The Teddy-Bear Cholla is the inspiration for this design. The cactus' abundance of spines provides shade for the plant and the thick walls keep it cool. These were incorporated in the design of the structure.
At a smaller scale the cholla pod can be used as a desert shelter. The stairs wrap around the base to one of the windows that opens as a door. The fins that project out can be manipulated to shade the windows. The interior walls are thick, keeping the temperature tolerable.
A larger scale of the cholla pod is reminicent of the Ste. Chappelle in Paris. The sanctuary space is small but quite open and lofty. The windows are stained glass with the colors projecting around the interior as teh sun tracks through the sky.
To enter the sanctuary of the cholla chapel there is a staircase that winds inside a base, which would act as a gathering hall or narthex. This base opens otu at ground level. This gives the pod a pure unbroken exterior.
The Teddy-Bear Cholla is the inspiration for this design. The cactus' abundance of spines provides shade for the plant and the thick walls keep it cool. These were incorporated in the design of the structure. 
At a smaller scale the cholla pod can be used as a desert shelter. The stairs wrap around the base to one of the windows that opens as a door. The fins that project out can be manipulated to shade the windows. The interior walls are thick, keeping the temperature tolerable. 
A larger scale of the cholla pod is reminicent of the Ste. Chappelle in Paris. The sanctuary space is small but quite open and lofty. The windows are stained glass with the colors projecting around the interior as teh sun tracks through the sky. 
To enter the sanctuary of the cholla chapel there is a staircase that winds inside a base, which would act as a gathering hall or narthex. This base opens otu at ground level. This gives the pod a pure unbroken exterior.