The concept renderings for this wildly unusual hotel design in an abandoned Chinese quarry debuted on the internet over a decade ago, and now the finished complex is welcoming guests. The InterContinental Shimao Wonderland is the “world’s first underwater quarry hotel” set into the cliff faces of the 288-foot-deep former quarry, with the lowest two floors descending beneath the surface and the highest two poking out above ground level. Designed by London- and Shanghai-based architect Martin Jochman of Atkins in 2006, who later brought the project to his own firm Jade + QA, the hotel is described as a “groundscraper.”

Jochman says his design takes inspiration from the site itself – its shape, its unusual nature and the potential it still had after decades of disuse. The structure follows the contours of the cliff faces and features a glass central circulation atrium full of elevators and staircases that mimics the look of a waterfall cascading down to the pool below. Inside, the 16-story hotel contains 337 guest rooms, a large conference center, a spa, an underwater restaurant and water-based leisure facilities; visitors who aren’t staying overnight can enjoy a range of adventurous activities in the outdoor entertainment park as well as the cantilevered glass walkway extending over the water.

The convex and concave guest wings on either side of the “Glass Waterfall” are described as “Hanging Gardens,” and the underwater areas are called “The Lagoon.” These elements are intended to seamlessly segue into the rocky cliff faces on either side. Jochman hopes the hotel will not only become a landmark, but also an extension of the rugged landscape itself.

“Apart from minimising the impact of this building on the local environment by its orientation and adopting low profile with only 2 floor levels above the ground, the mainly passive sustainable features will take advantage of the orientation, low profile, grass roof minimising the impact of North wind and providing biodiversity. The unique microclimate caused by the thermal properties of the quarry rock mass and the quarry lake, cooling the structure in the summer and heating in the winter will also have positive effect on the energy consumption of the hotel.”

“This successful ‘Brownfield’ site recycling (or even up-Cycling) by utilisation of a disused industrial quarry site and giving it new purpose will make this project important contribution to the principles of sustainability in China and around the world giving an example how difficult industrial sites can be given new lease of life.”

The hotel cost $555 million to complete, and suites start at $4,270 per night. Jade + QA is also responsible for the super-tall Burj Al Arab in Dubai.

Photography by Blakstation & Kevin 

We don’t have a colony on Mars or even the Moon, we don’t fly to work, and we’re still using combustion engines… what’s the deal? Where did the future go? It’s better to be optimistic, but scientists are making it hard. Here are our best shots at visions of the future, and though we’re not there yet, at least we’re making steps:

Flying Cars

(Images via picsicio, aviationexplorer, posterlovers, metro, csmonitor, jalopnik)

It seems so simple! Why can’t we just soar around like the Jetsons? Attempts have ranged from adding wings to the conventional automobile, to drastically redesigning it in an attempt to create something even more revolutionary (and UFO-esque). It looks like cars with wings are the simplest (relatively) and the most effective so far, as exemplified by the most successful, called the “Terrafugia”. The real issue now, is where do you land at your office parking lot?

Underwater Hotels

(Images via trifter, stylehive, travelpod, vagabondish, winewriter)

Space is the final frontier, but isn’t water first? I always expected we’d have domed underwater cities by now, but at least there are few places where you can see steps in the right direction. Unfortunately, the most famous underwater hotel is becoming a bit dated… created in the 1970’s the Jules Underwater Sea Lodge is interesting, and seems like a good time, but it’s not the booming domed metropolis I was hoping for.

Jet Packs

(Images via gizmodo, davisw, tizona, technabob)

Jet packs are easy, right? The problem with flying cars has always been the weight of the vehicle, so it should be simple to lift one person off the ground. Landing isn’t a problem, because we can gently set ourselves at the front door to the office. In actuality, it’s not quite that simple. The biggest problem with flying people is the fact that humans are so fragile. One mistake when you’re 100 feet in the air, and it won’t be pretty. Add to that stability and control issues, and the short flight time, and it’s just not going to work. The closest I’ve found is a recreational jet pack that uses a spray of water to allow a cruise around large bodies of water, and you know what? It actually looks pretty cool.

Underwater Tubes

(Images via micechat, designingzoos, wikipedia)

Without our underwater cities, I suppose it makes sense that we wouldn’t need giant tubes leading from dome to dome, but at least we seem to have this one down. Whether you’re in the Georgia Aquarium, riding a moving walkway through a giant tube that cuts through their largest tank, or you’re at the Atlantis hotel, watching sharks from below, I have a feeling this will be the closest we’ll get in our lifetimes.

Hover Cars

(Images via burnham-on-sea, englishrussia, walyou, bigracing, abs hovercraft)

When Luke Skywalker cruised around Tattooine his junky hovercar still put ours to shame. He was hovering several feet above the sand. When you look at today’s hovercars, they look like fun, but a cushion of air isn’t quite what I was hoping for. There’s no denying that the easy transition between land and water is pretty exciting, however.

Flying Concept Cars

(Images via psipunk, autoblog, zedomax, luanpa)

Despite not hitting our previous goals, it’s nice that we’re still planning ahead. Here are some of the coolest flying car concept vehicles I’ve seen, ready for a time when flying to work will make sense, and birds will replace potholes as the biggest transportation danger.