French architecture studio New-Territories has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a unique hybrid architecture project in the Thai province of Krabi.

When completed, people and birds will both live in the structure.

The proposed building, named MMYST (Make Me Younger, Shelter Temptation), will combine a small hotel with a manufactured habitat for Swiftlets, small birds which are native to Thailand. It will sit within the boundary of the region’s Khao Phanom Bencha National Park.

The three-floor steel structure will be clad with robotically-produced expandable starch-flax foam and scrap wood so it blends in with the surrounding lava rock. The human and bird zones will be separate, but geometrically intertwined.

One-way mirrored windows will allow guests to observe the Swiftlets without disturbing their natural habitat. The human space will sleep six people and also contains a 20sq m (215sq ft) swimming pool and a bar.

After 10 years, New-Territories’ contract with the national park will end and the building will be dismantled.

The designs of the company, headed by principal architects Francois Roche and Camille Lacadee, merge philosophy, robotics and more traditional design practices.

In an exclusive interview, Roche told CLAD that Kickstarter is the best model to fund his more innovative concepts. “It is a way to address the multitude and engage normal people in the process," he said. "Architecture is becoming more like music and films: it no longer has to be private, or run by committees where a few people make decisions for the rest. Architects, including us, cannot stop here.”

For the MMYST project, Roche and Lacadee wish to explore the principles of mutualism, in which different species exist in a mutually beneficial relationship, and the temporary “here and now” nature of architecture.

Lacadee said: "[This project] follows the idea that we are sharing architecture which could be erased and which could die. After that, there will be a return to nature.”

Investors in the Kickstarter campaign, which aims to raise US$200,000 (€175,000, £131,000) by 26 October, will be the first in line to stay at the hotel. Currently backers wishing to experience MMYST can donate a minimum of US$250 (€219, £163) to book a one night stay for a maximum of four people. More generous individuals can pay US$9,999 (€8,765, £6,509) to secure 60 nights over the decade-long course of the building's life.

Guests will be allowed to help retrieve the edible bird’s nests – a highly valuable delicacy in Southeast Asia – as well as enjoying the nearby opportunities for mountain climbing, sailing and scuba diving.

However, with 11 days to go, the project had only secured US$17,790 (€15,595, £11,581) of its target. Roche said that if the fundraising effort fails, the company will consider other crowdfunding models.