Captain Nemo extensively roamed underwater in his submarine/fortress in the realm of literature, Rapture was an entire underwater city in the realm of video games; but what have we got to show in real-life for all these fantastical creations that seemingly mirror our ‘underlying’ desire to reside below water? Well, the aptly named H2OME might fill this real-time gap between technology and imagination, with its touted capacity to shower the inhabitants with the amenities and opulence of a 5-star establishment.

A boldly conceived brainchild of US Submarine Structures, the H2OME will comprise of double submerged floors with a total area of 340 sq m (3,600 sq ft). The top floor among these will account for two user rooms, two bathrooms and an open living-space/lounge. The lower floor on the other hand will allude more to privacy (if one needs that below the ocean floor!) – with its master bedroom and en suite bathroom, kitchen, dining space, study, library and even a wine cellar.

Of course spatial denominations hint at the easy part; but what about the access points and the locational attributes of the H2OME? Well, the designers have thought of a private pier-like construction that would allow direct entry from the shores. This pier in turn will give way to an elevator or a spiral staircase that further descends into your submerged abode.

As for the location, the users are the ones who can decide their personally preferred site, or give the company the option to choose the site for them. In any case, the special dwelling can only be built at a depth of 10 m to 18 m (33 ft to 59 ft) under water – so lakes and lagoons might just be the ideal sites for installation.

Now, the structural credentials of the H2OME have to complement the high claims of luxury and uniqueness. To that end, the transparent sea-facing walls will be constructed from sturdy acrylic viewing panels. These transparent facades will be further equipped with automated water jets that would periodically clean off the algae and other tiny marine creatures from the expansive surfaces.

The technological aid also extends to the underwater dwelling humans with the submerged abode’s capacity to maintain land atmospheric pressure, thus eschewing the need for those unwieldy decompression procedures. And lastly, the power and sewage systems of the sunken house will be managed via tethered cords that go all the way to the surface (though the designers are also considering specialized self-sustaining H2OME designs).

At the end of the day, a wise man once said – ‘awesomeness never comes cheap’. In that regard, the H2OME will set you back by a whopping $10 million! But at least some of us can take pleasure in the knowledge that (few) humans possess the capability for underwater habitation – albeit as an ostentatious alternative.

For more info on the advanced ambit, please follow the designers’ home page.