Escape and nature make for the best of naps. Our aim was to create a place for the pavilion user to escape to their own unique place within nature. One way to create an escape is to build a boundary, but we felt this would weaken the connection with nature. Instead we have raised the nap space into the sky to create a private escape up above the ground. Skyscrapers typically represent ideas of financial excess and statements of greed and ego. The SkySleeper represents something a lot more important; the nap.

The inhabitant’s journey to the tranquil sleeping space takes from the ground to the sky before enjoying the peace and quiet of their nap time. The steeply pitched roof provides shelter while the curtains at either opening allow the light levels and breeze to be controlled. The nap space itself is simple and minimal, offering no distraction from nature or the nap.

Our design uses simple prefabricated components in an easy to assemble, structurally efficient manner. Straight, regular timber elements are joined using standard steel brackets, nuts and bolts to create the structure’s triangles. The modular nature of the design means costs are kept to a minimum and the construction is kept simple.

The SkySleeper’s design is simple and bold, providing the most tranquil setting for a nap. The architecture of the pavilion will no doubt leave its inhabitants with lasting memories of the most relaxing experience and the sweetest dreams.

Sky-Sleeper is winner of the Napavilion Competition, organised by the University of Southern California's American Academy in China and waiting to be built in Jade Valley.