(Title)
Ecolodge & Marine Conservation Hub
(Year)
2023 - Under Construction
(Area)
4,000 sqm
(Type)
Educational + Hospitality
(Location)
Safaga, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt(Firm)
Farah Faheem Studio
The architectural vision for the Ecolodge is conceived as a nuanced dialogue between the built environment and its surrounding landscape—an approach rooted in sustainable design methodologies and guided by human-centric principles. The project seeks not to dominate its context, but to dissolve into it, fostering a quiet coexistence between architecture, nature, and occupant.
Constructed from repurposed coral limestone and carefully embedded within the site’s natural topography, the development sits with deliberate subtlety, almost imperceptible within its setting. A sequence of choreographed spatial experiences unfolds through interconnected pathways and volumes, heightening the sensory journey of its occupants. Movement through the project becomes introspective and meditative, with moments of compression and release revealing precisely framed vistas of the landscape and the Red Sea. In this way, the experiential qualities of space—both physical and psychological—resonate more profoundly than the architectural form itself.
The main building is conceived as an earth-sheltered structure, discreetly concealed at the point of arrival. Its design gently guides guests upward, transitioning from enclosure to openness, culminating in an accessible green roof articulated with a series of integrated conversation pits. At its core, a central courtyard organizes the building into two wings, establishing a spatial axis that draws the eye toward expansive views of the Red Sea and the elevated infinity pool beyond.
The guestroom clusters are carefully positioned along the site’s natural contours, forming a village-like composition that responds to the terrain. This arrangement is complemented by a contemporary intervention within the upper-level suites, creating a subtle dialogue between tradition and modernity. Along the shoreline, the beach cabins are conceived with passive environmental strategies at their core. Each unit is enveloped within a secondary outer shell, mitigating heat gain while facilitating natural airflow, thereby enhancing thermal comfort within the interior spaces.
Environmental Architectural Design Strategies Utilized:
- Earth Sheltering
- Earth and vegetation roof coverage
- Thick load-bearing earth walls
- Wind catchers and solar chimneys
- Cross-ventilation through wall openings
- Cooling bodies of water
- Grey water collection and recycling
- Second-skin structures for protection form excessive heat and wind
- Indigenous vegetation and Xeriscaping