Foundation Studio
Book of Sand: Lancelin Dunes, Western Australia
In this foundational studio project, students were tasked with designing a retreat on a shifting sand dune for a creative person of their choosing. Because of the highly mobile nature of the dune-scape, each “Book of Sand” required structural self-containment that is capable of migrating with the landscape. In the Sahara desert the dune scape is often referred to a ‘sand sea’ and indeed the metaphor of a ship is relevant here. The WWII coastal bunkers of Europe, which were built as structurally cocooned modules without footings or piles act as precedents for this project.