a Human Sized Bird House
On the hills of the Portuguese Amieria region is a place for retreat and regeneration. Existing elevated structures built through time sit on a steep and rocky terrain - new friendly and familiar figures accompany them. Like their counterparts, they are elevated and built on stilts to avoid permanent footprints. As the predecessor covers itself in stone, the addition choses to cover itself in wood for malleability and flexibility purposes.
To complement the meandering paths, small bridges are installed to allow the guests to have access to their restful nests - providing only what is essential: shelter and sanitation. The network of gable roofs and circular windows hints at the typical bird house typology, pursuing the users to experience the site at different perspectives and elevations - the same way a bird experiences its surroundings. The positioning is distanced, staggered and rotated to allow every unit to have a unique character and to avoid any vis-a-vis. The placement can be adjusted on site to either allow more units or to provide more privacy. For the purpose of this proposal 13 units are placed throught the road and rocky terrain.
Both the proposed structures and nature coexist, allowing types of vegetation and living organisms to follow its course under and beside it. The users will be able to experience to become one with nature - similar to the Vale de Moses retreat ethos.
