In Ray Bradbury’s classic time travel short story “A Sound of Thunder” a metal path floats six inches above the earth to keep all of the visitors to the past from disturbing the environment and altering the future. For anyone who has read the story, you know how important the path is and how devastating the consequences of straying from it can be.
While it’s not as dramatic as Bradbury’s fictional path and the implications that surround it, a new residential development from Zaha Hadid Architects uses a network of suspended footpaths to keep residents from disturbing the ecosystem. These Bradburian footpaths will connect residents to the surrounding woodland preserve, coast and lagoon.
Alai, located in the Mayan Riviera in Mexico, was designed in response to its natural surroundings. The luxury residential development’s design integrates a new residential community in an area experiencing strong growth while also minimizing the effect of the new buildings on local ecosystems. The combined footprint of all residential buildings on the site is limited to 7% of the total area to enable existing vegetation to be retained and a majority of the site to be returned to its natural state.
Rendering courtesy of MIR.
A previous owner originally prepared the site for a complex that was never constructed. In an effort to repair the damage done to the ecosystems by this owner, a new onsite botanical nursery will foster the growth of the site’s biodiversity. This nursery will eventually become an attraction and education facility for the development.
In addition to the suspended footpaths, the residential buildings themselves will share an elevated platform with integrated perforations that allow natural light to flood the ground below and enable tropical vegetation to grow upwards through the platform. Amenities for sport, leisure, and wellness are located on the raised platform, which exists nine meters off the ground. This height ensures local wildlife can cross the entire site on the woodland floor without barriers.
Rendering courtesy of MIR.
Each apartment comes with large living areas and bedrooms and private balconies with unobstructed views of the surrounding landscape and Caribbean Sea. Each building was designed to echo the textures and surface complexity associated with the local Mayan masonry and architectural tradition and is supposed to reinterpret local Mayan heritage in a contemporary adaptation.
Rendering courtesy of MIR.
Rendering courtesy of MIR.
Related Stories
| Sep 13, 2010
Committed to the Core
How a forward-looking city government, a growth-minded university, a developer with vision, and a determined Building Team are breathing life into downtown Phoenix.
| Aug 11, 2010
Brown Craig Turner opens senior living studio
Baltimore-based architecture and design firm Brown Craig Turner has significantly expanded its housing design capabilities and expertise with the launch of its new senior living studio.
| Aug 11, 2010
CTBUH changes height criteria; Burj Dubai height increases, others decrease
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)—the international body that arbitrates on tall building height and determines the title of “The World’s Tallest Building”—has announced a change to its height criteria, as a reflection of recent developments with several super-tall buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Morphosis builds 'floating' house for Brad Pitt's Make It Right New Orleans foundation
Morphosis Architects, under the direction of renowned architect and UCLA professor Thom Mayne, has completed the first floating house permitted in the U.S. for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans.The FLOAT House is a new model for flood-safe, affordable, and sustainable housing that is designed to float securely with rising water levels.
| Aug 11, 2010
Bovis Lend Lease, Webcor among nation's largest multifamily contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Multifamily Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Looney Ricks Kiss Architects wins industry honors for mixed-use, multifamily, and residential designs
Looney Ricks Kiss Architects won four Aurora Awards for its architectural designs during the recent Southeast Building Conference in Orlando, including a Grand Aurora Award for a Mixed Use Multi Family community located in the West Village area of Dallas.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
See what $3,000 a month will get you at Chicago’s Aqua Tower
Magellan Development Group has opened three display models for the rental portion of Chicago’s highly anticipated Aqua Tower, designed by Jeanne Gang. Lease rates range from $1,498 for a studio to $3,111 for a two-bedroom unit with lake views.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index flat in May, according to AIA
After a slight decline in April, the Architecture Billings Index was up a tenth of a point to 42.9 in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction employment declined in 333 of 352 metro areas in June
Construction employment declined in all but 19 communities nationwide this June as compared to June-2008, according to a new analysis of metropolitan-area employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. The analysis shows that few places in America have been spared the widespread downturn in construction employment over the past year.