Working in collaboration with the Frank Loyd Write School of Architecture, Aixopluc recently completed the construction of little maps, the first shelters built on the school’s campus in Arizona. With a timeframe of only twelve weeks, the students and designers developed and built a series of shelters with only a $2000 budget and materials that were found on site. The project put emphasis on collaboration and survival, utilizing a team dynamic to come up with solutions for habitation in a landscape that is designed to reject it. With the help of reclaimed materials from local warehouses the group erected a series of structures whose designs came from the primitive need to survive, offering refuge from the intense sun, cutting wind, and trying weather.
The primary shelter consists of two enclosed volumes whose interstitial courtyard space serves as an extension of the program, providing a space for gathering, relaxing, and working. A series of repetitive frames comprise the small buildings. The roof structure consists of corrugated metal sheets that repel water and form a protective canopy from the elements. The roof is separated from the ceiling of the habitable space to allow for constant ventilation and keep the heated material away from the interior, further helping to cool the space. Infill panels between the frames enclose the space, some of which operable to allow for internal ventilation. The foundation elements were made from large local rocks cast in place.
A separate structure serves as a larger gathering space, built with a base of the same foundation strategy utilized on the shelters. Enclosing retaining walls at approximately 3 feet high embed the space partially underground while allowing 360 degree views. Draped over the top, a light colored canvas stretches over to provide shade and maintain comfortable light levels underneath. A small tower contains the fireplace and chimney which opens onto the center. Its thermal mass can heat up with a fire and release heat throughout the night.
