Oryx Sanctuary

Status: Competition

Typology: Hospitality

Location: Amman, Jordan

Year: 2020

In collaboration with Sarah Hejazin

The sun and its heat. Thirst and weariness. Stifling sand and dust. The desert presents itself as an uninhabitable land. Yet those same dunes once carried emissaries, merchants, and travelers across vast regions. Even more so, it welcomed all who wished to dwell there. This sanctuary seeks to resurrect the desert’s spirit and amplify its transient natural elements. The wind cools the body, animals are brought closer, light is accentuated, and the relative movement of the stars is captured through the architecture.

The proposal responds to the desert in contrasting attitudes. A contextual approach to deal with the climate, heritage and materials of the site, yet flexible enough to be disassembled and assembled anywhere in the vast desert.

It becomes difficult to imagine the environmental context and its specific elements without the building, yet, from afar, the building is seen in the corner of your eye.

Experiments with arches created a form that accelerates the wind to add passive cooling measures as well as provide shade from harsh direct light. The courtyard that resulted allows both a private intimate courtyard that brings the ecology closer, and also creating expansive views of the desert in all of its mystique.

As the wind flows into the courtyard and cools the space, the arches at the entrance that are filled with reed to prevent sand accumulation.

The language of the arch was used to respond not only to the environment but also to the program, structure and the desert heritage as well.

In this proposal, main functions are always contained underneath the arches. In the public common hub, arches hold the outdoor passages, seating areas and lobby while in the private lodge, arches house enclosed spaces such as the bedroom, bathroom and the living room.

The design uses new and ancient technologies to be a net positive building in the harsh desert climate. The fabric that encloses the building is created by weaving matting, a traditional fabric that allows air to flow through, as well as solar threads to generate electricity and power the sanctuary. As guests enter their courtyard, they are greeted with a shallow pool which is harvested by the rain. The pool which feeds into the tank also creates evaporative cooling for the lodge as well as brings animals from the protected area to drink from the water.