High-tech membranes for "Camp Sarika" in the Grand Canyon

This is the ten tented pavilions at Camp Sarika, nestled in the Grand Canyon wilderness, at the heart of the American West near the luxury hotel Amangiri (Aman Resorts). They provide a unique experience of total reconnection in this legendary and well-preserved setting. The project called for several different participants to meet the technical and environmental challenges of integrating this experiential lodge space into its environment. 

The Serge Ferrari flexible composite membrane's technical performance convinced the technical design team and the project architects to take up the challenges presented by the site's extreme conditions:
    - With severe outside temperatures ranging from -15 ° to 45 °, the roof membrane has to withstand the stresses        associated with these extremes from intense heat to snowfall
    - Resistance to soiling in a dusty environment enables the membrane to maintain its appearance over time
    - Resistance to tearing in strong winds (up to 145 km/h)
    - Resistance of strong colours exposed to intense UV so that lodges' aesthetic appearance can be preserved for longer.

On the other hand, all fabrics selected for this project had to provide optimal comfort for the lodges' occupants:
    - The membrane textile acts as an effective thermal shield by blocking solar transmission and maintaining its occupants at a pleasantly comfortable temperature 
    - It was also essential for the membrane to be totally waterproof, guaranteeing a totally dry environment.

The Luxury Frontiers agency was in charge of the overall architecture, while technical design, supply of all textile systems and the construction thereof were carried out by Tenthouse Structures. To demonstrate the project's technical feasibility, the builder went through an on-site prototyping programme proving the concept's effectiveness throughout a full seasonal cycle as well as providing a better understanding of the final structural assembly. During this prototyping phase, the textile was subjected to numerous pre-tests reproducing a variety of usage scenarios.

The special "Pepper" Flexlight Dualtone 702 textile first appears in the box casings using a double curvature design. This very widespread process in tensile architecture was the subject of a real challenge for the project's designers so as not to exceed the maximum height authorised by the contractor to preserve the landscape's integrity. The required airflows' curvature and deflection angle were achieved by means of a lower centre mast height, additional cables under the canvas and strongly curved edges positioned at strategic points. This was made possible due to the Flexlight Dualtone 702 membranes' outstanding mechanical resistance and above all because of the unique Precontraint technology making the membrane sizing extremely stable.