Desert Ark

Inner Mongolia, China

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Desert Ark

Inner Mongolia, China

Firm

designRESERVE

Type

Cultural › Pavilion

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2025

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$10K - 50K

Tengger Desert is a primary source of sand storms that impact East Asia. Since early 90's, a non-profit organization had been planting trees on the fringe of the desert to contain its hazardous expansion eastward. The rangers of desert-locking forest, as they call themselves, often endure extreme weather conditions during long time operations in the desert. Commissioned to design a field camp for rangers and volunteers, designRESERVE’s task is to create a durable, modular shelter system that also serves as a platform for public environmental education. Given the desert’s harsh construction conditions and limited time frame, design team employed 3D concrete printing technology for rapid on-site installation. The camp comprises nine modular units accommodating living room, kitchen, restrooms, showers, and storage. Arranged in an enclosed layout, the cluster, also called “Desert Ark”, provides a secure, aesthetically powerful, and spiritually enforcing refuge in the middle of desolate land. Most key interior fixtures are designed to integrate with the prefabrication of concrete body in the factory, resulting in minimized site laboring and easier maintenance. Adjacent to the site, lies an intermittent sand lake fed by groundwater from nearby Helan Mountains, providing natural water supply for edge-locking foresting and camp activities. Using bio-septic tank to collect and filtrate drainage, the campsite is able to recycle 100% wastewater for irrigation. The campsite is fully powered by off-grid PV system consists of high-efficiency solar panels, resulting in zero carbon emission level and fully self-sustaining status. As China’s first 3D-printed concrete structure in the desert, Desert Ark shows promising application of the 3D concrete printing technology in extreme environment. The project not only supports ecological restoration in ethnic minority region of Inner Mongolia, but also stands as an architectural prototype for future extraterrestrial habitat of humankind.