PROJECT
Palace of Cosmos
Wellness Retreat • 2024 • Knowlton School of Architecture
Wellness retreat in Fairbanks, Alaska, catering to the rigorous schedule of the local gold miners.
Overview
"A Public Party Palace embodies a schism of identity between an abstract polity (the state) and local pressures (resources, traditions, etc) " With Alaska's evergrowing economy of gold comes a surplus of workers, both local and out-of-state. Situated between the Fort Knox Gold Mine, just outside the small town of Fox, Alaska, and Fairbanks, the gold mining capital of the state is The Palace of Cosmos, providing an ample amount of housing for workers that would originally have had to set up temporary housing at a nearby motel or camp. Using the angles of the sun during the "Polar Night" winters and the "Midnight Sun" summers, each module of the building contains a unique roof, either amplifying or diffusing the light. During the Autumnal and Spring Equinoxes, however, the sun arrives at a 45 degree angle, and is also the ideal times of year to view the Aurora Borealis.
Drawings
