Retreat: The Latest Architecture and News

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“The first man wanted to build a shelter that would cover him without burying him.” With some logs found in the forest, he built a square covered with straw so that neither the sun nor the rain could enter, and thus, he felt safe. The description above refers, in a simplified way, to the theory of the primitive hut developed by the abbot Marc-Antoine Laugier in the mid-1700s. The small rustic hut described by Laugier is a model upon which he imagined the magnificence of architecture. It provides an important reference point for all speculation about construction foundations and represents the first architectural idea."

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Big cities and the troubled routine of urban life increasingly reveal the need for moments of relaxation aimed at physical and mental health. This concern has become more evident after the long quarantine periods of the Covid-19 pandemic, when disconnecting from routine became even more difficult. Thus, in recent years, more and more people have been looking for activities and places that provide this rest.

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Videos

Tucked beneath the dense trees of Al-Ozer Forest in Mount Lebanon, Byblos-based architects and visual artists of JPAG Atelier created a secluded retreat away from humans and the chaos of the urban life. The Earth Chapel is a unique sanctuary that lets its visitors experience both the simplicity of the architecture and the richness of the surrounding landscapes, all at once.

Christophe Benichou creates “The Wall of Logs”, a new conceptual getaway, a natural solid wall with perforated interiors. The project comes as a counterpoint experience for his previous endeavor Sesame, a solitary monolith, a residence in the open desert.

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New York-based Jendretzki Design has created a proposal for an off-grid eco resort for New York’s Rat Island. Sited on the only isle off the city's Bronx borough that's privately owned, the project was made as prefab gabled cabins with large glass facades overlooking the ocean. Designed with zero-energy buildings, the site would run on solar and wind power with rainwater collection systems.

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Architecture, just like art, has the ability to detach the individual and provoke a sense of intrigue and inspiration. Some buildings leave a greater mark, especially if the project or the site it is built on has a story of its own. 

The Mask by WOJR is developed for an individual who lost his younger brother in a lake in Ithaca, New York. After the tragedy, the lake became a zone of detachment from the everyday world, transforming the structure from just a house on a lake, to a space of contemplation.

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