Nadir Fungsi Utama: Resor by Paolo Demel

Nadir Fungsi Utama: Resor by Paolo Demel is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Perunggu in Desain Arsitektur, Bangunan dan Struktur Competition Category.

PerungguArsitektur· 2026

Nadir Fungsi Utama: Resor

by Paolo Demel

Client: Paolo Demel

A' Design Award Perunggu Winner in Arsitektur Category

6,268
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #180614

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Nadir Fungsi Utama: Resor

Teks Buku: Nadir adalah sebuah resor yang terletak di Gurun Atacama, dirancang sebagai arsitektur yang tampak seakan digali dari medan alaminya. Volume-volume garis lurus yang rendah menempel erat pada bebatuan, membentuk loggia-loggia yang dalam, halaman-halaman terlindung dari angin, dan ambang-ambang yang teduh. Air digunakan sebagai cermin pendingin, dengan kolam-kolam eksterior yang memantulkan langit ngarai serta kolam-kolam terbenam yang menempati ruang-ruang berukir. Interiornya dibentuk oleh permukaan batu berlapis dan bukaan okulus yang menghadirkan cahaya siang terkendali, mengurangi silau dan panas. Palet yang terkendali dari pasangan bata berwarna pasir, pencahayaan, dan perabotan minimalis menekankan pada perlindungan serta pemandangan yang luas.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Perunggu

Nadir Fungsi Utama: Resor adalah pemenang A' Design Award Perunggu, pengakuan yang sangat bergengsi yang diberikan kepada desain luar biasa yang dicirikan oleh kreativitas, kecerdikan, dan ketajaman. Pemenang Perunggu adalah artefak yang sangat terampil dan sangat kreatif yang membuktikan pengalaman luas, imajinasi, dan kelihaian para desainernya. Nadir Fungsi Utama: Resor diharapkan menjadi objek yang sangat dihargai, dikagumi, dan dicintai, sangat profesional dan inovatif. Desain pemenang A' Design Award Perunggu ini menyertakan praktik terbaik dalam seni, sains, desain, dan teknologi, dan sangat baik dalam perhatiannya pada detail. Nadir Fungsi Utama: Resor memuaskan kebutuhan dengan indah, menyentuh keinginan, memikat perasaan, dan menarik rasa ingin tahu.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: A monolithic resort in Chile’s Atacama Desert, carved from stratified stone where architecture is defined by void rather than object. Thick, high thermal mass walls, shaded courtyards, and top lit oculi provide passive cooling and controlled daylight. Water elements temper the microclimate and enhance reflections, while a restrained stone and wood palette delivers timeless, durable luxury integrated with the canyon.
Dimensions & Packaging: The resort covers approximately 5,000 square meters and features an outdoor pool, 3 indoor pools, as well as a full wellness area with a Turkish bath, sauna, and relaxation area. The pools range in depth from 1 meter to 3 meters.
Tags: Atacama Desert, desert resort, carved architecture, Nadir oasis, Nadir resort, design oasis, Nadir concept
Production Technology: Developed through iterative massing and void carving studies plan and section first, then 3D parametric modeling to control oculi, courtyard proportions and shadow lines. Material assembly logic is based on locally sourced stone or stone veneer on RC frame with high thermal mass, ventilated cavities, concealed linear LEDs, and waterproofed pool shells designed for low maintenance desert operation.
Design Challenge: The hardest part was balancing excavation with comfort and safety in an extreme desert: creating shaded, quiet interior oases without losing daylight, views, or a clear guest journey. Limited water, harsh sun, thermal swings and fragile geology pushed us to use the rock mass as a climate buffer, minimize exposed facades, and choreograph light wells and courtyards.
Research: design research and site study. Objectives: create a low glare, sheltered resort embedded in rock, with water as an oasis cue. Methodology: climate solar mapping, spatial sequencing, and iterative massing tests. Data Tools: sun path, wind data, 3D models
Inspiration: Inspired by the Atacama’s stratified geology and pre Columbian desert settlements, the project treats architecture as a carved refuge space shaped by subtraction, shade, and silence. Research into thermal mass, controlled zenithal daylight, and evaporative microclimates informed courtyards, oculi, and water basins to create comfort with minimal mechanical demand.
Project Duration: Nadir Resort is a hospitality concept developed from august 2025 to February 2026 for a site in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The proposal integrates architecture with existing rock formations by partial excavation, forming protected courtyards and interior pool spaces. The project was prepared as a design competition submission and visualised through iterative spatial and material studies.
Operation Flow: Guests arrive from the open desert and slip into a cooler, carved threshold. A gentle descent leads through shaded passages where sound, texture and warm light guide the way. Skylights and cuts in the rock reveal a sequence of indoor outdoor oases: pools, lounges and quiet rooms. Movement shifts naturally from social spaces to private retreat, while the surrounding stone keeps the atmosphere calm and temperate.
Image Credits: Image #1 : Paolo Demel (designer), Image #2 : Paolo Demel (designer), Image #3 : Paolo Demel (designer), Image #4 : Paolo Demel (designer), Image #5 : Paolo Demel (designer)