Perched on a steep hillside overlooking Naggar valley in Himachal Pradesh, India, Eila is an art retreat that functions as an extension to the terrain rather than a static object. Designed by MOFA Studio, the project champions fluid architecture through advanced computational design, realizing a structure that mimics the landscape. The site's masterplan adopts a stepped strategy that preserves topsoil and rainwater runways, organizing the resort as a gradual, terraced descent.
SCI-Arc alumni continue to make an indelible mark on the global design landscape, pioneering new approaches in architecture, technology, and interdisciplinary practices. With a reputation for fostering radical experimentation, the school has produced graduates whose work challenges conventions and redefines spatial possibilities. Recent alumni achievements underscore SCI-Arc's role in shaping the next generation of architects and creative thinkers. Innovators in the Field Among SCI-Arc's notable alumni, several have garnered recognition for their groundbreaking work.
TreeSoil is an earthen structure produced through robotic 3D printing, designed to protect young trees in degraded environments by creating microclimates favorable to early growth. Drawing on ancient agricultural practices, where soil and stone were shaped into protective structures for crops, TreeSoil reenacts these methods through computational design and robotic fabrication. To enhance sapling survival rates, each TreeSoil prototype is informed by local climatic data, optimizing airflow, solar radiation, and moisture retention.
Positioned on either side of the main lobby entrance, the walls measure six meters in height and nine meters in length, creating a sculptural threshold between the exterior and interior. The project draws from the movement of the nearby Gulf, translating the dynamics of water into a series of fluid, wave-like forms. Each surface is composed of thousands of flowing lines that shift in density and depth, producing a tactile gradient that interacts with natural and artificial light throughout the day.
What is architecture? For some, its traditional role is to bring together imagination, technical knowledge, and problem-solving, allowing architects to design and construct while balancing ideas with the means to realize them. From the stone and wood of early buildings to the steel and concrete of the 20th century, each era demanded not only an understanding of form but also of the properties and potential of the materials in use.
