In response to an international design competition for a marine research center in Bali, architects Alfonso Lopez and Duncan Pendlebury of Maine-based architectural studio Solus 4 developed an energy-efficient design with a sculptural form inspired by tsunami waves — the same subject of research for the proposed facility. The undulating shape of the organic building would also reflect site-specific conditions so as to optimize passive solar conditions and use of sustainable systems such as rainwater collection and tidal wave energy generation. The international design competition, which was hosted almost a decade ago, was created to address the need for tsunami research and preparation in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.