The Wawye Oasis at Gun Lake Casino Resort

Shaped through solar study, the Wawye Oasis at Gun Lake’s dome design was informed by the sun’s daily path across the sky—creating a sensory-rich experience and optimizing daylight exposure throughout Michigan’s seasons. The high-performance glazing, coupled with the atrium’s space frame structure, forms a distinctive sloped oval shape like a giant sundial that captures and maximizes natural light.

At the core of the Wawye Oasis is a highly dynamic HVAC system engineered by EXP engineers to adjust both temperature and humidity based on use-case. The space operates at 83°F and 60% humidity during pool mode, transitioning to 68°F for banquet or entertainment events—achieved through a responsive mechanical interface. These programmable presets enable efficient system ramp-up and ramp-down based on occupancy and activity.

Structurally, the Wawye Oasis dome features 800 low-E glass panels totaling 29,000 square feet. The dome system, designed by Novum Structures, uses a segmented steel space frame with components prefabricated in Turkey and glass sourced from Shanghai—allowing wintertime offsite assembly and rapid onsite installation. No single steel piece exceeded 12 feet in length. Unlike traditional welded trusses, this mechanically fastened approach expedited construction during a time of intense supply chain volatility.