architect: Tutors: Eoin McCooey, Roibeárd Ó Máinín, Dobrin Petkov Participants: Anastasiya Hancharyk, Chloë Reyda, Dennis Tran, Dorien Tulp, Elena Dzinovic, Elias Grip, Fausta Diržytė, Julia Eliasson, Karolina Kručelytė, Martina Callus, Matic Kocjan, Natalia Malejka, Pénélope Mandlalle, Rasita Art, Samanta Lua, Yulea Moskalets

location: Nida, Lithuania

year: 2016

DreamDune was a workshop held in Nida, Lithuania in the summer of 2016 - part of the 36th European Architecture Students Assembly (EASA 2016). Nida is located in the Curonian Spit, a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared by Russia and Lithuania. The Curonian Spit is home to the highest moving (drifting) sand dunes in Europe. Their average height is 35 meters, but some attain a height of 60 meters.

photo by Alexandra Kononchenko
photo by Alexandra Kononchenko

Nida is a meeting of Sands and Forests. Just like the millions of grains in the sand dunes, each strand of timber is one in a million. Arrayed to allow, (or not allow) the passage of light & air through the structure and into the voids created beneath its surface, this cross laminated timber structure is an abstraction of the formation of a sand dune over time. The form pays homage to Nida’s unique environment - where the symbiosis of forest and sand defines, shelters and physically shapes Nida. The forests of the Curonian Spit (which so critically hold the very dunes protecting Nida in place) are here translated into a more fluid form and allowed to dissolve into the dunes. DreamDune provides a series of social gathering space divided between the positive and negative dimensions of the structure. Capturing a route through the sand dunes, the external positive face acts as a timber amphitheatre to sit, play and gaze at the surrounding trees & stars. Underneath, in the negative plane, two seating booths sit diagonally opposed within the form, providing a more private social function and capturing two distinct views across the dunes. The installation is for public use and is useable to beachgoers throughout the year.

photo by Alexandra Kononchenko
photo by Alexandra Kononchenko

Team
Tutors:

Eoin McCooey / Ireland
Roibeárd Ó Máinín / Ireland
Dobrin Petkov / Bulgaria

Partecipanti:
Anastasiya Hancharyk / Belarus
Chloë Reyda / Belgium
Dennis Tran / Netherlands
Dorien Tulp / Netherlands
Elena Dzinovic / Serbia
Elias Grip / Sweden
Fausta Diržytė / Lithuania
Julia Eliasson / Sweden
Karolina Kručelytė / Lithuania
Martina Callus / Malta
Matic Kocjan / Slovenia
Natalia Malejka / Scotland
Pénélope Mandlalle / France
Rasita Art / England
Samanta Lua / Italy
Yulea Moskalets / Moldova

Sponsor
The sponsors for the project, Cross Timber System , were instrumental in the procurement and cutting of timber for the project. Without them we would never have been able to create the Dream Dune

Project duration:
 22nd July  - 2nd August 2016

location:
Nida, Neringa, Lithuania 55°18'38.2"N 20°58'57.2"E

dimensions:
6,54 m lenght
4,50 m width
2,25 m height

social media:
https://www.facebook.com/DreamDune
#dreamdune