The world's first underwater tennis court is a possibility, but it will cost a lot.
According to Forbes, Polish architect and founder of 8+8 Concept Studio Krystztof Kotala is planning to construct an underwater tennis court in the Persian Gulf, between the Burj al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah islands in the United Arab Emirates. Kotala proposed a complex that will include seven courts with a rooftop designed with coral reef.
Though the idea sounds very much intriguing, engineers and developers identified many challenges for the project. One is the glass ceiling which would need at least 108 feet-wide for the structure to house the court and would be audience. Another concern is the safety of the complex when it comes to natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. Apart from the structural challenges, the plan comes with a big cost. In an interview with CNN, Kotala revealed that the estimated cost to build the innovative tennis court is around $1.7 to $2.5 billion dollars.
The architect defended his proposal saying that he is currently working on getting possible U.S. investors because he believes that the project has a strong commercial potential. To address the technical issues, he says, "It's a matter of using the right mullions (vertical bars between the panes of glasses) to build an airtight glass case." He gives his assurance that at this point, all the difficulties that could hinder the project from pushing through have already been addressed.
Kotala is currently finalizing the plans for the tennis court but he is convinced that the project is completely feasible. The issue for him is finishing the underwater sports complex before Dubai's Expo 2020, where millions of visitors and investors could see the innovative project.
In 2005, the world's highest tennis court was constructed on top of the Burj al Arab hotel, with a record break height of 1,000 feet.
