy of Morris Architects
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OMG that is an excellent use of them… you know, if only I could afford it. They’d have one hell of a view!
The water skiers are a nice touch.
These would have a huge advantage over other waterfront luxury houses- they won’t erode anytime soon.
This is an excellent idea. I want one.
Why not making one/some a research facility? It could cut on some transportation costs couldn’t it?
seasteading is still cooler.
I have to say that who ever came up with this idea is really clever, like you mentioned these oil rigs are out there doing absolutely nothing why not utilize them, even if for condo’s (vacation homes) or for Hotels, I think that this would be a great use for them but one would have to make sure that the are environment friendly, we don’t want to pollute the oceans and cause more damage to our planet.
These would have a huge advantage over other waterfront luxury houses- they won’t erode anytime soon. I also love to have one :)