Excerpt: Zyme Studios’ architecture project Oscillation attempts to highlight the significance of the desert landscape in connection to the human form. The user is guided into an artificial canyon using forced perspective to create tension before the release of entry. The triangular shape of the house maximises the land’s natural characteristics while generating a sustainable site design element on each directional facade.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Ascending with the natural rock formations, this heavy mass attempts to exemplify the significance of the desert landscape in comparison to human form—insignificant by terms of scale. Using forced perspective with both void and shape, the user is driven through an artificial canyon designed to build tension before the release of entry.
Upon entering the home, punctures sit on opposing sides of the circulation, allowing for relief, views, and cross-ventilation. Deep overhangs and solid walls mimic the heaviness of the boulders surrounding the home and provide shading, thermal heating, and cooling for the space. The form engulfs the hillside, weaving between the rocks with curated views from each public and private space.
The home’s triangular shape maximises the site’s natural features while creating a sustainable site design feature on each directional facade:
WEST: The largest and most exposed wall takes shelter behind high boulders, blocking hot winds throughout the day and providing natural landscape views for the bedrooms and common spaces.
NORTH: Solid walls serve as a thermal mass, taking advantage of the extreme temperature fluctuations throughout the day. The desert climate allows for passive cooling during the day and passive heating at night.
EAST: The pool provides an evaporative cooling effect within the courtyard, amplified by the cross ventilation provided by operable windows on the home’s east facade.
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