Temple of Nature

University of Belgrade, Faculty of Architecture, Belgrade, Serbia

Project idea

Nature is deeply rooted in the Latvian tradition and way of living. According to an ancient belief surviving into the modern era, it permeates all existing things, making them divine. The amber road composed of seemingly clearly divided elements of nature, believed to represent equal parts of the whole, possessing the same significance as their sum. The entire length of the coast it travels along is made up of clearly cut swashes of sand, water, and woods; the interplay of these elements is the very essence of the creation of amber, a product possessing an entirely different nature. (Thereby attesting the philosophical postulate of the unity and sameness of an entity and its components.) It was these very aspects that were used as the starting point in the creation of the architectural concept.

Project description

Our cabin is a celebration of nature.
As a place that glorifies nature, the building enables a new personal experience of the context already experienced in a different way by the users. In line with the architectural heritage of Latvia, whose approach in structuring a space relies on the use of identical elements found at the site (local resources) and taking into consideration the principles underlying the interplay of individual segments and their collective entity, the building is formed from a single element multiplied and through its interconnections and relations constitutes a whole, while at the same time serving the function of delivering different micro-ambiances, each retaining its specific link with the context. The identity of the micro-ambiances is achieved through reliance on the komorebi motif (effect of the scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through trees) found within the context, reinforcing the natural effect and contributing to a different experience (of the context).

Technical information

The natural feeling is additionally accentuated by a change of perspective of the users – trekkers, by raising the building off the ground, helping the building to adapt to different terrains and creating additional covered space underneath, with aided safety of the users within the scope of one’s personal space.
Following the idea of the Latvian bench, an essential piece of furniture in the vernacular Latvian house (traditionally used for sitting, sleeping, dining…), the space is formed with a focus on individualisation of use. All of the spatial elements are functionally ambiguous and positioned so as to enable variations of inter-relations of the user and the nature.
Each cabin is created anew from the relations of the user and the space, in much the same way in which amber is created in the interplay of the respective elements of the context, only to become an integral part of the nature once again, after it has been used.