Many oil rigs are now facing retirement, although some are being transformed into tourist experiences that combine adventure, sustainability and industrial heritage. This phenomenon avoids the environmental cost of conventional recycling and creates a new category of tourism.
From energy infrastructure to immersive experience
Saudi Arabia is writing the most ambitious chapter in this trend with THE RIG, a mega-project that will transform a platform into a 150,000 m² resort. Inspired by the industrial aesthetics of oil, the complex will include hotels, a roller coaster that plunges into the sea, and an underwater restaurant. The project is part of the Saudi strategy to diversify the economy and attract tourism known as Vision 2030. In fact, when it opens its first phases in 2026, it expects to receive around 900,000 visitors annually.
On a more intimate scale, Malaysia’s Seaventures Dive Rig has proven the viability of the concept for almost 30 years. This former drilling platform, anchored off the Sipadan reefs, functions as a hotel for divers. Its unique feature is an elevator that submerges guests directly into the coral waters, eliminating the need for boats for diving.
Temporary experiments that set trends
In 2022, the United Kingdom demonstrated that even temporary interventions can leave their mark. SEE MONSTER was an art installation created from a North Sea gas platform. It was transformed into vertical gardens, artificial waterfalls and viewing platforms. During its eight weeks in Weston-super-Mare, it attracted half a million visitors, demonstrating the potential of these structures as cultural tourism attractions.
Back in 2009, the architecture firm Morris Architects proposed converting lifting platforms into luxury spas, an idea that has since inspired architecture competitions. These conceptual exercises have served as a laboratory for solving the technical challenges of inhabiting structures designed to withstand storms, not to receive guests. Among these challenges are the reinforcement of fatigued structures, logistics on the open sea, and regulatory limbo.
By Juan Guardiola Cutillas, senior architect in the Architecture Department at Amusement Logic.
