Coralarium the world's first intertidal art museum by famous environmentalist and artist Jason Decaires Taylor has officially open its doors to guests at the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fenfushi

An artwork, ecological innovation and statement on the environment combined, the Coralarium is in part an address of the one-degree rise in ocean temperature that is causing devastation to the coral. 

It features statues formed above ground that incorporate endemic environmental elements: some sculptures have tree trunks for limbs while others are embedded with the patterns of corals. Elsewhere a series of children looking up towards the surface of the sea pose questions about rising sea levels.

Jason Decaires Taylor aims to create a direct pathway to the ocean utilising the island resorts long swimming pool to denote a starting point in which guests can explore the clear shallow waters of the sea. sea-scaped with underwater poplar trees and endemic planted corals it heads 100m through the shallows towards the marine realm, a symbolic pathway to another world.

A fifty-meter snorkel brings guests to the cube-shaped structure, six-meter tall, with its front facade submerged up to a median tide of three metres. Its complex structural formation is based on natural coral structures and is porous to allow the waves, current and marine life to pass through it while dissipating oceanic forces and encouraging nature to colonise and seek refuge.

Assembled underwater, the construction sees the use of marine stainless steel which mirrors the surrounding blues. The choice of materials means that over time the museum will take on the patina of the sea as well as becoming a host of colonising algae.

Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi is a 120 luxury all-villa resort that offers precisely as its name translates Secret Water Island. 

The island covers approximately 160,000 sqm (16 hectares) of land and features one of the largest lagoons in the Maldives. While the resort includes a 200-metre long swimming pool which traverses the length of the island, reinvigorating destination spa and an intricate open-air bamboo bar created by Balinese artisans who did not use any human-made materials in the structure.

Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi is accessible by domestic flight in 55 minutes from Male International Airport followed by speedboat from Hanimaadhoo Airport to the resort. Alternatively, guests can book a 55-minute seaplane flight directly to the resort.