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Site
Death Valley National Park.
Program
A motel for the desert.
Analysis
In the desert, life begins at night. Soon after
dawn, animals return to their burrows and people
begin to seek shade. During the day, desert temperatures
vary quite a bit with elevation, but are generally
too hot.
Solution
Guests can communicate visually with the desert
from the comfort of their rooms or from the public
pool. More importantly, they can escape from Death
Valley's harsh sun and hot air by socializing
in the cool, deep courtyard. In addition to motel
rooms that make up its walls, vegetation, fountains,
and restaurant seating define the courtyard.
Solar angles and
building orientation have been optimized to heat
rooms on cold winter nights, yet avoid insolation
at all other times.
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