EsCave. Escaping in Contemporary Caves

Students : Kapsalis Dimitrios, Papadimitriou Aikaterini
Supervisor : Papakostas George
School of Architecture - Aristotle Univercity of Thessaloniki
Date of presentation : 3 July2012

A synthesis situated on a hill at northern Finland, at Rovaniemi, from where the aurora borealis effect is visible 200 days per year. The goal is to develop a landmark for the city which will be an observation point and at the same time will host educational and recreational facilities. Typical figures of finnish landscape, inspired the design process.

Main Description
Our project is  situated on a hill at northern Finland, at the city of Rovaniemi, from where the aurora borealis effect is visible for 200 days per year. The goal is to develop a new landmark for the city which will be an observation point for nature and the natural phenomena and at the same time will host educational and recreational facilities. Typical characteristics of the finnish landscape influenced us  inspiring our synthesis principals: northern lights, ice, rocks and branches

The hill that has been given to implement our proposal consists a virgin nature area of the city of Rovaniemi. The area chosen is a result of the integration of the existing routes, the relief taking under consideration the ease of approaching the observatory, a ten minute walk from the access point of the protected area and the minimum intervention  to the natural landscape.

The spacial analysis and relief produce data which combined in a voronoi diagram, create a route map which sprawls in the forest indicating paths to and from the observatory through random walks passing by points of interest on the hill. By this way we provide the opportunity to a possibility of a walk throughout thent. Exterior materiality alternates among concrete, wood, water and existing vegetation by the metal grid lines. e year nevertheless the weather conditions enhancing the visitors contact to the environment.

These lines, like piles of branches, evolve into a shell arising from the ground, creating an artificial 'transparent' high tech hill which offers a 360 degree perspective of the environment. At the same time it is the outer 'shell cave' of the project articulating interior - exterior and a linear representation of the aurora borealis effect.

The visitor feels the option to climb on the shell and explore the optical angles  and the sky from a different perspective. In virtual reality, the shell extents in the forest underground and appears in places chosen by people to be used as temporary and isolated shelter. The reflecting ability of glass re-creates the scenery by projecting the environment and integrates the project in the context.

The simulation of stone-like prisms penetrating the earth, transparent as fragments of ice forms the main volume· the underground 'earth cave', and the level zero 'crystal cave'. An illusive sphere, exists when the northern lights cover the lappish atmosphere with incidentally diversing limits forming the 'air cave'. In them are accommodated all the facilities of the building complex.

The observatory is the tallest volume with an integrated ramp and equipped with telescopes and special glasses to be used be the visitors to observe the phenomena. It offers a 'protected' from weather conditions version of observing. Moreover, one can have access to the external shell. At the complex is also a small planetary placed at the -5.00 to reassure the proper isolation. There is also a ''minus cave'' which holds the educational space and Aurora Borealis simulation. One can relax by learning through special designed programs supported be scientists and universities' departments relative to that field. Let's not forget to mention that the observation of this phenomenon is a strong attraction of the area. This synthesis also provides a 80 persons capacity restaurant and a small hotel unit of 30 guests offering short accommodation relatively to the demand. To end with, either the guests of the hotel or the guests for one day can enjoy the services of a Finnish type sauna.

The transparency of the synthesis allows the constant view pf the external environment and of the celestial concave, creating the feeling  that one is outside without any limitation due to environmental conditions. The metal grid that is also the static skeleton of the construction  strengthens this approach once someone can imagine that is in a glassy cave and is immediately related to the exterior. To enhance extroversion the synthesis is developed mainly at the ground level.

The goal of our proposal is the 'production' of experiences and the redefinition of the relation between man and nature through a contemporary architectural approach. The primitive instincts tend to eliminate and transparency reinforces the evolution of the relation between human with nature under a safe environment.