JURASSIC CAMP HOUSE

Background

Nature is the art of God.

-Dante Alighieri

Considered as one of the most photographed landscapes in the world, The Wave is a beautiful sculpture created by the forces of wind and water, and lots of time. The Wave is a design of sandstone hallways set in a palette of some of the most defining colors of nature. The rippling symmetry of line, the myriad variations of earth tones of brown, beige, yellow, pink and maroon, and the gravity-defying rock formations surrounding it are outlandish and ethereal.

The Wave consists of intersecting U-shaped troughs that have been eroded into Navajo Sandstone of Jurassic age. This unique cluster began as sand dunes, which eventually compacted and solidified into sandstone over 200 million years ago. While the Wave is a popular destination among hikers and photographers, a few lucky ones get the chance to actually visit it since the authority limits the number of people due to the fragile nature of the rock formation.

The aim of the competition is to design a free-standing resting shelter/camping structure in the heart of The Wave that would give hikers/photographers new ways to spend more time, experience nature and rest after long hiking expeditions. The proposal must be a poetic response for a permanent/semi-permanent structure in a very sensitive environment that would become the ‘eyes and ears’ for visitors who want to connect with the natural ecosystem and reflect upon nature in its true spirit.

Archasm