Qatar, one of the richest countries in the Middle East thanks to its massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and oil reserves, plans to build a floating eco-hotel that would spin very slowly—like a record—to generate its own electricity via solar, wind, and tidal energy. The Eco-Floating Hotel is designed by Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio (HAADS) and will have 152 rooms. The hotel will produce clean energy and have zero waste, according to the designs. The hotel will feature vawtaus, or vertical axis wind turbines and umbrellas, which will also function as umbrellas on the coastal band of the doughnut-shaped hotel. Each vawtau module will be capable of generating 25 kilowatts (kW) of electricity, and 55 such modules are planned. The glass roof will collect rainwater. According to the design studio HAADS, as carried by New Atlas, the plan is just in its concept phase. Technical and feasibility […]