Some of the more outstanding entries (submitted by 2000 participants from over 60 contries) from this year’s International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest.
The winner (and also last year’s champ) was Takayuki Fukada (top pic).
Previously: Age Of Aquariums
More here.
Sea Orbiter is a 200 foot (60m) tall aquatic exploration platform designed by French architect Jacques Rougerie on which construction begins this Spring. Capable of accommodating a team of up to 22 researchers, who will live and work underwater 24 hours a day, half the eight-story structure (which will cost €35 million to construct) is submerged with a variety of labs and living quarters for crew.
The underside features dive pits, pressurized living quarters and underwater garages. Regular divers will descend to 50 meters below the surface, while “saturation divers” living in pressurised chambers will be able to reach 100 meters. Below this depth, Sea Orbiter will deploy exploration vehicles down to 1,000 meters and an advanced diving drone that can descend to 6,000 meters.
