People and birds will share pioneering hybrid hotel
French architecture studio New-Territories has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a unique hybrid architecture project in the Thai province of Krabi.
When completed, people and birds will both live in the structure.
Called MMYST (Make Me Younger, Shelter Temptation), the building will combine a small hotel with a manufactured habitat for Swiftlets – small birds which are native to Thailand. It will sit within the boundary of the region’s Khao Phanom Bencha National Park.
The three-floor steel structure will be clad with robotically-produced expandable starch-flax foam and scrap wood to ensure it blends in to the surrounding lava rock. The human and bird zones will be separate, but geometrically intertwined. One-way mirrored windows will allow guests to observe the Swiftlets without disturbing their natural habitat.
The human space will sleep six people and will also contain a 20sq m (215sq ft) swimming pool and a bar.
The building will be dismantled after 10 years, when New-Territories’ contract with the national park ends.
The practice, headed by principal architects Francois Roche and Camille Lacadee, is known for merging philosophy with robotics and traditional design.
In an exclusive interview, Roche told CLAD that Kickstarter is proving to be the best model to fund his more innovative concepts. “It's a way to address the multitude and engage normal people in the process," he said. "Architecture is becoming like music and films: it no longer has to be private, or run by committees – where a few people make decisions for the rest. Architects, including us, cannot stop there, we must democratise.”
For the MMYST project, Roche and Lacadee wish to explore both the temporary “here and now” nature of architecture and the principle of mutualism, in which different species exist in a mutually beneficial relationship.
Lacadee said: "This project follows the idea that we're sharing architecture which will be erased and die. After that, there will be a return to nature.”
Investors in the Kickstarter campaign – which aims to raise US$200,000 (€175,000, £131,000) by 26 October – will be the first in line to stay at the hotel. Backers wishing to experience MMYST can donate a minimum of US$250 (€219, £163) to book a one night stay for a maximum of four people. More generous individuals can pay US$9,999 (€8,765, £6,509) to secure 60 nights over the decade-long course of the building's life.
Guests will be allowed to help retrieve the edible bird’s nests – a highly valuable delicacy in Southeast Asia – as well as enjoying the nearby opportunities for mountain climbing, sailing and scuba diving.
With 11 days to go, the project has secured US$17,790 (€15,595, £11,581) of its target. Roche said that if the fundraising effort falls short, the company will consider other crowdfunding models.
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