SOSSUSVLEI DESERT LODGE
Sossusvlei Desert Lodge
Client: andBeyond
Location: Namibia
Designed in Partnership with: Fox Browne Creative
Designed by Architect Jack Alexander in partnership with South African–based duo Fox Browne Creative, andBeyond’s Sossusvlei Desert Lodge has been designed with a supreme emphasis on the surreal desert landscape in which the lodge is set.
The architectural gestures are simple and yet extremely sensitive to the desert landscape. The form
of the buildings draws a series of man-made lines in the sand; the glass, rockwork and steel pavilions
forming a counterpoint to the organic, sweeping curves and natural shapes of the surrounding
mountains and sand dunes.
Our ambition as designers was threefold: firstly to create an extraordinary experience for any visitor to this remote place; secondly to design a series of structures that are in harmony with their natural setting and thirdly to minimise the human impact on this extremely sensitive environment. All three of these have been done through the intentional repurposing of the original 1990’s buildings to craft a contemporary, yet timeless series of architectural forms and spaces characterised by natural materials and a sense of desert-inspired luxury.
The roofs of the suites have been clad in PV panels allowing the buildings to harness the power of the sun in this harsh environment (where temperatures often reach over 50 degrees Celsius), and use this solar energy to create enough power to ensure the lodge is entirely off-grid and self-sustained. The electricity generated from these roofs is used to power a series of environmentally responsive air-conditioning and water recycling systems to provide a luxurious guest experience whilst ensuring that the lodge simultaneously has a positive effect on the environment from which its design was derived.
Project Name:
andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge
Location:
Namibrand Nature Reserve, Namibia
Completion:
2019
Design Team:
Jack Alexander - Lead Architect
Abigail Janisch – Architecture
Debra Fox – Interior and Hospitality Design
Christopher Browne - Interior Design
Ashley van der Walt – Interior Design
Engineering:
DEVS: De Villiers Sheard Engineering
Main Contractor:
OJC Construction
Landscaping:
Gordon Kershaw
Quantity Surveyor:
Steven Speirs
Project Manager:
Simon Crewe (andBeyond)
Client:
andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge
Photography:
DOOK