Project Background
The project is located in the Shapotou Touristic District in Zhongwei City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), China, which is a sand sea about 2km away from the desert reserve. In recent years, desert tourism in Zhongwei is in the ascendant, and the Desert Galaxy Camp is a newly developed camp. As the main building of the site, the project not only provides supporting services for the camp, such as catering and comprehensive reception, but also serves as the symbol of the whole camp.
Exterior Renderings
Building as a landmark in desert
There is no cultural landscape or historical context around the site. Here, the desert is the most intuitive and significant element, where the rolling sand dunes stretch into the distance.
The northwest facade of the architecture opening and facing the desert
Northwest facade
The functional space in the building is the main body of the treasure box. The architect solves the functional problem through the stacking and dislocation of four horizontal blocks. The outer skin of the building is an oblique rectangular tube inserted into the ground, with four faces exposed to the ground, forming a “package” of the building’s functional space. The two systems form a strong interleaving between the blocks and the facades: some blocks will be inserted outside the inclined surfa
Service center and outdoor stage facing each other in space
Service center viewed from stage
According to local people, it is best to have a “cover” for desert buildings. Even if only a piece of cloth propped up over the main body will greatly alleviate the direct sunlight and form a cool microclimate. The first roof formed by rusted steel plate is this cover. It blocks the sunlight and forms a shadow to prevent the sun from directly shining on the second roof and resulting in excessive indoor temperature.
There are also several semi outdoor platforms corresponding to the wind and shadow, where users can take a nap and enjoy the scenery of the desert. The perforated design on the rusted steel plate is conducive to the passage of the wind, and forms a dramatic light and shadow effect, which also adds a romantic atmosphere to the semi outdoor space.
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