‘One With the Birds’ was developed for the AIM Legend of the Tent competition in China, which challenged architects to develop low-impact tent-themed hotels offering a closer connection with the outdoors.
It describes a flexible, portable hotel made from rods of bamboo, designed to bring guests closer to nature. The project seeks to be ecologically conscious, with a flexible system able to be reconfigured based on the conditions of the site. With the possibility of being a single-family house, hotel, or rest station, the scheme is intended to provide an alternative, yet comfortable, dwelling experience for hikers in the woods. The buildings allow for three-dimensional exploration of the landscape, as well as views above tree canopies.
Our design for the AIM ‘legend of tent’ competition is driven by 3 main principles: an ecological understanding of the project, a flexible structure, which can be adept to different surroundings and creating a comfortable atmosphere in a unique environment.
1. ecological understanding:
The design uses natural and local materials as a structural element. The focus was to create a connection which leaves no impact on the site, nor any harm on the bamboo itself, so after the temporary hotel is deconstructed, the materials can be reused as scaffolding on a construction site or reused as another temporary hotel on a different location.
The design uses natural and local materials as a structural element. The focus was to create a connection which leaves no impact on the site, nor any harm on the bamboo itself, so after the temporary hotel is deconstructed, the materials can be reused as scaffolding on a construction site or reused as another temporary hotel on a different location.
2. flexible structure:
The structure is inspired by the tipis of native americans, which didnt leave any harm on the site, nor on the material itself, because the joints were connected with ropes, so the tents were easy to construct, deconstruct and carried. A truly flexible system.
For our structural system, a stick of bamboo gets rotated, mirrored and connected with a horizontal element, which creates the possibility to grow in height. The columns get mirrord again, which fixes the beam in their center. Depending on the height and span of the grid, the rows of columns can be doubled, which results in a very clean joint. A rope can tie the connection, so no screws or nails are used. the bamboo stays in its initial state and can be reused afterwards.
the same knots of bamboo can be added in every direction, which creates the same knot on every connection and stabilizes the whole system. A new horizontal layer can be implemented and connects the beams, which creates a base for people to use the structure.
The width of the grid is 470cm with a floor to floor height of 400m. The base of the structure is elevated, so the foundation can adept to any given landscape.
For our structural system, a stick of bamboo gets rotated, mirrored and connected with a horizontal element, which creates the possibility to grow in height. The columns get mirrord again, which fixes the beam in their center. Depending on the height and span of the grid, the rows of columns can be doubled, which results in a very clean joint. A rope can tie the connection, so no screws or nails are used. the bamboo stays in its initial state and can be reused afterwards.
the same knots of bamboo can be added in every direction, which creates the same knot on every connection and stabilizes the whole system. A new horizontal layer can be implemented and connects the beams, which creates a base for people to use the structure.
The width of the grid is 470cm with a floor to floor height of 400m. The base of the structure is elevated, so the foundation can adept to any given landscape.
3. comfortable uniqueness:
The 3rd key principles of our design is to create a comfortable environment in a unique experience. Hiking through the woods, one is normally surrounded by treetrunks, lacking a sense of orientation and visibility. When we were kids, we used to experience our environment differently. We used to connect to nature in a more direct way, climbing trees, enjoying unique views and exporing a different wildlife. We were connected to our environment in a 3 dimensional way. We were one with the birds…
This feeling of leaving city-life behind and getting connected to nature and experiencing our natural environment is the driving idea of our proposal.
This feeling of leaving city-life behind and getting connected to nature and experiencing our natural environment is the driving idea of our proposal.
With a flexible structural system and connected it with comfortable spaces, we have the opportunity to create a variety of buildings of different sizes. depending on the needs, the size and amount can grow: from single rooms to a family structure, to a size of a clubhouse or even up to larger scales, which fombine more functions of a typical hotel like a lobby or restaurant within one structure.
mindboard:
a flexible, structural system:
By adding the same joints of bamboo and connecting them with each other, we get a structural grid where triangulated pots can be implemented: Sleeping pots of different sizes, larger pots for families, connected pots for larger functions like lobby or restaurant and pots for a bathroom or toilette.
We see a structure not just as an element which takes on the loads of the spaces and then is connected to nature, we also see it as an element, where nature can be implemented and after a certain time, those plants can grow take over the whole structure.
When we were kids, we used to experience our environment differently. We used to connect to nature in a more direct way, climbing trees, enjoying unique views and exporing a different wildlife. We were connected to our environment in a 3 dimensional way.
We were one with the birds…
A flexible structure gives one the freedom to expand the system horizontally and vertically. All is depending on the needs and on the demands, but each building connects in a very responsible diaglog to our natural environment.
make sure to check out our explanation video (~6min) and to turn on your speaker.
‘One with the birds’ was showcased online on great architecture websites , such as
and printed in magazine/newspapers like
frame, huffington post or dailymail.
thanks to the folks responsible!
for more information about the project or our work, please visit our
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Source: https://www.behance.net/gallery/18495633/One-with-the-birds by https://www.behance.net/prechteck is licensed under cc by-nc (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en_US)
