Traditional cave dwellings in China, often referred to as Yaodant, are the inspiration for the Gimme Shelter Ordos 100 project from Rojkind Arquitectos in Mexico. The 1000 sq. mr (10,700 sq.ft) design for Ordos, Mongolia is engineered to work with the harsh winters and hot summers.
Gimme Shelter maintains the underlying principal of nomadic dwellings — to provide shelter from extreme climatic conditions. The design submerges itself into the landscape, providing warmth through the winter and cool air during the summer with passive solar and geothermal design elements incorporated.
“The Villa not only protects its inhabitants from harsh climatic conditions, but provides a unique experience for dynamic-programmatic circulation between private, public, and service spaces,” explains the architects. “Interstitial space serves as circulation for inhabitants and provides unique opportunities for gardens filled with native flora.”
The multi-floored Gimme Shelter Villa includes a hard protective shell for the extreme weather conditions. Inside the Villa, the design provides light-filled spaces with separate areas for living, working, resting, and interior gardens. The interior gardens help cool the inside of the building in the summer months.
The Gimme Shelter Ordos 100 project is part of a project to develop 100 hundred villas in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China organized by the artist Ai Wei Wei.
Resources
Rojkind Arquitectos: http://www.rojkindarquitectos.com/
Ordos100: http://www.ordos100.com/
Show/Hide comment form
written by Julie Stapleton , July 27, 2009