The Dameisha resort is a research and recreational complex that provides guests with access to educational, conference, lodging, and sports facilities within a dramatic natural setting. The principal program elements - the Conference Center, Hotel, and Villas are located on the Southern face of a steep hillside. To harmoniously reconcile buildings and landscape, the architectural forms are inspired by geological processes - namely convergent, transform, and divergent interactions.
Once developed these tectonic maneuvers provide the spatial and formal framework to house program within the varied site conditions.The convergent interaction produces a stepping effect which merges conference and reception areas while providing a clear threshold between the
public courtyard below and the private hotel above.The transform interaction is the product of shearing along a fault line. This condition houses the hotel program and features volumetric shifts in section that produce cantilevered terraces to the south, and sheltered walkways to the north. The transform interaction also creates openings along the length of the hotel, providing for views of the landscape and for vertical circulation.The divergent interaction is applied to the villa program. Here the house diverges from the central line of circulation maximizing views and producing lighter residences at the crest of the hill.