When is the last time that you saw a whale floating in the sky? Probably as you lay on the grass with a friend, assigning clouds starring roles in your upcoming tale of adventure. Apparently French designer Jean-Marie Massaud spends a lot of time staring at cloud formations and letting his imagination run wild. In 2005, Massaud conceived that idea of an eco-friendly floating hotel shaped like a whale. The Manned Cloud recently took to the skies, allowing 40 passengers a view from the belly of a whale that Moby Dick’s nemesis could never have anticipated. For more pictures of the interior of the Manned Cloud, visit Massaud’s website.
Here are the details from Massaud:
MANNED CLOUD Cruise Airship, Paris, France
Living in the sky, watching the Earth from above. Rediscovering the marvel of traveling, experiencing contemplation. Exploring the world without trace.
Manned Cloud is an alternative project around leisure and travelling in all its form, economic and experimental, still with the idea of lightness, human experience and life scenarios as the guiding principles. The spiral of Archimedes is the driving force of this airship in the form of a whale that glides through the air.
Manned Cloud is a hotel with a capacity of 40 passengers and staffed with 15 persons, that on a 3-day cruise in 170 km/h permits man to explore the world without a trace: to re-experience travelling, timelessness and enhance the consciousness of the beauty of the world – and to experience spectacular and exotic places without being intrusive or exploitative. For me this project sums up a way of thinking that is the stake of tomorrow.
Technical characteristics:
Capacity: 40 passengers + 15 crew members
Volume: 520.000 m3
Dimensions: L 210m x W 82m x H 52 m
First deck (500 m2) : Restaurant, lounge, library, fitness
Second deck (600 m2) : 20 rooms, terraces, spa, bar
Range : 5000 km / 72 h.
Maximum speed: 170 km/h
Cruising speed: 130 km/h
