NOT A PLACE

HM of New Zealand Nature Retreat: Antipodes Island

+ HONOURABLE MENTION

New Zealand Nature Retreat: Antipodes Island

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NOT A PLACE — but a state of being.

Team

Name: Yilin Zhang

Instagram: zyl1688

Nationality: China

Name: Yixuan Liu

Instagram: zoooeliu0214

Nationality: China

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Here, people do not “live in a building,” but rather “walk into themselves.”

It is a way of once again “seeing oneself, seeing the world, and seeing all beings.”

We begin with the six senses, designing a sequence of spaces that awaken the body’s intuitive response to the environment. Each sense is gradually activated while walking into different spaces.

To respond to the extreme climate and the principle of minimal intervention, we use thickened shipping containers and GFRC roof panels, which are lightweight, solid, transportable, and recyclable. It resists wind and rain while allowing light and air to flow freely.

These elements return architecture to its most essential states: primitive hut: shelter, enclosure, openness, and connection.

Architecture and landscape permeate one another, boundaries dissolve, and in the process, people slowly and profoundly reconnect with nature, becoming part of the world again.

All structures are prefabricated and detachable, built without damaging the original terrain; if one day removed, the land can fully return to its natural state.

We do not “leave behind architecture” on site, but “leave behind experiences” in time.

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Jury Comments

– Maria Vittoria Delli Carri

Compelling and articulated. The beautiful views suggest a more complex, pricey and impactful structure and finishing than the container+lightweight roof narrative.

– Olivia Bina

container based – interesting but not so specific?