Hobart ‘floating hotel’ a step closer
A development application for a floating hotel on the River Derwent will be lodged with the Hobart City Council in the coming week, says the architect leading the proposal for Hunter Developments.
Best known for his giant ray design at Saffire Resort on the East Coast, Robert Morris-Nunn says the five-storey, ring-shaped floating hotel near the Hobart Regatta Grounds will be the first hotel of its kind anywhere in the world if it goes ahead.
It will become not only a tourist attraction and a viable alternative to high-rise hotel developments in Hobart, but its pioneering technology could give birth to a new industry in the state, he says.
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Its innovative processes could be adapted to build everything from a floating hub for cruise ships on the Derwent to critical infrastructure such as hospitals in low-lying nations subject to catastrophic sea-level rise.
The waterfront at the Regatta Grounds where a floating hotel is proposed to be built.
Morris-Nunn says the consortium, in partnership with Waterborne Designs, hopes to submit its application within days, after a year-long passage through the Co-ordinator-General’s office.
“The Co-ordinator-General has reviewed the project and given Crown consent to lodge a development application,” he says.
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds says she keenly awaits the project details.
“I am looking forward to seeing the application and advice from planning staff on how the project fits into our planning laws,” Cr Reynolds says.
Architect Robert Morris-Nunn is hoping to submit a development application for a floating hotel at the Hobart Regatta Grounds. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN
“It’s certainly a very exciting concept and I welcome the focus on the Derwent River with the museum and gallery.
“Mr Morris-Nunn has always brought really unique and high-quality designs forward in his projects and ideas for Hobart.
“We want to be a city with buildings that have high quality and original designs that help to tell a story about Hobart.”
This article from The Mercury originally appeared as “World-first floating hotel could spark new industry in Tasmania, says architect”.
