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Site
A vacant lot near the historic downtown of Truckee,
CA.
Program
Design a youth hostel in which hostlers feel connected
to Truckee's very cold and snowy climate.
Exploration
Can architecture help people dwell in an extreme
climate by providing levels of shelter ranging
from sealed to exposed? How can barriers, informers,
connectors, exposers, and switches connect people
to, yet protect them from, an extreme climate?
Solution
More private areas have operable walls so hostlers
can adjust their level of exposure over time.
Public areas have fixed boundaries that only allow
certain elements of the site, such as light or
view, to enter. While sitting in the exterior
hot tub, hostlers can comfortably face the winter
without clothes. As snow falls off the roof, it
fills the snow room in the center of the building.
As snow melts away, it runs through the central
core so hostlers can further experience the hydrology
of the site from a comfortable position. View
windows in the public eating areas are low enough
to the ground that they will most likely be covered
with snow part of the year.
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here to view and read about the entire project
in PDF format (1.4MB file)
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