This project is a competetion entry I did with Lene Hammer in 2000. The aim of the project is to design a life guard station or tower that has to function during the summer months. The design has to give the life guard the possibility to overview the sea and the beach. Furthermore the station has to function as a simple information booth as well as a place for simple medical treatment such as sun burns, bee stings etc. Our main idea was to create a station that looked alien on the beach - not trying to blend in but instead create a contrast to the beach landscape. With a beetle as a metaphor the station consists of overlapping shells so that the station can minimize its surface during nights and storms. Fully opened the beetle creates a first floor where the life guard can sit and overview the beach - check the divx video to see how it unfolds. The project is designed in rhino and later exported to 3D max for rendering and animation.