Albabenshal, Kenooz Shali and Adrère Amellal each grew from the earth they stand on — sharing the same organic planning context, the same earthen architectural style, and a reliance on the Siwan community to manage and operate each of these homes away from home. Collectively, they draw maximum benefit from what already existed on each site, be it material, plant life, or memory.
Born within the old fortress of Shali, Albabenshal is woven into the salt-and-clay walls of the abandoned town — the first foot of the tripod, where heritage is not preserved behind glass but lived in.
In the midst of a palm grove, Kenooz Shali is a green retreat that grew from the organic context in which it evolved — shade, water and stillness at the foot of the fortress.
The third leg of the tripod sailed away towards the suburban oasis of the White Mountain, at the foot of the flat-topped holy mound that gives the Nature Lodge its name — a place beyond the reach of the modern grid.
