Clémence de Broqueville

Solar Shelters are three pavilions, located on the ancient Silk Road in Kazakhstan, aiming to re-activate and re-energise obsolete Soviet bus stops which in the past have connected remote parts of the country into places for solar and lunar worship.

The bus stops act as gateways to new territories and have been embraced by an architecture style that has been imposed rather than reflecting the vernacular, making them highly visible. This visibility has been further enhanced by securing these Solar Shelters through the Soviet bus stop gateways which celebrates celestial events throughout the Persian calendar, such as the Summer and Winter solstice, solar eclipses, as well as offer a place for passersby to take respite from the sun, be refreshed with each pavilion's water facilities, a place to pray, and acting as a service station to travellers along the much used ancient Silk Road.

Energising these spaces through the power of the sun and water will enable passersby to slow down during a transit state, acting as a compass to guide the user through ancient methods of time and navigation much like a sundial where the interior space will be emblazoned with sublime interventions through shadows and light. The materiality of the project emphasises the many raw materials that were traded throughout the ancient Silk Road as well as responding and reconnecting back to native (or vernacular) materials with the use of granite, metal, manganese oxide, charred wood, felt and clay which are highly abundant throughout the country.   

The divine energy from the solar and lunar activities reactivate a once obsolete site and give a new energy to these three Solar Shelters.