CATALYTIC INTEGRATION WINS ASLA COLLABORATION AWARD
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You Been Kim and Matthew Brown were awarded the 2010 ASLA award for student collaboration for their innovative project Catalytic Integration. Their project developed for the Desert paradox studio demonstrates a unique coalescence between the discipline of architecture and landscape architecture.

The project introduces a new concept for sustainable tourism in remote Saharan locale, Merzouga, located in Southern Morocco. Through the collaboration of Architect and Landscape Architect, this design exhibits new program that capitalizes on local resources and context while also providing a new hotel typology that weaves seamlessly into the existing village, oasis and surrounding context. The result, a desert golf tourist development that has minimal environmental impact, enhances local culture and program, and improves local economy and revenue.

The studio trip which allowed for this research and project was fully sponsored by the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism SMIT. Also, Professors Robert Wright and Liat Margolis and golf advisors Neil Crafter and Scott Covell were instrumental in the project development.