A Floating Villa on its way

WANT to spend your holiday in a floating villa that glides over the turquoise waters of a coral island? Well, the dream holiday might come true if the business plans of two Kochi-based companies turn out to be a reality.

Navgathi Marine Design & Constructions, a specialist in the manufacture of marine crafts and TeamSustain, a company focusing on alternative sources of power, are jointly designing and constructing an ecofriendly, floating villa for the Maldivian tourism industry.

“To start with we are supplying one floating villa to a Maldives-based tourism player,” said Mr Sandith, managing director of Navgathi Marine Design & Constructions. “If the prototype is found acceptable to the tourism industry in Maldives we will be supplying more,” he added.

The platform on which the villa is erected consists of four pontoons. “The buoyancy is designed to ensure that the maximum immersion of the fully built villa is only 12 inches in water”, Mr Sandith said. “This ensures that a large percentage of buoyancy is held in reserve in case of emergency,” he added.

The two to three bedroom villa would be around 2400 square feet. The floating hotel will have zero waste discharge facility. The company spokesmen pointed out that the design and construction of the floating villa will exceed the benchmarking requirements specified for eco-certification.

A hybrid package of power comprising solar and wind based energy is included in the design with diesel generation as standby. Desalinated water would be stored in overhead tanks to ensure water supply.

The Kochi-based companies hope to complete the villa with an investment of around Rs 1 crore. The water bungalows in Maldives are at present being built as permanent structures. The idea is to replace such permanent structures from the ecologically sensitive coral islands of Maldives. A self sufficient floating hotel would make a positive impact on the environment, the promoters of Kochi-based companies feel.