Cathedral of Snow

The Cathedral of Snow is a juxtaposition of spirituality and adventure situated in a unique place. Akin to places like the Mont St. Michel, Dainichibo Temple, or the Sumela Monastery, the Cathedral of Snow aims to hold the same spiritual monumentality while simultaneously targeting the need to travel to it - much like how adventure enthusiasts aim to climb Mount Everest. 

These juxtaposed ideals of both spirituality and adventure can be found in one key object: snow. In the Julian Alps, snow is prevalent during the winter season and is a seasonal highlight in the area. I thought it best to use snow as a means of bridging the two seemingly contradictory aspects of spirituality and adventure. Snow is highlighted in the design as an element as well as an inspiration. Snow is allowed to permeate the contiguous structure and the guests can play and interact with it when it arrives. It can be seen as an inspiration for the design by observing the various frosted glass elements that exist in the design. Furthermore, snow was used as a design philosophy - the intricacy of a single snowflake and the impact of snow as a whole. If inspected closely, the design has a sense of intricacy that can be seen in the zoning of the structure as well as the design of the cabins. On the other hand, snow commands the respect of all in the mountains, due, in large part, to the damage it can create should a natural disaster strike. In this case, the small, intricately designed cabins, become a stronger (safer) force once combined. The idea that there should be no contiguous structure in the area is something I personally find unsafe. It is precisely due to this reason that I created a contiguous structure to help solve the problem.

I also think that it is a missed opportunity to simply place cabins in the area so I expanded the concept to support the idea of placing a contiguous structure. The juxtaposition gives the design more depth into the typology of mountain cabins and gives the design a unique selling factor.