Architecture... A Practice in Sleep Deprivation

I am an Architecture Major at the University of Oregon and I finished my design for an altana and grotto. Everyone has heard of an Grotto before (a cavelike structure for those who haven't) but few know the meaning of altana. Altanas are structures built on top of buildings in hot and humid climates, primarily seen in venice. They are built to escape from the heat that is trapped inside the building, creating a cool breezy oasis. Altanas are primarily seen in Italy and are rooted in the word alta, meaning high in Italian. The closest english word to altana is aerie, which is an eagles nest.

The purpose of this project was to build the two structures (altana and grotto) on a designated plot of land and have the two structures correlate with one another, a challenge, considering the polar qualities of the light and aerie altana compared with the heavy, dark, and earthen grotto.

Above are photos of my finished product.

Below are photos of the sketch models that helped develop my final design.