“Everyone thinks of the desert as monochromatic,” says Schweitzer. “But when you look carefully, there are all these amazing colors: a vivid green lichen growing on a rock, a bright red flower, and the impossibly blue sky. This compound takes those colors and builds them at the scale of man, which is bigger than the flower, but a lot smaller than the rocks.”

The Monument House is one of many multicolored homes in the park. “Following in the footsteps of Lloyd Wright’s nearby New City of Mentalphysics, this home continues a rich tradition of experimental and radical architecture in the California high desert,” says the website for Homestead Modern, the Joshua Tree rental firm currently managing the property.

The listing follows a recent renovation of the Monument House. The home’s moss-colored building features an open plan living room with comfy but modern furniture and a bright orange fireplace, with views of the desert landscape framed by trapezoidal windows and doors on all sides. These playful geometric openings are meant to mirror the shapes of the large boulders in the surrounding park. While there’s no TV here, there are plenty of books, games, and internet access to provide entertainment.

In the blue structure, a canary yellow “chef style” kitchen has all the essentials for small gathering meal prep. The dining room is equally sunny, with a table by Roy McMakin and chairs designed by Schweitzer himself. If you’d rather eat outside, you’ll have no problem dining al fresco in the home’s red-colored outdoor gazebo, complete with a propane barbecue grill.

Come nighttime, visitors to the Monument House can stargaze around the outdoor firepit before heading inside to the solo bedroom with its plush mint king-size mattress from Tuft & Needle. Or they take a dip in the outdoor hot tub (hidden in a deck) to enjoy 360-degree views of the five-acre estate and beyond. The home also includes an electric vehicle charger for any EV-driving guests.

The property location is idyllic. Located just one mile from the entrance to Joshua Tree Nation Park, the house is easily accessible while retaining a secluded feel, standing alone against a rocky hill in a valley of boulders. It’s important to note that guests are not permitted to use the rental for any photo or film shoots without advance permission. Bookings at the historic Monument House start at $299 for a two-night minimum stay.

The post Colorful Joshua Tree Monument House is Now Available to Rent first appeared on Dornob.

Burning Man came back in a big way after a two-year COVID-induced hiatus. Not only did this year’s event in remote Black Rock City, Nevada draw an incredible 80,000 attendees and end with an epic eight-hour traffic jam, it also featured a record 88 official art installations. This year’s theme was “Waking Dreams,” aimed at “explor[ing] the transformative power of dreams, both literal and figurative, and celebrat[ing] the dreamers who channel this potent energy in eye-opening, often surrealistic, sometimes life-changing ways,” according to the festival’s organizers.

Here are 6 of our favorite works of art from Burning Man 2022:

Empyrean Temple

Every year, one monumental art installation is set ablaze along with the Burning Man effigy. This year, it was “Empyrean Temple” by Laurence Renzo Verbeck and Sylvia Adrienne Lisse, an architectural structure that’s revealed to be a compass rose beacon in the shape of an eight-pointed star when viewed from above. The installation represents “the region just beyond our physical realm that is the highest center of wisdom, and the source of energy-consciousness,” according to the artists. Visitors passed through portal gates and into the “multiverse” of the temple, where numerous navigational choices offer different experiences.

Paradisium

Made of reclaimed lumber and trees burned in the CZU Lighting Complex fire in Santa Cruz, an interactive grove of geometric trees sprouts out of the sand. “Paradisium” by Dave Keane and Folly Builders of San Francisco creates a play of shadows across the desert floor and offers climbable structures and walkways among the canopies. The artists explain that “Paradisium is a grove made out of trees, long fallen, that remind us of the forest’s beauty and our interconnectedness and interdependence with nature, while also fostering a sense of community and an investment in our shared future.”

Gaia

This colossal sculpture by Marco Cochrane and Julia Whitelaw measured 40 feet by 12 feet and was made out of stainless steel rods based on a “flower of life” pattern and covered in stainless steel mesh with LED lighting effects.

“Inspired by and in honor of nurturing energy… mother energy… love and connection: and the joy we feel when we act on the imperative to take care of each other and our planet,” the artists explain. “Julia’s vision for Gaia was inspired by the joy she and her children experienced those times when, as a young mother, she took her children to the beach and watched as they ran, jumped, dug, built castles, bickered, buried each other, and made new friends, and by her own memories of being that child.”

The Museum of No Spectators

Architect John Marx and artist J Abinthia Vermut created this spectacular open-air art gallery challenging the “elitist” nature of typical galleries. The “radically inclusive and interactive museum space” creates a space for everyone to make art and become an exhibiting artist. Located on the edge of Black Rock City, the unusual shaped structure invited guests to create their own art on the spot, contributing directly without gatekeeping.

The artists add: “When participants exit, they find themselves on a stage, the Theater of the Participant, which opens you back up to the vast potential of the Playa and the World beyond. This is the stepping-stone to becoming the change you want to make in the world…”

Catharsis

Point of View

A collaboration between Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuck, this piece is inspired by embroidery patterns from Filipchuk’s birthplace, Ukraine. “It is not possible for us to think of this year without thinking of her homeland and wanting to represent the beauty and spirit of Ukraine while working through the emotions of this challenging time in our artwork,” the artists explain.

The post 6 Unforgettable Art Installations from Burning Man 2022 first appeared on Dornob.

Measuring a mile and a half long and nearly half a mile wide, the project is truly astonishing in scale. But what might be even more astonishing is the fact that it’s actually done, especially to those in the art world who thought it would remain an unfinished money-suck for the remainder of Heizer’s life. The 77-year-old artist first broke ground on “City” in 1970, building the first part, “Complex One,” over the following decade with a crew of workers. At first, he paid for it himself, raising the rest of the funds from art institutions and collectors over the ensuing decades. Heizer and a group of supporters also founded the nonprofit Triple Aught Foundation in 1998, which contributed $30 million.

Long enamored with the idea of monumental art, Heizer got the idea for “City” after visiting Egypt with his father. The influence is evident in the structure of Complex One, which resembles that of the stepped pyramid Zoser. The raised earth structures of “Complex Two” are also reminiscent of Egyptian pyramids, as crisp and unblemished as they once must have been. Another monument, called “45°, 90°, 180°,” is made up of rows of huge triangles and rectangles standing on a concrete plaza. They are all in fact modular pieces of what would be a single wedge, if they were ever assembled.

Photographs of the finished project reveal these ancient influences, but also associations that hit a little closer to home. Its shapes and proportions recall those of 20th-century modernist architecture, and taken as a whole, they could almost be seen as future ruins of contemporary society viewed by our distant descendants. It’s a reminder that as a species, we and our creations are simultaneously enduring and fragile. It wouldn’t take long for the desert winds to completely cover our cities in dust after we’ve gone.

Most of “City” consists of natural materials like dirt, rock, and clay sustainably sourced from the Great Basin landscape, in which the piece is set. In 2015, former President Barack Obama designated 700,000 acres of the desert containing and surrounding the project as a national monument, protecting it for future generations.

Not many people will actually get to experience “City” in person. Tickets are limited to six per day, at least for now. Those lucky enough to get their hands on one will have to fly into Alamo, Nevada, where they’ll be picked up and driven to the installation. Once dropped off, they won’t be led on a guided tour or follow any marked paths. The project is meant to be experienced as if you wandered in on foot and roamed around in awe and wonder, having no idea what you’ve found. “I am not here to tell people what it all means,” Heizer told The New York Times. “You can figure it out for yourself.”

The post After 50 Years, Artist Michael Heizer’s Mysterious “City” in the Nevada Desert is Complete first appeared on Dornob.

Painted black on the outside, the shipping container pool is level with an elevated wooden deck that offers just enough room for a pair of lounge chairs. Measuring the standard 8 feet wide, 8.5 feet high, and 20 feet long, the pool has been fitted with a waterproof liner, built-in bench seating, and underwater lighting. It was professionally made by Modpools, a company that sells shipping container pools all over the United States and Canada, and features an automation system by Pentair that lets you control the lights, pH, and sanitizer performance via smartphone.

Modpools are self-contained portable units, so once you have one, you can take it with you when you move, if you want. All you need is a crane and a flat deck truck. They can be installed above ground, in-ground, or somewhere in between, and they come with an optional lightweight divider wall that turns half of the pool into a hot tub on demand. If you want to try one in person, check out the Casa Cosmos Airbnb in Desert Hot Springs, California, which has a nearly-identical pool to the one at this Joshua Tree residence.

The rest of the home is nothing to sneeze at, either. The renovation was spearheaded by Karen McAloon, former host of the television shows Find Your Style and Design Remix on HGTV and co-founder of design firm X8 Property & Design. McAlool has turned a number of Joshua Tree homes from drab and dated to vacation rental-worthy, and her work on 636 Valencia Drive will have you dreaming of warm arid nights with sage and pinyon pine in the air. The home boasts a Morso fireplace, 26-foot hand-plastered bench, handmade white oak cabinets in the kitchen, and a 45-square-foot white quartz island.

The primary bedroom, which opens onto a private Saltillo tiled patio, features a generously sized en-suite bathroom with a dual walk-in shower. Two guest rooms open to the front patio and share a bathroom with a Roman clay wall treatment. An adjacent garage has been converted to a one bedroom, one bathroom guest casita for even more hosting capabilities.

If you love the idea of a shipping container pool but want to save some cash, it is possible to DIY this project. It can be as cheap and simple as adding a pond liner to a clean, watertight container or more high-end and durable with a fiberglass liner insert. Check out our guide to shipping container pools for more details. For even more of a fun DIY spirit, you can even transform an old dumpster into a swimming pool.

The post You’re Going to Want to Copy This Modern Shipping Container Pool in Joshua Tree first appeared on Dornob.

“For nearly 100 years, Disney has shared stories that have touched the hearts and minds of people all around the world,” said Josh D’Amaro, the chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, in a statement. “As we prepare to enter our second century, we are developing new and exciting ways to bring the magic of Disney to people wherever they are, expanding storytelling to story living. We can’t wait to welcome residents to these beautiful and unique Disney communities where they can live their lives to the fullest.”

The first Storyliving by Disney residential association will be located in Rancho Mirage in southern California’s Coachella valley. It’s a fitting spot, considering it’s just minutes away from Walt Disney’s own favorite family retreat in Palm Springs, a getaway he called his “laughing place.” Subtitled “Cotino,” the Rancho Mirage development will include multiple housing options, including estates, single family homes, and condominiums. There will even be some neighborhoods specifically for residents ages 55+.

The entire village will be centered around a proposed 24-acre “grand oasis featuring clear turquoise waters with Crystal Lagoons® technology, enabling crystalline lagoons of any size to be built sustainably, with low water consumption and using a minimum amount of additives and energy,” the company said.

Residents can opt into a club membership for access to the recreational water activities, waterfront clubhouse, and members-only beach area. And of course, the club membership will provide access to all the other Disney lifestyle activities that the community offers. Disney cast members will run the community association and provide their legendary guest service to residents. They’ll also facilitate curated leisure opportunities like live performances, cooking classes, seminars, philanthropic endeavors, and wellness programming.

The master plan also includes a commercial zone with a hotel, as well as a range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options open to the public along the lakefront. There’s a catch though: to use the beach and its amenities, outsiders will need to purchase a day pass.

Disney says it is “exploring other location options in the United States – in the places people dream of living in.” Each community “will take inspiration from the authentic culture and heritage of each region,” with design help from its team of Imagineers.

“Disney Imagineers are exploring the richness of each local region to inspire the theme of Storyliving by Disney communities,” says Michael Hundgen, executive producer of Walt Disney Imagineering. “Distinctively designed indoor and outdoor spaces will offer residents new opportunities to explore, engage, and create the next incredible chapter of their story.”

The idea of Disney living originated with Walt himself. Epcot was inspired (and named) by his idea for the “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,” an imaginary city built on the newest and most innovative technologies. And the company actually did build an entire Disney town in the 1990s. Celebration, Florida is filled with pastel-colored buildings and palm-tree lined lanes, but Disney sold the municipality to a private-equity firm a decade later, essentially cutting ties with the development.

Cotino is being planned with the help of Scottsdale, Arizona-based DMB Development, a builder with experience creating unique communities in the western United States. No completion timetables have been given at this point, but interested mouseketeers can apply for more information on the Storyliving by Disney website.

The post Disney is Building a Residential Community in CA’s Coachella Valley first appeared on Dornob.

Unsurprisingly, transforming deserts into lush landscapes is no easy task, but as we learn more about this process in the hope of alleviating the effects of climate change, a funny little robot revealed at this year’s Dubai Design Week could help.

Part Wall-E, part mechanical seal, A’seedbot is an oddly adorable autonomous robot designed to roam desert landscapes, using a host of built-in sensors and navigation systems to examine the ground and identify and report on fertile areas. It’s equipped with solar panels that keep it crawling along anywhere within a three-mile radius of its operator on its 3D-printed legs.

Information is transmitted to a receiver so it can be analyzed by scientists, and once planting areas are identified, it can be used to plant seeds. The robot’s built-in collision avoidance system ensures that it won’t destroy itself on rocks and other obstacles.

It may sound like a futuristic dream or the next Pixar movie, but A’seedbot has very real potential, and could vastly reduce the number of human workers needed to work on desert-transforming agricultural research projects. Dubai Institute of Design and innovation graduate Mazyar Etehadi created it as part of his graduation project, which was shown for the Global Grad Show, an annual gathering of graduate design projects that aim to create solutions to social and environmental issues. This year, the Middle East and North Africa section of the show was held as an in-person event within Dubai Design Week.

“Desertification is a massive problem across the globe caused by unsustainable agricultural practices, mining, climate change, and general land overuse,” Etehadi explains on his Instagram. “But much like climate change itself, desertification is a complex ecological issue that is difficult to understand.”

That’s where the use of a drone comes in. A’seedbot, which was chosen for exhibition out of thousands of entries, is a brilliant solution. It’s also surprisingly cute. Measuring about eight inches long, it features a pair of cameras that give it that Wall-E look, a protective shell over its electronic components, and propeller-style legs that look sort of like flippers. Etehadi plans to experiment with modifications that would allow it to get around in different types of sand, and imagines that it will be attractive to both government entities and farmers.

Etehadi says of himself: “My two concentrations in the design field are product and fashion design, and I’m currently focusing to minimize and simplify human problem issues and to ensure beneficial possibilities out of complex issues, basically wanting to make human lives easier. After completing my studies at the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, I plan to stick and focus on tasks that would relate to problem-solving on both product and fashion design. Potentially to construct innovative yet straightforward proposals. As a designer, I plan to make a change as small or as impactful as it may be on the world.”

The post Solar-Powered Autonomous Robot Roams the Desert Planting Seeds first appeared on Dornob.

The Castle Cottage — Lake George, New York

If having a whole castle to yourself (or at least, your family or pod of quarantine buddies) sounds more up your alley, The Castle Cottage is your fairytale waiting to happen. Set on a mountaintop in the Adirondacks overlooking Lake George, this gorgeous stone keep sleeps up to six people.

Alpaca Treehouse — Atlanta, Georgia

Sometimes you need a place to get away without leaving the city. In Atlanta, this treehouse set within a bamboo forest comes complete with wandering llamas. Seriously. One of the most wishlisted Airbnbs in the world (and recently featured on the Netflix reality show Love is Blind, Delta’s inflight commercials, Animal Planet’s Treehouse Masters, and VH1’s Love & Hip Hop), this space sleeps four guests. Unsurprisingly, this spot is also super in-demand for small weddings, photo shoots, and music videos.

Silo Studio Cottage — Tyringham, Massachusetts

A romantic getaway ideal for a couple, the Silo Studio Cottage is an adorable two-story round house on the Santarella Estate in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. Formerly the summer studio of sculptor Henry Hudson Kitson, it features a 35-foot-high conical ceiling with a canopied bed and views of a nearby lily pond and babbling brook.

Earthship Studio — Taos, New Mexico

Staying overnight in an awesome recycled Earthship is a must-do in New Mexico. This one in Taos includes all the cool features you’d expect in an Earthship, including glass bottle walls, polished earthen floors, and a passive solar sunroom, plus modern amenities like Wi-Fi, Netflix, and a luxurious deep tub.

River House — New Orleans, Louisiana

This one bedroom, one bath guest home tucked away in the historic neighborhood of Faubourg Marigny is well away from the crowds of downtown, but it still packs in all the New Orleans charm you can handle. Located on the second floor of a mansion, it features its own private 500-square-foot balcony with original cast iron railings and city views, as well as access to a swimming pool and lush gardens.

Desert Yacht — Terlingua, Texas

Looking for a highly unique place where you can be wild and free? This Airbnb getaway is literally a yacht in the desert near Big Bend in West Texas, and officially listed as “clothing optional.” It features one bedroom, a kitchen, an upper deck for all the stargazing you can handle, and best of all, loads of privacy. The property itself is a good 20 miles outside civilization, but Wi-Fi access and an indoor shower are just a quick drive away.

Desert Sage House — Yucca Valley, California

Dreaming of a place where you can safely gather with your friends or extended family? This complex of cabins, yurts, and trailers is spread out on five acres of land in California’s Yucca Valley, and set up so you can hang out together outdoors or retreat to your own private spaces. You’ll have the whole property to yourselves (but no parties or weddings are allowed). It’s capable of hosting up to 12 guests in five bedrooms, with eight beds total.

Chelan Hobbit Haven — Orondo, Washington

A global pandemic is enough to make anyone wish they could hide away in a hobbit hole. Lucky for you, you actually can! “Underground Hygge” is an earth house nestled into the Columbia River Gorge mountainside in Orondo, Washington featuring an iconic round front door, gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside, six acres to explore, and one bedroom ideal for one or two people.

The Silos at Prairie Vale — Green Ridge, Missouri

You’ve heard of tiny houses, but what about tiny silo houses? Experience one for yourself on a family-owned farm in Green Ridge, Missouri. You’ll get a taste of farm life complete with Nigerian Dwarf goats, miniature donkeys, chickens, and other animals while staying in a silo apartment with its own full kitchen, bathroom, and loft.

The Ark Tiny House — Virgin, Utah

Location, location, location! Utah’s Zion National Park is unlike anywhere else in the United States, and The Ark is a great way to experience it. Sure, it’s a tiny house, but it’s actually capable of sleeping up to six people between its bedroom and common spaces. It also boasts a loft, bathtub, office desk, TV with Netflix, Wi-Fi, a hot tub and fire pit, and a breathtaking bay window overlooking a 75-acre property with a stream.

Find more unique places to stay near you on Airbnb’s website.

The post The 10 Most Amazing Airbnbs for Your Quarantine Vacation first appeared on Dornob.

It’s a loss for Wright’s legacy, for the school’s 30 current students, and for the world of architecture, particularly considering how interesting Taliesin student creations tend to be. Incorporating key elements like sustainability, natural materials, and harmony with the surrounding landscape, these temporary structures — particularly those in the Sonoran Desert at Taliesin West — are anything but typical. Here are a few of the students’ standout structures.

Simon de Aguero created this unusual wide-open desert home almost entirely from found scraps and local materials, with a core structure built out of rammed earth. The core design is an abstracted tribute to the way boulders jut out of the earth in the desert, with a stretched vinyl shade hovering like clouds overhead. And since the climate in question precludes the need for full walls, windows, or doors, the design really enables a refreshing level of interaction with nature. The ability to build a fire beneath the bed platform is a particularly cool feature.

“Little Shelters” is a collaborative student project built with a $2,000 budget using as many on-site resources as possible. Daniel Chapman, Mark-Thomas Cordova, Jaime Inostroza, Dylan Kessler, Pablo Moncayo, Natasha Vemulkonda, and Pierre Verbruggen spent 12 weeks constructing two shared shelters and a gathering space that could be used and maintained by future students, as well.

Student Jaime Inostroza also created the Atalaya Shelter, which is rooted in a desire to deeply understand the landscape itself. The design sprang into his mind when he first encountered the perfect site for it. He explains: “It was like secret place hidden in the wash, covered by the shadows of the trees and looking out at the wash and the desert. The entrance to the site is shaped by the Alameda of Palos Verdes. This creates the aperture to the site, and at sunset the site becomes a distiller of the light. The mountains are now with purple in color. The landscape is an opera of colors.”

“From that observation of the site, my principle was to develop an entrance procession that would let me dwell within the horizon of the Alameda of the Palos Verdes. Because of that the name of the project is ‘Atalaya,’ which means crow’s nest. It is the highest point from the boat where you can see the horizon across the ocean. I used the existing concrete pad like a plinth that holds this structure and continued the procession with a combination wall-stair. The shelter will be covered with fabric panels that will amplify the colors of the desert.”

Taliesin West also inspired architects and designers who weren’t students there, including Kate Brown, who created the sculptural Etazin Chair specifically for the school. Made of steel, the circular eight-foot lounger features an inner ring that can spin to face any direction the user desires. It’s on permanent installation at the school, placed among the student shelters in the desert.

You can read more about what it was like for students to live and work at Taliesin West, in their own words, at ArchDaily.

The post Standout Projects from Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s School of Architecture first appeared on Dornob.

Located in northwestern Saudi Arabia, AlUla is both the country’s first UNESCO-protected location and the largest preserved site south of Jordan for the Nabataean civilization. It’s full of palm groves and elaborate facades and tombs carved into sandstone cliffs. Over the last few years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been transforming it into a “living museum” representing a crossroads of ancient civilizations. Desert X AlUla will be the site’s first major contemporary art installation, with each piece engaging with its surroundings in a way that’s truly unique.

Standout works include Lita Alburquerque’s “NAJMA (She Placed One Thousand Suns Over the Transparent Overlays of Space),” a star map recounting the story of a female astronaut who visits Earth to spread knowledge of astronomy and navigation.

The installation’s official website explains: “Albuquerque had the idea of Elyseria many years ago and has told the story in a series of vignettes — massive installations of the figure set in distinctive locales across the world. Each place becomes a stage set where the narrative of light, the stars, and collective knowledge is explored and evolved into a character myth. She creates Elyseria in striking ultramarine blue pigment that is reminiscent of the expanse of the cosmos, embodying the mythic figure as a way of welcoming her wisdom and her story.”

Among the most dramatic installations is “A Concise Passage” by Rashed Al Shashai, in which a pyramid made of plastic pallets references both the site’s ancient history providing shelter and respite to travelers in trading caravans and modern-day commerce. The website notes that: “Here, it stands in for AlUla’s history as a major stop along the Incense Trade Route, a center where goods from various corners of the Earth once exchanged hands. In AlUla, Al Shashai brings these two ideas together, constructing a pyramid from plastic pallets. The pyramid’s shape itself points to AlUla’s importance, not just as a cradle of civilization of old, but more importantly, to its reawakening; AlUla has embraced a new role as a center for the exchange of ideas rather than goods, and a generator of meaning and understanding rather than commerce. It has a renewed pride of place as a cultural hub for the region. The blue pallets and colored passage stand out in contrast to the calm tones of the landscape. It becomes a cheerful and emphatic contemporary monument; a beacon of knowledge, it is a metaphor for AlUla itself.”

For “Glimpses of the Past,” Zahra Al Ghamdi laid out approximately 6,000 tin date containers of various sizes across the sand as an “ode to AlUla’s agricultural wealth, its plentiful palm tree groves that have fueled the area’s trade for generations, and the springs of water that have sustained them.”

Visitors will also get a kick out of Manal Al Dwayan’s “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t,” a series of trampolines set into the desert that glow after dark. This installation mimics the look of a mirage. Its puddle-like components “do not belong in this landscape, and yet they appear paused [and] contained, existing in the crevices of the AlUla rocks.”

Check out all 14 installations online at the Desert X AlUla website. If you’re able to visit Saudi Arabia to see it in person, you better act fast. It’s running now through March 7th.

The post Desert X AIUIa Art Installation Set Along Historic Saudi Arabian Trade Route first appeared on Dornob.

Currently in development, the complex will consist of two enclosed biomes. The Northern Biome reflects the botanic diversity found among Oman’s Northern Mountains, while the Southern Biome will hold the forested habitats of the Dhofar region. These glass structures echo the natural topography of the areas they’re replicating, undulating in waves and connecting to each other and the rest of the gardens via walkways and cable cars.

Visitors feel like they’re meandering through the wadis, mountains, and deserts of Oman in this immersive man-made landscape, experiencing all of the sultanate’s beautiful plant life in a matter of a few hours. Much of this flora is endemic to Oman, meaning you won’t find it anywhere else in the world, and many of the species are also endangered. The 420-hectare (about 1,037 acres) site is one of only a few locations in the world where the ancient seabed is still visible. That’s because tectonic activity has elevated the bed to 100 meters (about 328 feet) above sea level.

The eight defined habitats are arranged at the center of complex alongside a visitor center and educational/research facilities. The layout considers things like passive and active shading, efficient plant irrigation, natural daylight optimization, and a careful study of foot traffic to produce a harmonious and sustainable whole. All of the buildings are being designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the globally-recognized standard for sustainability.

“The Oman Botanic Garden is an astonishing project with many layers of interwoven cultural and environmental significance,” says Keith Brewis, Partner at Grimshaw Architects. “Its scale and diversity is truly world-leading, and we are honored to work as the architects for a project that has the conservation of bio-diversity as a core design driver.”

“At Arup we have enjoyed the many unique challenges presented by the Oman Botanic Garden; from designing natural and authentic landscapes to recreating the cool mists of the Khareef,” says Ed Clarke, Associate Director of Arup. “More than 700 of our multi-disciplinary engineers and specialist designers were engaged to explore and find solutions that would befit such an ambitious and creative brief. The Oman Botanic Garden must surely be one of the most marvelous projects in the world.”

“The Oman Botanic Garden project set itself and the entire design team unique cultural and technical objectives, and aspirations,” says Alisdair Hinshelwood, Designer and Director at hsd. “Hsd has relished working on a project where the botanical, landscape, and cultural heritage of Oman is being expressed through the detailed scientific research, technical design, and sheer creative enthusiasm of the entire time, client and design alike.”

The post Garden Will Be World’s Largest Ecological Oasis first appeared on Dornob.

The Bed & Breakfast Santulan is one such project, set in the desert of Baja California, Mexico. Completed in 2019 and designed by architecture firm Santos Bolívar, this scattering of structures combines vernacular and modern aesthetics and materials into a seamless whole that feels fully at home in its surroundings. Made of rammed earth bricks, the upper parts of each volume have a more traditional appearance, and when viewed from afar, they seem to be floating above the sand and cacti below.

But each of these buildings is actually set upon a faceted, mirrored modern plinth, which themselves reflect various scenes around the property. Depending on the angle of the facet, that might be the red earth, the blue sky, or the faint gray mountains. Floating concrete staircases connect the buildings to the ground, and a long walkway leads into a striking subterranean geodesic dome conceived as a place for meditation.

“Santulan” means “balance” in Hindi, explains lead architect José Antonio de los Santos Bolívar, and that word is the guiding concept used for the development of the entire complex. The architect wanted the hotel to be both a tourist destination and an example of a culture of respect and balance with the ecosystem, both from visitors and from the architecture itself.

“We wanted to break with the architectural typology of a hotel that develops its services within a same volumetric body. [A]fter incessantly analyzing the site and its geographical and natural qualities, we made the decision to project its architectural program in different buildings interconnected by means of walkways that interact directly with nature and are architects of an invitation to live different spiritual and architectural experiences. [We also attempted] to make these walkers the result of the analysis of the traces of the OM mantra symbol, a part of an integral design that seeks the balance between architecture, nature, mind, and spirit.”

In addition to using blocks of compacted earth as a main building material, the hotel includes other ecologically sensitive features like greywater recycling wetlands, a fog catcher tower to capture water from the air, low-maintenance green roofs planted with native grasses, an organic orchard, low-water landscaping, and a natural cross-ventilation system. All of these considerations add to the peaceful and low-impact atmosphere of the hotel, which is augmented by the unusual nature of its reflective architecture.

Bed & Breakfast Santulan is the architect’s second project in Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe. The first was the Media Perra Brewery, which uses similar materials alongside strategically folded metal facades that help shade the interiors from the harsh desert sun. The adobe blocks seen in this 2014 project are a trademark of the native Kumiai people who live nearby. Both projects achieve a sense of harmony with the landscape and traditions of the area, as well as the era in which they’re being built.

The post Optical Illusion Bed & Breakfast Appears to Float Above the Desert Landscape first appeared on Dornob.

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At first glance, you might not even see them, as the new buildings are almost perfectly camouflaged into their environment. Named “Maraya,” which means “reflection” or “mirror” in Arabic, the reflective cultural center celebrates this UNESCO World Heritage Site by ensuring that the natural setting will never be overshadowed by new construction.

Designed by Gió Forma Studio Associato, an architecture firm based in Milan, Maraya combines architecture and land art in its immersive theater, interactive exhibition space, and kinetic art by Leva-Todo. It’s located 22 kilometers (about 13.6 miles) from the popular cultural sites of Al’Ula, a 2,000-year-old ghost town made of stone and mud that draws in many thousands of tourists per year. Unfortunately, Al’Ula is steadily succumbing to the ravages of time, and the old city may not last much longer.

Maraya offers a new destination for the region, wrapped in a mirrored facade and looking very much like a mirage as you first approach. The concert hall makes use of both modern and vernacular materials, with a rustic stone torch-lined path leading to the main entrance. All around the reflective venue, similarly mirrored pillars rise from the desert sand.

“The ‘maraya,’ a giant mirror cube, is a site specific ‘object-architecture,’ an experience that makes us reflect on the incomparable spectacle of the geological epic, the radial abstraction of the surroundings and the singular incursions of man into the landscape,” say the architects. “The mirror cube will highlight the surroundings instead of competing with nature. Unique in its genre, this landscape itself becomes an exhibition space.”

“The ‘maraya’ is inaugurated with the ‘Winter at Tantora,’ a unique show that features big names of international culture on a performing stage carved into the sand and inserted in a video art installation of the Bonsaininja studio showing the visual bond between heritage and future, processing the cultural sites of Al-Ula through 3D and cinematic techniques to highlight and enhance the richness and magic of this scenic unique area.”

From some angles, the new concert hall almost disappears altogether, leaving plenty of visual and physical space for the setting it aims to honor. From others, it glimmers just enough to be intriguing. The creators say the new structure “respects, reflects, and reveals” the beauty of the destination.

The result is nothing short of magical, and a beautiful example of how modern development can enhance existing natural or historical sites instead of replacing them, damaging them, or rendering them unrecognizable.

All photos by Dhafer Alshehri

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In the northern outskirts of Madrid, next to one of the city’s major highways, is Desert City. It’s much more of a greenhouse complex than it is a city, though, having been built to promote educational events and eco-leisure and overflowing with cacti of all shapes and sizes. It’s sort of like a 21^st-century Spanish version of Arizona’s Arcosanti, minus the residential component and a lot smaller.

Designed by Garciagerman Arquitectos, Desert City is a biotechnical nursery built to cultivate over 400 species of cacti, succulents, and other xerophytic plants. Some of these plants come from places as far as South America, Oceania, and North America, but many of them are local to the Madrid area.

Ever since it opened in 2017, the complex has been a place where people can learn about sustainable gardening. In many places that suffer from prolonged droughts, water usage can be restricted, especially for landscaping purposes. Promoting the cultivation of xerophytic plants is a way to help those who want to have more vegetation around their homes and businesses while simultaneously observing those regulations. Desert City tries to show that although a garden full of these plants might not be considered lush to some, it can still be incredibly beautiful.

Visitors walk on stone pathways through five sections of the garden: “Arizona,” which boasts an impressive range of cacti, “Oasis,” with its small forest of palm trees, “Tabernas,” with its linear pool and minimalist landscaping, “Guajira,” comprised of species that grow in shaded areas under a catwalk, and “Tuscany,” the garden’s smallest section full of pomegranates and olives. Desert City is a showcase of possibilities, and if the scenery is not enough to impress visitors, then the research most certainly will.

According to the nursery, a Madridian household or business with a 1076-square-foot conventional garden spends an average of €1,050 a year on landscaping. That figure includes the cost of watering, irrigation, maintenance, and the upkeep of tools. With an xerophytic garden, however, those gardening expenses would be cut by two-thirds, creating a total savings of just over €7,000 in ten years. If saving water does not convince people to make the switch, Desert City hopes that saving money will.

Under the taut roof of its main building, Desert City hosts various conferences, exhibitions, activities, and workshops, all of them serviced by an on-site restaurant and shop. Everything’s enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass, too, giving visitors uninterrupted views of the gardens outside as they mingle among the plants inside.

To call such an institution a “city“ is more a matter of marketing than reality, even though there is subtext to its very existence that is based in reality. Still, it’s really more a promotion of a lifestyle that we all need but do not want. That is what makes this desert oasis such a curious creation. We all need to use water more judiciously, but we do not want to live in a world where water is scarce. Unfortunately, in parts of the world that have historically suffered suffering from droughts, that choice has already been made for the people.

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