Shelter Design Competition, Japan

The greater part of the Earth's terrain had been once before a continuous wild land, until the man made settlements dominated earth centuries ago. Built environment in the wild would be itself the first intrusion into the environment. However, many ecosystems that are, or have been, inhabited or influenced by activities of people may still be considered wild. This includes areas within natural processes operates normally without human interference. It’s a necessity to achieve the least recognized man made intervention in the wild ecosystems and in the same time stay in harmony with Mother Nature.
The philosophy was to create a building encapsulating the environmental qualities of the surrounding area. The wildlife was to be encouraged to roam the site with no screening, fencing or garden works. The level where which human beings live their “consumerism life” is shifted downwards beneath the ground, yet connected to the undisturbed wild natural surroundings. The openings expose the nature and sky, to transfer the feeling that there is a dominating life going above our heads, on top of our priorities to maintain. That’s when man looks upwards and discovers the dread of wilderness, while in the same time enjoying his living amenities inside his home. A holistic perspective is perceived.
Carved out of nature, the entrance never stops being a part of nature itself. Upon arrival, the overall form of the house is deliberately hidden beneath ground, challenging any predetermined expectations. The entry porch winds simply through the hinterland scrub to the house. A cylindrical sloped entrance, leads inside the house, enabling living organisms to flow right above the house. The material used in the entrance and in the interior is white precast concrete to be easily recognized, while at the same time is not to conflict with the natural colors of the environment. Never confront the nature with human foreign implementations, nor generate contradiction to settle for being “artificial nature” by giving up being abstract and mimicking the nature. The built environment inspired by Mother Nature defines the nature itself, and still, stays natural.
Right down the edge of the cliff, lies the bedroom, where the bed deck cantilevers outside the edge of the mountain. Directed towards a focal point, the cantilevered metal tube enables horizontal views and qualities of the site to be both enjoyed and confronted. The metal is an alien to the natural environment but still doesn’t conflict with it. The mission was to ensure that the spirit and services of wilderness will thrive and permeate our basic shelter needs, while preserving a world that we are proud to hand over to those who come after us.

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Masjid

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Townhouse for a Newlywed Couple (Best Creativity Prize)

The design challenge was to develop town houses for newlywed couples based on acknowledgement of the various definitions of the concepts of privacy and intimacy, of social interactions and shared responsibilities. The design tackled the transformation in the perception of privacy as well as the shift from the old closed private room to shared open spaces with the spouse.

Mixing the traditional spirit and contemporary architecture. Reformulating the original architecture of Egypt into effective design product that houses newlywed couple was the challenge. Using economic materials represented by red brick, the brick is scattered on a sloped plan producing a new fractured form