The Nests inhabit a terrain with steep slopes and dense vegetation delicately. They float over the existing topography, allowing the earth to flow freely under them. Excavation is minimized and retaining walls do not exist. Our strategy replaces ‘cut and fill’ with ‘touch and hover’.

For each site allocated to us in the masterplan, we assume that the predetermined building footprints are solid stone volumes that act as extentions of the ground. Each nest is designed with specific characteristics that respond to the specific qualities of the sites. These “nests” are crafted assemblages that use natural materials, primarily wood, to create light-weight structures well adapted to their settings. As a collection of structures, they introduce the human scale and reduce the mass of the stone buildings. Experientially they are spaces that float within and over the tree canopies. They host inhabitation,  they provide shading and they frame views enhancing moments that occur within the landscape.