At the intersection of houseboats, floating homes, and floating palaces (superyachts or megayachts) is a little something called Oceaya. It's a floating entertainment venue dubbed the world's first transformable venue of its kind, and its debut is right around the corner.
Well, take that last part with a grain of salt. For the time being, Oceaya is only a concept, but one that seems to be in well advanced development stages, if only on account of the fact that it comes with a 2025 launch date.
Oceaya aims to usher in a new era of water-based real estate and to shake the entire hospitality industry to the core with a novel approach, both in terms of location and focus on sustainability. What floating cities aimed to achieve for real estate only a couple of years ago, Oceaya plans to make happen for the hospitality industry. Let's hope the result is different.
Oceaya is a floating entertainment venue, but it's also transformable, which means its applicability is virtually endless.
Photo: Oceaya
Given the 2025 launch date, which is like tomorrow in the naval industry, it's surprising how few details about Oceaya have been revealed so far. Introduced as a concept earlier this year, this project wants to be a beacon of sustainability, wrapped up as a hospitality solution enabling the "most authentic" and immersive experiences. Luxurious, too, just in case you were wondering.
Those are some very big words, but Oceaya wants to prove it has what it takes to deliver on these promises. The idea is to have a floating, modular platform travel around the world during high seasons, offering a space for businesses and private individuals to come together and socialize in a wide array of events.
Unlike a floating city, Oceaya won't be sailing from one location to the other with everyone onboard. Instead, it will do so empty, in its most compact form, and will then be deployed at its destination in whatever configuration will be needed. There's no mention yet in this respect, but there's the hint that Oceaya will be doing all the travel under its own power, which, if true, will pose its own series of technical challenges.
Photo: Oceaya
The modular aspect comes into play once Oceaya reaches its destination. The venue can expand from 4,000 square feet (370 square meters) to more than 12,000 square feet (1,115 square meters), offering the chance to host events of all kinds, from the most intimate like weddings, to public ones with larger attendance, like concerts, movie screenings, or conferences.
Again, somewhat surprisingly, there's no mention of how the platform would expand and scale down.
Oceaya can be used as a beach club or a nightclub, a private party venue, a fashion show, or anything else in between you can think of. Renders show that its modularity is mostly down to the fact that it favors an open-plan design, which means you can move furniture around at will. A handful of elevated structures will offer additional functionality, such as a DJ booth, a bar, or a stage.
Photo: Oceaya
If you're thinking this is far too sketchy a project to come to fruition, much less in as short a timeframe as 2025, we do know this: Oceaya already has a builder.
Conceptualized and promoted by investor and entrepreneur Daniels Ikajevs, Oceaya is designed by the architects from Waterstudio.NL, engineered by MEYER Floating Solutions, and will be built by Prospect Design International, which is based in Dubai and boasts an incredible portfolio of hospitality projects. If you think about it, a floating venue of this size and capabilities makes sense in Dubai, the true "land of all possibilities."
Beside the luxury and multi-functional aspects, Oceaya also promises a focus on sustainability. It will be built with sustainable and organic materials "to provide holistic comfort surrounded by architectural complexity" and will facilitate further research into pressing issues like pollution. How's that for a luxury watercraft with a heart of gold?
Photo: Oceaya
According to Ikajevs, Oceaya will support scientific research on marine ecosystems and "facilitate access for researchers and fund projects combating climate change, sea-level rise, and preserving marine life." Not all of these will be achieved by the platform while it's being put to entertainment use, but probably through the foundation that will operate the business.
Another similar Dubai project is the Floating Seahorse villas, which feature an entire floor below water level, with direct views out on the coral "garden." The project is commitment to restoring coral reefs by growing coral in private nurseries and then transplanting them onto the villa. Owners can choose which type of coral will grow attached to their floating homes.
While clearly a surprising idea, concepts like Oceaya have been floated before, if you'll allow the pun. Back in 2022, ArkHAUS was promising similar functionality in Miami, based on the success of the floating Ark homes, and it promised it no later than the end of the year. As of this writing, the floating nightclub is still on for a vague 2024 release.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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