Oil Rig Hotel & Spa Adaptive Reuse

With an idea like this, you're going to win some prizes. Morris Architects took home first prize, as well as $10,000, in the second annual Radical Innovation in Hospitality Awards, which was sponsored by the John Hardy Group and Hospitality Design magazine. Some of the other entries were also unique, but this Oil Rig Hotel and Spa is particularly innovative. To understand the innovation behind the adaptive reuse, a background understanding of oil rigs is necessary. According to Morris Architects, the Gulf of Mexico has about 4,000 oil rigs of various sizes that will be decomissioned at some point in the next century. One primary method of rig removal, when the time comes, is explosion -- an expensive method that poses hazardous consequences to aquatic life. So you can see, there's an opportunity to use existing oil rig structures in a new way.
The Houston office of Morris Architects conceived this plan for a high-end, self-sufficient, eco-friendly hotel experience. Vertical axis wind turbines would harvest plentiful Gulf of Mexico winds, and wave energy generators could be installed to further power Rig Hotel's activities. The concept plan includes some of the following amenities:
300+ guest and luxury suites
Conference facility and ballroom for events
Fitness center and spa
High end dining, shopping, and entertainment
Rooftop infinity pool
Pro shop and launch for water-based activities
Gaming casino and stargazer lounge
Dive bell and scuba training
Boat launch and boat slips for visitors
Rooms are designed as prefabricated, standard cargo containers that perfectly fit the rig platform. They're transported out to the rig and unfolded to size. With the rooms on the exterior of the platform, guests would have practically unparalleled views of the ocean. Pretty clever, don't you think?!

"GOLD"ing Garbage

Do you ever let the garbage company take away your yard waste and other compostables? Then you're losing a really valuable earth-enhancing resource. There really isn't much work involved in turning grass clippings, tree prunings, weeds, kitchen scraps, and other vegetation and "waste" into rich fertilizer. Worm boxes are one great way to do this. Another way is composting. Both are fun ways to get back in touch with one of nature's most amazing processes. The secret to an aesthetically pleasing compost process is to cut up waste into small pieces, observe hygienic practices, and achieve a proper balance of materials. Small pieces, which one makes by cutting the materials with a knife or pruner, make for large surface area and very rapid decomposition. A pruner and some elbow grease will turn a pile of branches from trash into raw materials for your compost and are an essential tool for any garden with trees or shrubs.
For really big jobs, you may need a chipper. Compostables consist of two types of material: carbon-rich matter (like branches, stems, peels, bits of wood, bark dust, or sawdust) gives compost its light, fluffy body, and nitrogen or protein-rich matter (manures, food scraps, leafy materials like lawn clippings) provides raw materials for making enzymes. In order to have optimum health in your compost or worm box, it is important to have much more carbon than nitrogen. This allows oxygen to penetrate and nourish the living, breathing organisms that reside there. Too much nitrogen makes for a heavy, smelly, slowly decomposing mass. Good compost hygiene means covering fresh nitrogen-rich material, which can release odors if exposed to open air, with carbon-rich material, which often exudes a fresh, wonderful smell. If in doubt, add more carbon!