Polish Architect Wants To Build Underwater Tennis Court in Dubai
The underwater tennis court in Dubai has been imagined by a Polish architect named Krysztof Kotala.
It is known that Dubai is no stranger to unusual things, especially tennis courts. In 2005, one was built atop the 1,000-foot-tall Burj al Arab hotel just to promote the Dubai Tennis Championships.
And now an architect from Poland is prepared to take things forward, and redefine everything. He wants to build a tennis court, beneath the sea.
The mastermind behind this idea is Krysztof Kotala, a guy who studied at London’s Royal Institute of British Architects, Poland’s Krakow Polytechnic, and Germany’s the Münster University of Applied Sciences.
Where?
He 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.
The idea is simple. The place will feature part sports, and part aquarium.
How?
The concept will 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, all that to pass from plan to reality.
Plus there are earthquakes, tsunamis, and large storms to worry about too.
He believes that the arena would be the perfect spot for a fifth Grand Slam. And where else to build it than in the city where everything is possible?
Why Dubai? Well, Kotala says, “[The court] should be something where there is the tradition of tennis. Dubai is perfect for this idea.”
The tennis court needs a rooftop coral reef, which will make a great abundance of sea life to the area for spectators and will create the illusion of a natural atoll.
Comprising a total of seven sports arenas, the Underwater Dubai Tennis Center is a massively ambitious work.
While technical details on the concept are relatively light, we do know it would sit in a shallow bay and be part-buried into the sea bed, with the curved glass roof relatively close to the ocean surface.
The interior includes a lobby and hall at its deepest point, both of which would offer views of local sea life.
In addition, refracting light and swimming fish may drive tennis players to distraction.
However, there are no plans to build such a structure, and actually doing so would require confronting massive engineering challenges and astronomical costs. We won’t recommend holding your breath while the construction is happening!
We really want to see this happening! We even featured the project on the second episode of Last week in Luxury, a luxury news show we offer to our subscribers on youtube:
You know what else is underwater? This amazing hotel and unlike this tennis court, it actually exists! And have you visited the underwater museum? You must!
Do you think this concept will eventually happen? Have you ever been to Dubai?
