Barberio Colella Architetti
    Close-up rendering of bamboo tetrahedrons in Tarifa

    Sustainable Design

    Lanterns Sea Village – Sustainable temporary accommodation for surfers in Tarifa

    One hundred bamboo tetrahedrons suspended over the sea: a reversible village that leaves no trace on one of the Mediterranean’s most fragile coastal landscapes.

    2014 · Tarifa, Spain · Temporary residences · Sustainable Design

    When architecture hovers over the sea

    Playa de Los Lances, in Tarifa, is one of the most popular stretches of coastline for surfers across Europe. A landscape of wind, sand and light that attracts thousands of sports enthusiasts every year in search of waves and a place to stay. The problem is well known: traditional temporary accommodation solutions (campervans, shipping containers, prefabricated structures placed on the beach) leave a permanent mark on a fragile ecosystem. The challenge for Lanterns Sea Village was to design a settlement comprising 100 housing units that could house the surfing community without leaving a trace on the landscape once dismantled.

    Barberio Colella Architetti’s response stems from a precise vision: lightweight tetrahedral structures rising from sea level, suspended in place like lanterns. This is not an arbitrary formal gesture, but a structural and environmental choice: the triangular geometry is the most rigid of all, and the grouping of three tetrahedrons generates a mutual static equilibrium that minimises the number of ground supports. The foundations are reduced to deep piles in the sand, eliminating any need for excavation or concrete casting.

    The load-bearing material is bamboo, chosen for its structural properties, sustainability and lightness. The floors are made of recycled timber, whilst the sunshades are crafted from old surfboards (shaped and glued) transforming an object symbolic of the local culture into a functional architectural component. Each housing unit, measuring approximately 30 square metres, comprises a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, arranged over two levels: on the lower level, four metres above sea level, run the access walkways; on the upper level are the actual residences.

    The cluster of 100 modules stretches linearly out to sea and converges in a semi-square on the beach, creating a communal living space. The entire village is energy self-sufficient thanks to mini marine turbines, mini wind turbines and amorphous photovoltaic panels integrated into the extensive roof surfaces. The project is fully reversible: every component can be dismantled and recycled, restoring the landscape to its original state. Lanterns Sea Village was featured on ArchDaily in 2015.

    Renders & Photos

    Close-up rendering of bamboo tetrahedrons in Tarifa
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    The tetrahedral housing units, grouped in sets of three, create a mutual structural balance, supported by pile foundations in the sand.

    Technical specifications

    Location
    Playa de Los Lances, Tarifa, Andalusia, Spain
    Year
    2014
    Typology
    Temporary accommodation
    Area
    4,200 m² (residential)
    Status
    Concept
    Designers
    Maurizio Barberio, Micaela Colella
    Publications
    ArchDaily (2015)

    Technical drawings

    Panoramic view of the Tetrahedron Village in Tarifa
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    The village stretches along the coast of Tarifa, with bamboo tetrahedrons suspended over the water, minimising the impact on the coastal landscape.

    How do you build a temporary settlement on the coast without damaging the landscape?

    Anyone managing accommodation or residential facilities in protected coastal areas is familiar with the dilemma: every foundation, every concrete slab, every excavation permanently alters a fragile ecosystem. Conventional temporary solutions (containers, lightweight prefabricated units, modular structures on plinths) reduce the impact but do not eliminate it. In Tarifa, where the dune and marine landscape is the main economic and environmental asset, a radically different approach was needed: architecture that could be dismantled without leaving a trace, built with renewable materials, and capable of operating with energy self-sufficiency. Lanterns Sea Village demonstrates that it is possible to design a settlement comprising one hundred housing units with foundations reduced to bamboo poles in the sand, a fully recyclable bamboo structure, and sunshades made from recycled materials.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Yes, provided the structure is designed to rely on mutual balance and minimise the number of supports. In Tarifa, the bamboo tetrahedrons are supported in groups of three, connected at the top, transferring loads to deep-set bamboo poles in the sand. This solution eliminates foundation slabs, kerbs and concrete pours, and makes the entire village demountable and the site restorable.

    Bamboo has a strength-to-weight ratio comparable to steel and has been used as a structural material in architecture for centuries in tropical regions. The design challenge lies in the joints and connections: in Tarifa, the tetrahedral geometry simplifies the joints and exploits the intrinsic rigidity of the triangular form. Bamboo is also a rapidly renewable resource (3–5 years to mature), with a much lower carbon footprint than timber, steel or concrete.

    In Tarifa, the project incorporates three complementary sources: mini-turbines harnessing the power of the sea, mini-wind turbines integrated into the roof (Tarifa is one of the windiest places in Europe) and amorphous photovoltaic panels installed across the large surfaces of the tetrahedral roofs. The combination of multiple renewable sources ensures constant energy production across a range of weather conditions.

    The cost of bamboo as a raw material is significantly lower than that of steel and competitive with structural timber. The main saving, however, lies in the foundations: eliminating concrete slabs and in-situ concrete reduces excavation and site restoration costs. The overall cost depends on the local bamboo supply chain and the complexity of the joints, but for temporary structures the cost-benefit ratio is favourable and very advantageous compared to conventional alternatives.

    It means that the building can be completely dismantled (structure, cladding, services, foundations) without leaving any permanent traces on the site. In Tarifa, every component is designed to be separated, recycled or reused: the bamboo structure, the recycled timber floors, the sunshades made from salvaged surfboards. Even the pile foundations can be extracted from the sand, restoring the beach to its natural state.

    In Lanterns Sea Village, the arrangement of the 100 modular units is not random: the linear layout facing the sea converges into a semi-square on the beach, creating a sheltered open space where the surfing community can gather. It is an ancient urban principle (the square as a place for communal life) applied on a small and temporary scale. ---

    Are you planning a temporary accommodation facility or one with a low environmental impact?

    Lanterns Sea Village demonstrates that sustainable and reversible settlements are buildable in fragile landscapes. If you have a similar project (temporary accommodation, eco-resorts, coastal facilities) we can discuss the design approach best suited to your site and budget.

    Let’s talk about your project

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