In April 2024, Florida-based landscape architect Sydney Fisk travelled with Swoop Patagonia to Torres del Paine. Her experience centred on a stay at EcoCamp, which had been the focus of a research project on sustainable travel and eco-resorts. We caught up with her after her trip to discover what it felt like to finally visit a place she had studied for so long from afar.
Tell us about your sustainable travel research project
I’m a landscape architect. I’ve always loved staying at boutique and sustainable accommodation whenever I travel and I wanted to explore that hospitality niche for my capstone senior project at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I focused on light pollution and sustainable travel and researched existing eco-resorts to better understand what goes into designing a successful, sustainable destination. EcoCamp Patagonia was one of my main case studies.
The final product of my research was designing an eco-camp in the Sonoran Desert that pulled architectural design inspiration from the historical indigenous tribes and sustainable practices from my research on EcoCamp and other precedent research. I also developed programming that focused on educating guests on light pollution and how it’s not a pollutant that’s commonly talked about in mainstream media.
Why choose EcoCamp?
I came across an article about EcoCamp long before I began my capstone that sparked my curiosity, and by the time my senior year arrived, I knew I wanted to design a similar experience, blending it with my passion for addressing light pollution. EcoCamp became the foundation and inspiration for my project, guiding me toward sustainable boutique resort experiences.
As well as EcoCamp being the primary inspiration for my project, it also led to discovering other incredible destinations that are now on our bucket list. When we began planning this international trip, there were two major reasons EcoCamp became our first choice.
Firstly, my husband had always dreamed of visiting Patagonia, so it was a top bucket list item for both of us.
Secondly, Swoop made the entire planning process effortless. This was our first big international trip after getting married in 2021, and Swoop simplified everything. Not only was it easy to plan and pay for the trip, but the staff were also always available to answer questions, and their resources and guides made preparation a breeze.
Beyond the planning, the experience itself was unforgettable. The staff and guides at EcoCamp made the trip exceptional, and we hope to return someday.
How did EcoCamp meet your expectations?
The online photos of EcoCamp are stunning, but words can’t capture how incredible it is visiting in person. The camp’s design reflects a deep commitment to both the environment and guest experience. As a landscape architect, I noticed several thoughtful details that might go unnoticed by others. The raised deck walkways, wrapped in chicken wire to prevent slipping, help protect the local ecosystem. Natural wood fences retain the landscape’s grade, while stone cairns are carefully placed throughout the camp. Local materials are used to enhance the sense of place, and hand-crocheted or woven panels in the domes add a cosy, personal touch.
Beyond these aesthetic choices, there are many other handcrafted details that make you feel like you are a part of something greater than just a tourist experience. These design elements are seamlessly integrated with sustainable systems that educate guests without overwhelming them, showing just how much care and thought went into the creation of EcoCamp.
What can you apply from EcoCamp for other projects or places?
There are two key themes from EcoCamp that I want to incorporate into future projects. The first is sustainability. EcoCamp is an excellent example of how sustainable features can be seamlessly integrated into a high-end experience. For instance, while composting toilets might initially sound unappealing, EcoCamp elevates them with thoughtfully designed architectural elements, giving guests both comfort and sustainability without compromise.
The second theme is regional design with the addition of handcrafted elements. Although the domes might seem out of place in Patagonia’s vast wilderness, local materials and design elements are thoughtfully incorporated to help them blend into the environment. In landscape architecture, using local materials and cultural references is not a new idea, but it’s often diluted in execution. EcoCamp, however, fully embraces this approach, with its real magic lying in the hand-finished details.
From handmade fences with woven netting and painted eyes that greet guests upon arrival to the handwoven panels and strung rocks adorning the domes, every element feels deeply personal. While this level of handcrafted detail might be challenging to replicate in future projects, I’m inspired to explore how it can be used to enhance identity and create a more meaningful sense of place in my work going forward.
How has travel influenced you?
Travel has profoundly influenced my worldview, and EcoCamp has added a unique dimension to both my perspective and my career as a landscape architect.
Whenever we travelled as children, my parents built in structured journal time on our trips and encouraged us to put whatever inspired us in our journals. Even today I always travel with a sketchbook and sit down for at least 15 minutes every day to quickly sketch something. This translates directly to my profession as a Landscape Architect where we often have to sketch concepts of our designs as a tool to communicate our design intent to clients.
I’ve always been detail-oriented—constantly focused on rocks, flowers, or the bark of trees while others looked up at the sky. Landscape architecture allows me to channel this fascination with details into my work, and one of my favourite aspects of any project is researching the local environment and culture to create design elements that reflect the region’s identity.
EcoCamp reinforced my belief that capturing the essence of a place is essential for creating spaces where people truly connect with their surroundings. This connection transforms a destination into an unforgettable experience.
How important is sustainability for you?
My interest in sustainable travel is strongly backed by my profession. I like exploring different resorts that boast a wide array of sustainable practices in order to see how I can implement some of these practices in my current and future projects. There are a lot of resources online but I believe in my university programme’s motto of ‘learn by doing. Real life experience gives me a much better idea of how sustainable practices can be implemented in design.
We already implement a lot of sustainable practices in our home. That being said, we were really inspired by the food and have been trying to find places where we can source food locally and cook with the seasons. In addition to that it has inspired us to continue exploring other sustainable eco-resorts for future trips.
Read more about Sydney’s ‘Dark Sky’ research project featuring EcoCamp here.
