The project above all is commendable for the quality of its rendered visuals. While photorealistic renderings are not a requisite for a competition, when done well they can be very influential on the juror or reader of a proposal. The imagery here, in particular an impactful fill-spread introductory perspective, makes use of materials, light and shadow and natural landscape elements to show an imperfect building that unquestionably blends with its context. A mix of simple short texts, clear diagrams, and clean plans and sections leave the reader without confusion, and give the impression that this is a project that has been well considered and resolved. Given there are four sheets and ample room, the project would have benefited from an enlarged detail to better describe the roof, wall or skylight construction. In particular the expression of hempcrete blocks - which this project places much focus on - would have been expected to be more present in the project.
Take a seat and make a statement!
Jury feedback summary
‘Sat House’ draws its name from a Sanskrit word meaning ‘true essence.’ The project carefully integrates the yoga house into the natural environment and proposes sustainable materials including hempcrete, timber piling and spruce shingles to create a building that is low-impact and regional in its sourcing of products. Its design uses symbolism - the pyramid as the form of the seated human body as well as a meaning for universal trinity. It is planned according to the cardinal directions and a simple grid of pure squares. The program is centered on a yoga space with views to the sky via a skylight within the roof. It features equal parts interior and exterior covered spaces to blend the building with its surroundings.