Dune Architects Explore a New Vision for the Lighthouse in the Last Light Competition

Dune Architects recently undertook a creative design exercise responding to the themes of the Last Light Competition.

For centuries, lighthouses stood as symbols of orientation, protection and hope, guiding travellers through uncertainty and danger. Today, while navigation has become digital, the symbolic power of the lighthouse remains deeply relevant. Last Light asked participants to reinterpret the lighthouse as a place to inhabit, pause, observe and reflect.

Our proposal is located at Cabo de São Vicente in Portugal, historically known as Finis Terrae or “the end of the known world”. Defined by dramatic cliffs, Atlantic winds and expansive ocean views, the site became central to the project experience.

The observation tower draws inspiration from the form and materiality of the original lighthouse. Constructed from stone, the proposal emerges from the cliffside landscape, appearing carved directly from the terrain itself.

The visitor journey begins within heavy cave like walls where light is minimal and distant. Carved stone benches provide moments of pause before visitors ascend through the tower via stairs int

egrated into the thick walls. As the journey progresses, carefully framed openings reveal increasingly expansive views of the Atlantic.

Higher within the tower, wind becomes an active part of the architecture through a kinetic façade composed of moving tiles that respond to changing wind conditions. Openings shift throughout the day and seasons, creating constantly changing views, light and atmosphere. At the top, visitors arrive within the beacon itself, where patterned glass filters natural light into the space before opening onto a panoramic terrace overlooking the coastline.

The project explores architecture as an immersive sensory experience, deeply connected to landscape, climate and time.