This project focuses on the re-Use of the Prinos oil platform complex (platforms A,B,D) in the Kavala Gulf, Greece. Its oil field will be soon exhausted and the cost of decommission is very high.
A worth mentioning fact is that around the rigs' underwater structure a coral reef and a marine ecosystem has been created.
In order to protect, sustain and reinforce this ecosystem, the rigs' complex will be transformed into a Blue Innovative Environment that will enter the Mediterranean Nature Protection Areas & Research Centers Network. At the same time Prinos Complex will contribute to the cultural and economic empowerment of its immediate urban areas. A new transportation network will link the rigs with the coastline cities, expanding the urban fabric into the Kavala Gulf.
The platforms will be renovated, preserving the rigs' structural frame while removing no longer useful parts. The rigs' free plan structure offers sufficient flexibility and the capability to plug-in or remove “activity modules” according to the current and evolving needs. Research, Educational, Cultural & Recreational activities will be hosted on the structure as follows: Prinos-D & A will host the most public activities including exhibit areas and a diving center, whereas Prinos-B will host marine research labs and other facilities. An underwater coral-reef and marine observation station is also proposed.
The developed design is expected to foster ocean awareness and to offer a new paradigm for rig re-use.
The Prinos Offshore Platform Complex Re-use project:has been selected for the competition as it tackles all three competition targeted topics. Specifically:
a. It addresses the problem of decaying and environmentally hazardous inactive oil extraction infrastructures in the Mediterranean by proposing the development of an innovative environment to be included to the Protection Research Center Network
b. The proposed research cultural and recreational activities on the re-used oil extraction platforms address the problem of cultural and economic depression in the urban areas in the vicinity of the inactive oil infrastructure in the Gulf of Kavala.
c. By maintaining the structural integrity of the existing oil platforms and by plugging in “activity modules” for various new activities, a dynamic and flexible space is created. Another interesting and innovative feature of the proposed plan is an oval - shaped underwater capsule that functioned as an inside-out aquarium and a marine life and coral observation station.
The proposed re-use plan is expected to serve as a paradigm for rig re-use proposals worldwide.
