Architecture firm and designer: Nina Maritz Architects and Melanie van der Merwe, Namibia
The details: Littered with petrified whale bones and driftwood ship remains, it’s no wonder the name Skeleton Coast stuck when first coined by John Henry Marsh in his 1944 book chronicling a shipwreck off the shores of West Africa. The vast stretch of deserted coastline would seem inhospitable for tourists, but the founders of safari travel company Natural Selection saw beauty and potential in the otherworldly landscape and masterminded Shipwreck Lodge, a minimalist escape for adventurous explorers.

“The idea was to create a unique design not directly influenced by anything except the environment,” says Namibia-based architect Nina Maritz, who worked with fellow local designer Melanie van der Merwe on the experiential project. “The location itself is so overwhelming that the architecture merely creates shelter from which to experience the desolate and beautiful Skeleton Coast.”

Perched atop the dunes, the 10-room property comprises cozy solar-powered cabins that Maritz constructed using renewable wood and recycled plastic water bottles. Each cabin is outfitted with organic textiles like recycled rope and linen in a palette of blue, burgundy, and cream, while a central lounge and restaurant with a wraparound deck looks onto the plains and the Atlantic Ocean. “The structures are dwarfed by the landscape, it’s almost like a scattering of a giant’s wooden blocks on a vast carpet of sand,” says Maritz. “The faceted shapes of the buildings make it seem as if they just rolled into place.”