Nidos de Agua
Project
Competition, Paillion
Location
La Albufera Natural Park, Spain
Year
2026
Designers
İnci Shoainia, Emil Shoainia
Project name
NIDO INVERSO
Degree
Golden Mention
Ecological Observation and Multi-Species Habitat in Wetlands
Nido Inverso is an ecological observation and research project that redefines the relationship between humans, architecture, and the wetland ecosystem. Rather than placing a conventional building within the natural landscape, the project transforms architecture into an interface between human observation and the habitats of non-human species. The name Nido Inverso, meaning “The Inverted Nest,” expresses the reversal of roles at the heart of this approach: while humans visit the structure temporarily, birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and other small creatures inhabit its architectural envelope more permanently. Architecture thus moves beyond serving exclusively human needs, becoming an ecological infrastructure that supports the coexistence of different species.
The project consists of three Nido Inverso pavilions positioned at different locations around the lagoon. Instead of concentrating architectural intervention at a single point, the project proposes a distributed research network that enables the observation of different ecological conditions within the wetland. Derived from the same architectural principles, the three structures adapt to the landscape and ecological characteristics of their respective surroundings, allowing different forms of interaction with nature to be experienced.
SPATIAL ORGANIZATION
The spatial organization of Nido Inverso is based on the way the human body perceives the natural environment. Extending between agricultural fields, reeds, and the water surface, the narrow, linear structure welcomes visitors through its short façade and directs them along a controlled observation route. Rather than revealing the entire landscape at once, three horizontal openings positioned at different heights gradually expose the layers of the surrounding environment.
The sequence WATER → REEDS → SKY establishes the project's fundamental spatial experience. The first opening, positioned close to the ground, requires visitors to crouch in order to observe the water surface. The second encourages them to bend to view the reeds, while the third invites them to stand upright to look toward the horizon and sky. Through the movements of CROUCH → BEND → STAND, the visitor's body becomes an active component of the architectural experience. The structure does not merely frame the landscape; it directs the way the human body encounters the different layers of the wetland. Observing nature thus becomes more than a passive act of looking, transforming into a bodily and spatial experience.
ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE RELATIONSHIP
Nido Inverso adopts an architectural approach that seeks to integrate with the existing ecological character of the wetland rather than transform it. Positioned between reed beds, water surfaces, and agricultural landscapes, the three linear pavilions enable the observation of natural habitats while limiting physical intervention in the surrounding environment.
The material approach emphasizes natural materials such as reeds, thatch, and timber, together with vegetated roof surfaces. These materials support the gradual visual and ecological integration of the architectural envelope with the surrounding vegetation. Rather than existing as an independent object that asserts itself within the landscape, the structure is conceived as an inhabitable layer that becomes part of the natural environment and accommodates different living species.
ECOLOGICAL ENVELOPE AND RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE
The project's most defining architectural element is the transformation of the thick wall opposite the observation openings into a multi-species habitat façade. This wall is not merely a structural element separating interior and exterior spaces; it becomes an active ecological envelope that provides nesting, shelter, and protection for different species.
Cavities of various sizes and configurations integrated into the exterior surface create dedicated habitats for birds, solitary bees, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and other small creatures. While animals access these habitats from the outside, controlled access panels positioned at selected points within the interior allow researchers to observe, document, and maintain these living environments with minimal disturbance.
Additional niches integrated into the interior wall provide storage for binoculars, cameras, field notebooks, and environmental monitoring equipment. In this way, a single architectural element combines the functions of habitat, research infrastructure, storage system, and building envelope.
Nido Inverso proposes an alternative to conventional architectural approaches that place humans at the center of nature. Through a system in which humans adapt their bodies to observe the natural environment, while architecture provides more permanent habitats for other species, the structure becomes an instrument that enables different forms of life to coexist. The project demonstrates that architecture can be designed not only for humans but for all participants within a shared ecosystem.
