Rooms in the Landscape: An Exploration into Building Process and Experiential Qualities of the Extreme, Remote Landscape of Nahanni National Park Reserve

Abstract

Architecture and wilderness are two distinct experiences that may seem an unlikely union, however, is there a way that these spaces, the natural and the architectural, can synthesize to enhance one’s experience of a specific landscape? Nahanni National Park Reserve (NNPR) in the Northwest Territories is backcountry wilderness with only one access road through the town of Tungsten. This thesis investigates the potential of architecture to enhance the visceral experience of navigating along a “trail” from Tungsten to the Cirque of the Unclimbables. A series of structures will focus on clarifying, situating, and ultimately heightening the experience of inhabiting this landscape through bespoke architectural interventions.