Project Ostrica, underwater oil drilling platform (the Oyster)

presentation illustration
Presentation illustration,
freehand cutaway perspective view, ISO A0, brownprint (detail)

 

Project Ostrica concept design was developed by a small international design team, which I was a member of, based at Saipem's.

This great platform was to sink down to seabed and to perform remote-controlled research oil drilling, using the same drillrig designed a year before for Studio Pietro Ferrara.

Furtherly developed by Sonsub in London, this incredible machine has just reached an advanced basic design stage.

Somehow a science fiction project, this was undoubtedly the most uncommon design I was involved in.

Jules Verne

Often, such writers as Jules Verne seem to merely anticipate reality.
But the real question is: are they influencing designers, or is it the contrary?


Andrea "Dria" Obinu