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Round Tents with Skylights Crafted from Wood in a Desert Community

Authors:
Marta Mojsik, Klaudia Niedziałek, Beata Murdzia
Round Tents with Skylights Crafted from Wood in a Desert Community

Project in-detail

Round tents with skylights, constructed from wooden elements and designed to facilitate airflow, create a unique community of ecolodges in the desert, offering residents a sustainable living experience while connecting them with the natural landscape.
5 key facts about this project
01
Round tent shapes enhance airflow and passive cooling.
02
Skylights above beds allow for stargazing while minimizing light pollution.
03
Ecolodges are designed to facilitate wildlife observation, including Arabian Oryx.
04
Construction uses lightweight wooden elements for easy assembly and disassembly.
05
Each lodge features individual sewage treatment plants and solar-heated water tanks.

The design in Abu Dhabi centers around ecolodges that blend into the desert landscape. These lodges are aimed at supporting a sustainable lifestyle while providing comfort and functionality. The concept takes inspiration from traditional tent structures, translating them into contemporary forms suitable for the harsh climate of the region. Residents are offered a unique living experience that encourages a connection with the natural environment.

Concept and Functionality
The main idea is based on round-shaped tents that enhance airflow and support natural cooling. This design helps to prevent turbulent wind while allowing cool air to flow through openings. Elevating the tents above the ground allows warm air to escape through skylights installed in the roofs. The design minimizes the need for mechanical cooling systems, resulting in more efficient temperature management.

Lighting and Interaction with Nature
Effective lighting plays a vital role in the overall design. Shielded light bulbs focus illumination downward, preventing light pollution during clear nights. An automated shut-off system supports this aim by ensuring that light is not wasted when not needed. The plan takes advantage of the beautiful night sky, allowing residents to enjoy the Milky Way and encouraging a deeper connection with the surrounding nature.

Materials and Environmental Integration
Wooden elements are used in the construction, ensuring that the lodges can be easily assembled and disassembled. The facades of the tents are made from transparent tent foil, allowing for natural light to enter and enhancing the relationship between the inside and outside. Walls use 5 cm thick mineral wool for insulation, which aids in maintaining comfortable temperatures and promotes energy efficiency. Additionally, solar-heated water tanks and individual sewage treatment plants show a commitment to ecological responsibility.

Community and Private Living Spaces
The layout includes a central hub made up of three connected tents that serve communal functions, such as dining and socializing. This fosters interaction among residents while still providing private areas. Each lodge contains small outdoor terraces and intimate interiors. This balance offers opportunities for both shared experiences and moments of solitude, allowing residents to appreciate the desert environment.

The thoughtful arrangement of spaces encourages engagement with the natural surroundings, creating an inviting atmosphere where the night sky becomes a prominent feature of daily life for residents.

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MICROHOME 10: Celebrating Small-Scale Living with €100,000 Prize Fund and Kingspan’s Innovation

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Competition organisers

The MICROHOME 10 competition invites participants to submit visionary designs for off-grid, modular microhomes that push the limits of sustainable, small-scale living. Organised by Buildner in partnership with Kingspan and Hapi Homes, this tenth edition sets the challenge of designing a dwelling for two people within a maximum floor area of 25 m², encouraging bold solutions adaptable to any urban or rural location. The competition continues Buildner’s mission to foster innovative approaches to compact, energy-efficient housing that can address pressing global challenges.

This year’s edition offers a generous total prize fund of €100,000, including the Kingspan Award for designs that integrate high-performance Kingspan products and the Hapi Homes Award for a project selected for real-world construction. In addition to cash prizes, the winners gain international exposure through Buildner’s media partnerships, publications, and a dedicated MICROHOME magazine, further amplifying their ideas to the wider architectural community.

Key dates for MICROHOME 10 include the closing date for registration on 25 September 2025, the submission deadline on 29 October 2025 (11:59 p.m. London time), and the announcement of winners on 9 December 2025. These milestones ensure participants have clear timelines to develop and present their concepts, with early registration discounts available to support students and emerging designers worldwide.

MICROHOME

Design a new small-scale home concept in the 10th edition of MICROHOME — 100,000 € prize + construction

100,000 € Prize Fund / Kingpsan Edition #10 ideas COMPETITION
Prize 100,000 € + Potential realisation
Eligibility Open to all
Final registration deadline 25 September 2025

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