"The hardest thing in architecture is building in the desert. It is terrible, there are no references," Álvaro Siza once remarked. Paradoxical as it may seem, complex site constraints are often the starting point for architectural reasoning. Dealing with steep slopes, significant pre-existing structures, or endemic vegetation might initially seem like an obstacle to the creative process, but in many cases, this very confrontation is what makes a project unique and anchors it to its site.
To mark the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought—established by the United Nations in 1995 to raise public awareness about the fight against a catastrophic environmental future—we have selected a series of projects that embrace the challenge of building in the desert. These designs demonstrate how architecture can operate between the inevitable forces of nature and the human desire for cultural expression.
