Matthew Pratt has been awarded third place in Dezeen and Bentley's Start Something Powerful Competition with his proposal for subterranean desert sanctuaries to help future generations to flourish in arid climates.
The global design competition invited architects and designers to envisage innovative architecture or design concepts that could have a transformative effect on people's lives over the next 100 years.
Through the design contest, Dezeen and Bentley sought to discover prototypes that could serve as a blueprint for future living, anticipating its needs, technologies and lifestyle trends.
Called Shadow of the Oases, Pratt's proposal envisioned a future where people could thrive amid the harsh conditions of the desert landscape.
His concept proposes underground sanctuaries that use the earth's natural insulating properties to moderate extreme temperatures, reducing reliance on artificial heating and cooling.
By using rammed earth as the primary building material and incorporating passive environmental design techniques, the homes are designed to be self-sufficient with minimal impact on the environment above.
The concept draws from ancient architectural techniques and historical structures such as the rock-carved city of Petra, the caves of Cappadocia and the troglodyte homes of Matmata in the Sahara, where subterranean living has long provided shelter from extreme climates.
The underground homes would be characterised by smooth, flowing lines that mimic the desert's...