Lostscape

Feeling the presence of a night sky full of stars makes you feel an affinity to nature. The scalessness of the desert landscape is reflecting the vastness of the universe. The project is a refuge located in the desert of Nevada. The architecture situates itself as a mediator between the desert and sky, forming a space for people to regain a sense of belonging.

The project is set in the desert of Nevada in the US. Nevada is a fascinatingly weird site. Area 51. Highway 375. Extreme climate. Remote. Solitude. Land art. The space is an oasis in the desert. It’s a place for recreation and looking at stars. The building is in synergy with the natural landscape. The spirit of the place. We as human beings need to remain permeable to the environment we engage in, which keeps us absorbent to flows of energy. The openness in the geometry is fundamental for the process of natural ventilation. The water pond in front cools down the wind coming from south, as it enters the building. The water thereby plays a double role, as it has a technical purpose, while being a poetic and grounding element. Its mirroring effect is amplifying the natural condition of the site, as the sky enters the ground and the vastness of the sky, momentarily becomes a watermark on the earth. Distinctions diminish. In organizing the program the formation of ground played a vital role. The subtlety in the movements of the ground directs the urban relationship to more shielded courtyard situations. Some objects are carved into the ground for protective reasons, are naturally bound together in a flow of open spaces. In the process of the day, the guest forms an alternative relationship to nature as this becomes spatial. The sun plays a double role through harvesting it as natural energy, while remaining an active element in continuously unfolding spatial situations. The architecture supports this natural rhythm as it molds a variety of spaces, from open to intimate. The movement of the day is entering the building thus becomes part of it. The sun reframes the spaces creating soft spatial divisions. The sun carves out spaces to inhabit. Niches appear and evolve. This part of the conversation between nature and building is independent from its viewer, here lies a liberating acknowledgment. The guest can enter this subtle conversation by engaging in the space and naturally alter his/hers relationship to it. Finding moments of warm solitude, a deep awareness occurs as the synergy materializes itself.