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Type
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Size
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Location
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Status
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Hospitality |
N/A |
Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic |
Un-Built |
The architecture and culture of the small island nation of the Dominican Republic is endangered by large hotel complexes that are encroaching on formerly remote beaches.
Our concern for the erosion of a traditional way of life of the Dominican people focuses on the small native village of Las Terrenas, on a peninsula off the northeastern coast. There, we are proposing a demonstration project of simple, naturally ventilated cabanas clustered in a staggered pattern to ensure wind access to every unit. Our hope is that the local people of this still isolated village will use this cabana design instead of the large hotels as a standard for future development.
Due to its geographical location, the Dominican Republic is subject to constant flooding due to the overflowing of local rivers during heavy rain seasons. Over 500 homes and businesses are damaged per season, mostly affecting the lower class. We decided to elevate the floor plan, in order to keep the erosion caused from the rising waters at a minimum, preserving the cabana from the heavy flooding.
Our search for appropriate forms for a simple cabana also took us through a series of experiments using complex computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis software.