Nadir Ọdụ Ezumike by Paolo Demel is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz in Nhazi Ụlọ Owu, Ụlọ na Ihe Owuwu Competition Category.

BronzỤlọ Owu· 2026

Nadir Ọdụ Ezumike

by Paolo Demel

Client: Paolo Demel

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz Winner in Ụlọ Owu Category

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The Design

About Nadir Ọdụ Ezumike

Nadir bụ ebe ezumike dị n'ime Ọzara Atacama, e mere ka ọ dị ka ihe owuwu ụlọ nke a wapụtara site n'ala ahụ. Nnukwu ihe ndị ahụ nwere akụkụ kwụ ọtọ nọdụ nso na nkume, na-etolite loggia ndị miri emi, ogige ndị e chebere site n'ifufe, na ọnụ ụzọ ndị nwere ndò. A na-eji mmiri dị ka enyo na-eme ka ọ dị jụụ, ebe ọdọ mmiri ndị dị n'èzí na-egosipụta mbara igwe nke ọgba nkume, ọdọ mmiri ndị mikpuru amikpu na-anọ n'ime ọnụ ụlọ ndị a wanyere. E mere ime ụlọ ndị a site na elu nkume ndị nwere ọtụtụ ọkwa na oghere oculus ndị na-anabata ìhè ehihie a na-achịkwa, na-ebelata mmụkpọ na okpomọkụ. Ụdị agba nkume ọcha nwere agba ájá, ọkụ, na ihe ndozi dị ntakịrị na-emesi ike nchekwa na echiche buru ibu.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz

Nadir Ọdụ Ezumike meriri A' Design Award nke Bronz, nnabata dị oke ugwu e nyere design ndị pụtara ìhè nke a ma ama maka nzụlite ihe, ọgụgụ isi na nghọta. Ndị meriri na Bronz bụ ihe e mere nke ndị nwere nka nke ukwuu ma dị mma n'imepụta nke na-egosi ahụmahụ buru ibu, echiche na ọgụgụ isi nke ndị designer ha. A na-atụ anya na Nadir Ọdụ Ezumike ga-abụ ihe a na-asọpụrụ nke ukwuu, a na-eto na a hụrụ n'anya, nke dị oke ọrụ ma dị ọhụrụ. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Bronz na-agụnye ụzọ kacha mma n'ime nka, sayensị, design na teknụzụ, ma dị mma nke ukwuu maka nlebara anya ya n'obere ihe. Nadir Ọdụ Ezumike na-emezu mkpa nke ọma, na-emetụ ọchịchọ aka, na-adọrọ mmetụta obi ma na-adọta ọchịchọ ịmara.

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)