Dear Client,
Fist of all thank you for the possibility to participate into an competition like this. It was a great pleasure to design the units and central amenities at a great spot!!
I would like to inform you a bit about the design. If you need more information, please don't hesitate to contact me.
First of all, a great spot with views to mountains and the infinite ocean. As mentioned, the spot is irregular and sandy although still something great is possible. Lightweight units on stilts are the result as preferred by you.
Square volumes come together in different sizes to host visitors and be a home that provides unique, singular vantage points out onto a landscape. The landscape surrounding the site provides opportunities for dramatic perspectives; each primary space —living, bedroom and small den—is intentionally oriented toward a panoramic view. Each of the volumes is slightly elevated and independent from the others, requiring a desert walk on footpaths to move between them. These paths connect visitors to the central amenities and reinforce the house’s purposeful isolation.
Regarding the materialization, Plate steel clads each element on the exterior, while maple veneer lines the interior walls. While, in contrast, Channel Glass Façade has been used for the Central amenities.
The way in which these materials are installed — with articulated panels and exposed fasteners — emphasizes the applied nature of the skin. This skin makes room for a ventilated air space behind it to exhaust heat through natural convection currents. From the land, the presence of the volumes goes nearly unnoticed. The use of glass create a reflection of the environment on the façade, while it create a contrast with the Corten steel units that are also blended in the environment due of their color. In this way, the Central Amenities are looking lightweight, while they are not built on stilts and have been emphasized by the contrast it creates with the units.
Corten steel is often chosen to help buildings withstand nature; an arid desert climate. The low alloy steel is a resilient skin for architecture living under challenging conditions. Corten steel is also chosen to help buildings live alongside nature. The Corten develops a healthy patina of colors from a rusty orange burnish to a textured silvery glaze letting it sink in/ blend or stand out.
As mentioned for more information please feel free to reach out and if this project will win the 1st prize we are also happy to help you with the next chapters/ construction drawings, edition on the design etc.
Best Regards,