But why build a new tourist attraction when there are derelict structures just begging for a retrofit? The creative folks at Morris Architects looked at an abandoned oil-drilling platform positioned miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and imagined an Oil Rig Resort.

The renovation could neatly symbolize our culture's turn away from fossil fuels, the architects say, while also providing a killer locale for snorkeling, fishing, and sailing. Wind and wave energy would power the resort, and the guest rooms, modeled on barnacles clinging to the side of a ship, would have balconies that retract during bad weather.