FRESH architect’s plans of a £65million pool designed to simulate conditions in space have been revealed.

The pool would help research, training and development and at 50 metres long and 50 metres deep would be the UK and Europe’s leading marine and space research facility.

The project will be on six acres of land at Essex University’s Knowledge Gateway Innovation Park.

The Blue Abyss complex will house both hyper and hypo-baric chambers and a micro-gravity simulation suspension system to replicate the effects of weightlessness and low gravity in environments like those found on the moon and Mars.

But as well as providing the perfect training environment for the next generation of Tim Peakes, the centre would also be open to the public.

The Blue Abyss is planned for completion and to be fully operational by the end of next year.

It will include a poolside crane and opening roof to allow up to 100 tonnes of equipment to be lifted and submerged into the pool.

The team behind the facility is also targeting the offshore renewables and oil and gas sectors as potential clients.

These clients would be able to train and test for commercial diving, submersibles and drones.

John Vickers, founder and managing director of Blue Abyss, said: “We’ve been fortunate in getting support from industry and Government agencies including the Europan Space Agency and even NASA and that has been a huge boost for us.

“It’s given me a personal sense of achievement and every day I wake up, I’m enthusiastic about working on this opportunity.”

The project will need to be funded mainly by private investors and once these have been finalised, a feasibility study can be developed before a full planning application is submitted.

As soon as planning permission is granted, work will start and is estimated to take 18 months.

Celia Anderson, of the Blue Abyss team, said: “There is huge pressure on offshore wind to bring down its costs and the companies involved are looking at every way to achieve that. Having a facility like Blue Abyss within easy travel distance of the east coast, with its huge potential to support innovation, fits into achieving these targets.”

Behind the facility’s sweeping design is eminent architect Robin Partington whose work has shaped significant changes on London’s skyline.

Mr Partington led the design team of London’s Gherkin for Foster and Partners, working alongside prolific architect Sir Norman Foster for 17 years, the high rise residential Strata Tower.

He is currently working on Westminster’s only skyscraper for the future, the 42-floor 1 Merchant Square in Paddington, now nicknamed the ‘Cucumber’, with his 50-strong team.

Mr Partington’s Blue Abyss design is intended to resemble a horseshoe crab and a speeding comet and its curves represent a “perfect harmony between sea and space”.

Blue Abyss would also offer a conference amphitheatre and training rooms and a 120 bed hotel.

The Blue Abyss plans were met with approval from astronaut Tim Peake in the International Space Station.

To find out more about offshore renewables facilities at Blue Abyss, contact Celia Anderson at celia.anderson@blueabyss.uk.